Jesus Piece: Always Up, Never Back
“A lot of people have been telling us ‘wow, it’s crazy to see you back’, but we never left,” muses JESUS PIECE drummer Luis Aponte. He joins us on a day off in Dallas, Texas, about a third of the way through a mega US tour with a stacked line-up supporting SHOW ME THE BODY alongside ZULU, SCOWL and the rapper TRIPPJONES. Dates like these are what the Philadelphia five-piece were made for – as Aponte emphasises “we’ve always been a live band” – but as much as suggestions that they ever went away are misguided, it is understandable that some might sense an air of comeback about the band’s new album …So Unknown, mainly because it marks their first new music in nearly five years.
Released in 2018, JESUS PIECE’s debut full-length Only Self arrived at an ideal time for the Philadelphians, building on the momentum of their self-titled debut EP and placing them firmly in step with the likes of KNOCKED LOOSE, CODE ORANGE and VEIN.FM in breathing new life into a metallic hardcore scene which has been flourishing ever since. Even Pitchfork approved, and soon enough Aponte and co were sharing stages not only with expected names like TERROR but even with trap metal crossover superstar GHOSTEMANE. They had no intentions of slowing down, until a very predictable suspect meant they had to.
“We were gearing up to start writing new stuff and playing and trying to experiment with new stuff live, so we were really hurt by [the pandemic], but I think by like the sixth month we were kind of like ‘you know what, this is kind of needed’.” reflects Aponte. “It meant we had to sit down and see things in a different way. We were always on go mode all the time, and it went on a little too long, but it was nice to take a moment, especially with [vocalist] Aaron [Heard] being a dad and stuff and all of us kind of had our lives switching and we were figuring out what we were wanting to do and what our priorities were. It was good and I think it actually helped us grow as a band so much.”
With what felt like all the time in the world, the band refused to rush …So Unknown, to the point that the album wasn’t even finished when they entered producer Randy LeBoeuf’s studio in New Jersey. Hashing out the remainder of the record in a single room after Hurricane Ida flooded much of the rest of the space, Aponte is deeply and justifiably proud of the results. “On my side at least I know that I was very adamant about what I was doing,” he emphasises. “It’s the best I’ve ever played on a record. I feel really confident about the drumming and I know that the guys feel really good about the riffs. We’re always gonna feel self-conscious about the songwriting and how we can improve and how we can push it even further, but that’s for other records.”
“I almost feel like Only Self was like the B-sides of this record,” he continues. “Because I personally feel like Only Self was what we were trying to make now, but that record was very rushed. That record was very uncertain. I liked the songs on it, don’t get me wrong, but looking back on it now we were a totally different band – like completely, like in unity and what we were going through in our lives, even in playing we weren’t as mature as we are now. And even with this record I honestly feel it’s like a new beginning for us. I don’t think it’s the limit of what we can do.”
Crucially, Aponte feels that …So Unknown is the closest the band have come to capturing their formidable live energy on a record. This point is essential, as it is the live experience – as mentioned – that really makes JESUS PIECE who they are. “None of us are really pissed off all the time, but especially when we play live, it’s not a performance,” offers Aponte. “This is our one time of the day where we switch, we turn that light on. Even the way we communicate as a band is not how we communicate offstage… I think it’s deep rooted inside of every human; there’s a place for that anger or distress or whatever you’re feeling, but it’s nice that we have that one time out of the day everyday where we can channel that and utilise it and give it to the crowd.”
Perhaps having that sense of release is what has enabled JESUS PIECE to hold down the same line-up since day one, even when, as Aponte tells it, it hasn’t always been easy. “Our process was really hard and I’m very confident and proud of us because we really put the time in. We had some shit experiences, some rough tours, playing a lot of squats, a lot of basements. We never really skipped too many steps. And even before the band, we’d been in this for a long, long time, so if I could tell myself anything it’s just be patient. It’s tough because I really love the way we learned. I think it’s super awesome to have hardships, it creates character.”
“We try to be as straightforward as possible,” he adds. “I think there’s always going to be conflict, and I personally think with anything communication is everything. If you can’t communicate then you’re gonna have a very hard time and it’s just not gonna go well. I think we’ve always kept the same people because we’re actually all friends and we all have love for each other.”
Also somewhat deceptively key is the fact that the band all have their own interests outside of JESUS PIECE. For Aponte, that involves DJing under the moniker LU2K for starters, although many are probably even more likely to have noticed his extracurricular forays when he appeared behind the kit for hyperpop megastar CHARLI XCX on Saturday Night Live in March last year. At the moment however, he’s keen to keep those worlds separate. “For this album we were thinking about doing a lot more electronic stuff and I felt like it was becoming a trend in hardcore, so I almost stopped us from doing it.” he explains. “If I want to get experimental I want it to be in a different way, in our songwriting or how we structure things rather than just being like ‘let’s add a synth to this part’.”
Once again, Aponte’s words point to a band who are always looking to take things to the next level. …So Unknown does exactly that, and as he concludes among other things with a promise to “definitely deliver” at a much-anticipated appearance at Outbreak Fest later this year, there is no inclination whatsoever that JESUS PIECE are done climbing yet. “I would love to just keep pushing the limits of what we can do personally and as a unit. So whatever that entails and what the future holds, I know that we will always try to go up, never back.”
…So Unknown is out now via Century Media Records.
Like JESUS PIECE on Facebook.