Movements: You’re One Of Us Now
For Southern Californian band MOVEMENTS, their alt-rock sound is usually accompanied with heart-wrenching, painful lyrics depicting real life experiences, written straight from vocalist Pat Miranda‘s heart. But, their third full-length album RUCKUS! is slightly different in many ways, with a much lighter tone. While the lyricism is as honest as ever, this latest album is a true reflection of where the band are now, a far cry from the angsty, dramatized version that they were as teens. Nearly ten years since their formation, each member of the band has changed, in many ways for the better, and RUCKUS! is the chaotic but mature version of the band. To understand MOVEMENTS in their most recent form, we sit down with Pat to find out exactly what went in to RUCKUS!
From the outset, the making of RUCKUS! was completely different. As its title suggests, an element of chaos ran through the making of the album, but also a relaxed attitude. Pat explains, “there were no expectations, no pre-conceived notions about what the record needed to be, or what the songs had to sound like, or what people were going to connect with. We would go into the studio and be like, what are we going to write today? And no-one would ever know.”
By approaching the album with this mindset, the band were able to push themselves and experiment in ways they never had before, ultimately creating a more unique sounding record. This allowed a level of freedom that they haven’t always felt when making music, and by not concerning themselves with how it would come out, they could discover the kind of music they really wanted to make. Pat says, “I’ve been adamantly against shuffling records for basically my entire life, but this record is one where it’s like, if you put it on shuffle, it’s probably going to be fine because the order doesn’t necessarily matter. I think that’s fun, I think that’s different. It’s a ruckus, you know. It’s a bunch of shit all put into one album and we’re just gonna see what sticks and what doesn’t, and if we like what we’re doing, then that’s all that matters.”
While MOVEMENTS are usually recognised for their heart-wrenching lyrics that approach topics such as mental illness and grief, RUCKUS! is undoubtedly an easier listen, with a slightly less depressing outlook. Still, it doesn’t shy away from difficult themes, with anger throughout many of the tracks, and this new album reflects a more mature perspective, and is a more accurate representation of who the band are now. “I was writing a lot about being in a better mental headspace,” Pat explains. “There’s been a lot of growth overall, I was 19 when this band started, I’m 28 now. I look back at the person I was when I wrote certain songs, and I think to myself, I was so angsty, and I was so sad about things that I didn’t need to be sad about. This record is, at its core, still what we’ve always done, which is right from the heart. It’s always going to be that way, it’s just presented a little bit differently.”
While part of the reason for writing with a more positive outlook is because it reflects Pat‘s improving mental health, they also found that having to play more depressing songs live can be detrimental, and Pat found himself needing to distance from that mindset. “If I were to go back to that place every night to perform the songs, I think it would be pretty unhealthy. So, there’s a fine line between having the passion to perform them, and not getting too sucked into the meaning and allowing myself to slip back into those mental cycles.” He then explains that how although these newer songs do have elements of anger, he feels as though anger is a more temporary emotion than depression, and that they are easier to perform. “They’re quick and easy to tap in and to tap out. I love that about this record, I think it’ll be a much more positive live experience.”
As RUCKUS! is MOVEMENTS’ third full-length album, at this point they have been able to learn what works, and they made sure to be mindful this time how crowds would respond to the songs as Pat explains. “Some bands that started off with these really fun, energetic, lively performances shifted to a moody style, and there’s nothing wrong with it, but you notice a shift in the live setting, and I don’t ever want there to be a shift in our live setting. I want our live shows to go crazy 100% of the time.” By understanding what works for them through their experience, the band were able to create an album that they are extremely proud of, and that they know is the right direction for their future. “This feels like it’s the strongest we’ve been on all sides, and that it’s the most professional I’ve been as a songwriter. I’m hopeful for what it does for the band because I think it could really push us into whatever that next step is, we can break through that glass ceiling and transcend that to become something entirely different and entirely our realm.”
While the band are aware that not everybody will on board with the changes they’re making, they have a positive outlook about this, too. Pat says, “there’s the fear of alienating some people, but there’s also the potential that we could be opening up that door. We have a pretty cult following, and we’re super appreciative to those people, and it’s like we’re only adding to that.” Emphasising that they would be content just making the music, Pat takes a moment to appreciate how far they’ve come. “We’ve already accomplished more than we could’ve ever imagined, so why not push it as far as it will go? If it fails, then it fails miserably, but if it succeeds, then we get to continue living this incredible dream of a journey.”
RUCKUS! is out now via Fearless Records.
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