Counterparts: Nothing Left To Lose
Standing as one of the most intriguing case studies in modern hardcore, COUNTERPARTS run their careers like they’ve got nothing to lose, in fairness: maybe they haven’t. Music has always been much more than just a source of income for the Canadians, instead it’s their very life blood – the aspect of life that they know could be ripped from them at any moment, so why not enjoy the ride, right?
From their satirical Twitter feed, to their live intro music being Adam Sandler‘s infamous Somebody Kill Me Please song from the late 90’s classic film The Wedding Singer, no one is questioning whether COUNTERPARTS are having fun. But it’s their jovial nature that can sometimes make you forget what a special band they are, in the decade and change since the band have been in existence; few have managed to convey both emotion and brutality quite as seamlessly as COUNTERPARTS.
Even with that said though, the band are often too humble to acknowledge their own qualities, as vocalist Brendan Murphy almost scoffs at the idea of being a ‘veteran’ band. “I think in order to be a veteran band you have to be a bit bigger than we are. We also started the band when we were 17 years old, so even though it’s been a while we couldn’t really start touring until we graduated high school in 2009. Things were really set in motion when we put out Hell/Home in 2013, so in my mind it hasn’t really been that long. It’s a hobby turned job.”
Brendan‘s humble approach to band life is charming, but there’s an idea that underneath it all – he’s fully aware of just how important COUNTERPARTS are, not just to modern hardcore – but to their adorning, ever swelling fan base. The band’s steady but consistent ascension over the years was summarised by latest record Nothing Left To Love, which took the bands formula of omnipresent breakdowns blended with aching lyrics and a beating heart – and fused it with the addition of towering, melancholic choruses.
Though the addition of a chorus you can pour your heart out to may seem like a tonal shift, COUNTERPARTS don’t see it as a big deal. Brendan makes one of his classic gestures when discussing the melodic aspect of Nothing Left To Love, “if POISON THE WELL and MISERY SIGNALS did it, why can’t we? [laughs].” He has a point, and it’s the first time he openly acknowledges the level of quality within the band, even if it’s entirely indirect.
Part of the reason the five piece are darlings of the modern alternative landscape, is the beauty within Brendan‘s interesting, at times tortured lyricism’s – and he takes great ownership, and pride of whatever the results of his battle with pen and paper are.
“All the lyrics are written by me, and then put through the ringer by Will until they are poetic yet catchy enough for people to sing along. If Will would let me I would be writing true psycho shit that no one on earth would understand but me and if that were the case I think the band wouldn’t be the size we are. Every now and then, however, I can sneak some weird shit in that he knows no one will understand but will make me happy and I appreciate it and sometimes he’s like ‘that straight up sucks you’re better than that’ and it pushes me to work even harder to shut him up and prove him wrong”
The Will he’s referring to here is FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY guitarist and producer Will Putney, whose stock has grown astronomically in recent years. STRAY FROM THE PATH, NORMA JEAN, THY ART IS MURDER, and of course COUNTERPARTS have all had Putney behind the desk for them in their recent endeavours – with all four bands managing to find their next level as a result. Brendan‘s summary of his experience with Will is short, but pertinent. “I think it’s safe to say that as long as Will is making records, I probably won’t let us record with anyone else. The relationship is amazing, the studio rocks, the environment is basically work at your own pace until it’s done, and after all the records we’ve done with him it’s become more familiar than anything. It almost doesn’t feel like work.”
As a band whose story and motivation can be hard to judge, you’d be justified in wondering what the true inner workings of the Canadians are. Interestingly enough, Brendan‘s summary of how the band ticks oddly tells you everything you need to know about why they’re capable of such brilliance.
“I think the band would be a lot bigger if we didn’t operate the way we do. But, to me, music is still supposed to be fun. If I wanted to be in a giant band and be a millionaire I sure as hell wouldn’t be in COUNTERPARTS. We took so much shit when we were grinding that now if we aren’t fully on board with certain things, we know to say no. At the end of the day, we started this band to make the music we want and get a point where we can tour with who we want, go wherever we want, etc and I don’t take that for granted. We’re very fortunate.”
In essence, this is all you really need to know about the band. A group of individuals who aren’t prepared to serve their bank accounts if it means sacrificing even an inch of what they love most. And maybe it’s this desire to achieve satisfaction in their own eyes that has helped make Nothing Left To Love the heaving beast of a record that it is, and if all was said and done within COUNTERPARTS tomorrow – Brendan could live with it.
“I definitely would be content with NLTL being the last COUNTERPARTS record. That’s not to say that it will be, but anything can happen. I guess if our shows started to suck and people didn’t care about us anymore we would probably call it and honestly it feels like that at times, but then we’ll have an incredible show/tour or break the top 100 on billboard and suddenly it’s like, okay maybe we can keep this going for a little while longer, you know?”
As things stand, there would be little reason to end the band’s journey. Fresh off the bat of their best record to date, breaking the billboard 100, and with a host of 2020 tours to boot – it’s safe to assume COUNTERPARTS have plenty left in the tank for now. And when push comes to shove, we need them, and deep down: they know it, whether they’re happy to admit that or not. Over a decade into their tenure, COUNTERPARTS have never been more important than they are right now.
Has there ever been a turning point moment for the band? An event that had it not happened, the band would be in a totally different place?
Brendan: This may sound bad but not really? We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs but I don’t think any of them would be more important than the actual music itself. We’ve taken some tours that have flopped, we’ve had our van break down like 1000 times, we’ve had our share of beef, but honestly I don’t think it would have changed the outcome or the trajectory of the band in any way. To put it quite simply, we’re just doing our thing and trying to write some bangers before we get too old to tour.
What are the differences (if any) in hardcore/metalcore from when your journey first begun to now? How do you see things moving forward?
Brendan: This is a tough question. I think the biggest thing I’ve noticed is how people in the scene now aren’t really willing to go to great lengths for shows, finding new bands, etc. When I was growing up I’d drive from Hamilton to the USA for shows quite regularly. I spend every day of my life combing MySpace and PureVolume profiles, It-leaked, message boards, etc trying to find new bands to listen to. Now I think kids expect their favourite bands to fall into their lap and it’s a little discouraging seeing bands who suck ass blowing up just because they have a better press agent than a band that makes incredible music who are more underground. That being said though, you can’t take the fucking boomer route and complain about the old days without adapting, you’ll get nowhere and look like an antique doing so. Keep your ear to the ground, you know?
Album sales are less of a barometer for a bands success now than they were 20 years ago. But even so, did breaking the Billboard 100 with Nothing Left To Love feel like a particularly important moment for the band? One that could be looked back on in 10 years as a: “I’m so proud we accomplished this” moment?
Brendan: I’m gonna go ahead and say that they almost for sure don’t matter anymore but it’s definitely sick [laughs]. If the record bombed first week in 2019 as opposed to a pre-streaming time, it would definitely be a harder pill to swallow. Like I said, it’s not really a concern for us but the fact that we did break the top 100 and had our highest first week to date is a cool feeling that I’m definitely proud of.
Nothing Left To Love is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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