What bands did you listen to around recording this new album, did any influence you whilst writing maybe? To be honest, I was listening to a lot of music from the 90s. Two big influences for me at the time were Lit and Green Day. I just felt like those bands got it. They wrote, simple yet powerful riffs and were all about the hooks. Bands like that just KNEW how to write catchy songs.
What was it like to work with Chad Gilbert and Paul Miner in the studio? Working with Chad was really a privilege but most importantly a HUGE learning process. Chad is a dude that knows how to work with bands like us. We told him what we were going for and he immediately understood and began to shape the songs together. Always positive, he brought something new to the table every day and was incredibly thorough. If he didn't like something, he sure as shit wouldn't just settle. He really played a huge part in how the songs turned out. Paul Miner was awesome as well. Not only did he kill it as an engineer, he helped with everything from tracking bass to hitting some harmonies that were too high for me haha. The two of them make a perfect team, as cheesy as that sounds.
Which song would you say was the hardest to record of this record and why? Probably "Spoontonic" if only because of the lyrical content. The song is pretty heavy and at times it was hard to get through. Pretty depressing song haha. Not only that, there are tons of layered vocals and harmonies throughout the song. For whatever reason, we seemed to put so much time and effort into that one song. That being said, I think the song turned out awesome and ended up being one of my favorites.
“We wanted our fans to take away one simple message; drop out of life and make yourself happy. Fuck normality, fuck acceptance.” How did you get to the album title 'Drop Out of Life' and what do you want it to mean to your fans? Drop Out of Life is actually a reference to the band Sleep. If you listen to Sleep than you probably get DOOL more than anyone. We wanted our fans to take away one simple message; drop out of life and make yourself happy. Fuck normality, fuck acceptance.
How would you say you have progressed as a band since the release of 'Road Maps and Heart Attacks'? I think when we wrote and recorded Road Maps…, we were a very young band and had little notions on what it was to do an actual full length with a legit producer. We were kind of just thrown into things. I'm happy with how that record turned out but I think if anything we learned what not to do next time around. When we wrote Drop Out of Life we were much older and a little wiser. We knew exactly what we wanted the record to sound like and began writing a year before we actually hit the studio. I just feel like we had our heads on straight and knew what we wanted.
At this point how would you say fans have been reacting to your new material? It's be unreal! Every show we played we had kids singing along. At some shows we had kids singing all new songs and no old ones, which I thought was pretty cool. I think the record has gone over really well and this past tour helped tremendously.
What do you want 2012 to do for This Time Next Year? We want to tour as much as possible, try hit Japan and Australia, and eventually head back over to Europe in the early summer and fall. Hopefully this is the year people recognize Drop Out of Life. Heads up!