The Dangerous Summer: Where They Want to Be
THE DANGEROUS SUMMER are the embodiment of American alt-rock, but after almost seventeen years as a band, their sixth studio album is more mature and powerful than ever. Coming Home tells the story of a band going through the process of losing who they are and finding themselves again. We sit down with AJ Perdomo [vocals/bass] and Matt Kennedy [guitars] to discuss their latest release. They’re more than ready, and AJ tells us, “you make everything happen and you have to wait forever. It’s been in our CD players for the past six or seven months so I’m just excited for everyone to hear it.”
Coming Home is a definitive title, and the band explain that it sums up the point they’re at in their careers and their lives. A lot of factors contributed to this, including finally making music after a long pandemic, gaining new members of the band and signing to a new record label. AJ tells us that the album revolved around its title track. “We made that song and decided it was the first single, it was the theme and the sound. It felt very strong. It felt like we were all standing on top of a mountain finally after everything we went through. It feels good to be home. We’re coming home baby.” After such a long period of doubt and unrest, in the wider world and as a band, Coming Home is a self-assured record, and the bands confident attitude is reflected in its sound. Matt says, “it’s been nothing but positive responses so far. It’s cool seeing what people gravitate towards. There’s a lot of people that are really digging Someday because we rarely do a song that open and simple and slow.” The positive response from their fanbase might be attributed to the trust they have in the band, and the way it’s clear they are finally able to both experiment with and stay true to their style.
As well as the album announcement, it was also announced that THE DANGEROUS SUMMER had signed to Rude Records after some time of being independent. It’s clear that this impacted the album’s theme, as AJ explains. “They tried to sign us about two years ago. They’ve been watching us and I think they finally came up with an idea of how to get us to come with them. They said they didn’t want to own our music for eternity.” AJ explains how in the past, the band felt restricted by previous record labels. He says, “it’s almost like parents. You have the cool parents who let their kids do anything, and it’s a better relationship than the ones with parents who say they can’t go out. The kids start sneaking out and rebelling. Rude came along and said, ‘what do you guys want? We just want to work with you and do it for the music’. They’re giving Coming Home the chance to live a greater life, they’re giving it wings to fly.” Matt adds, “total freedom as an artist is pretty cool, we’ve never felt this way before. It makes us want to put out more stuff, do more concerts, do more interviews.” The attitude from the band is overwhelmingly positive, suggesting they are only gaining momentum.
AJ and Matt describe writing with new guitarist Josh Withenshaw and drummer Christian Zawacki. AJ says, “we figured out how we can all write together. Everything was fluid, nothing was forced and everything felt really good. It’s all over the place but it’s a lot of fun.” He goes on, “you start to get these lyrics pop in, talking about current events and where we are when it’s all happening.” Because the band have recorded multiple albums, AJ describes how the knowledge they gain can affect the process. “I think it only goes smoother each time, you start to understand what it takes. It’s kind of like an openness and you get better at that, you get better at revealing your insides.” This doesn’t always make recording easy though. “It’s always different. When you think you have a method music says fuck you and takes it away. It’s that mysticism, it’s that magic.” Matt explains, “with Someday, Christian went down there thinking the next day we would change a bunch of stuff, and we ended up keeping that trial, with him even stopping in the middle of the song. We were trying to keep things a lot more natural on this record and that’s something new.”
On their upcoming UK tour, THE DANGEROUS SUMMER are continuing with Drinker’s Club, a VIP experience allowing fans to spend time with the band. AJ says, “we have the coolest fans ever. They’re just like us. It’s an intimate setting, it’s cool to meet people and become friends with all our fans.” The band also describe UK crowds, with AJ saying, “in America, everyone’s so pretentious about music. There’s a way better attitude towards rock out there, people just want to go to gigs and have fun. We’re excited man, it’s going to be a fun tour.”
Right now seems like the best time to be a fan of THE DANGEROUS SUMMER. With the band so content, with the album being a perfect mixture of an experimental and classic sound, and absolutely no signs of slowing down, fans can expect a thrilling tour and album campaign.
Coming Home is out now via Rude Records.
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