Kruel Summer just dropped a crisp and refreshing, laid back and super honest single that felt like a wave of calming colors washing over you and breathes with such a warm and personal style and a reggae undertone that all comes together in a pop sheen and becomes the right kind of song for the summer.
"Too Broken" is crazy relatable and really puts you in the right mood from the get-go.
This was a song about someone and about himself as well as it plays through you can get a feel for the musical approach which is absolutely perfected as the whole thing not only layers a killer pop vibe over their reggae rock songs, but they also showcase quite a youthful and bright presence.
These guys know how to grab your attention and use emotion and personal experience as a motivation to write songs.
Sometimes this makes for the best kind of songs out there.
Kruel Summer has an outstanding catalogue of releases as well and it all falls into their staple sound and gives you this beachy, surfy, well...summer vibe.
It also just makes you want to see them live. They must have a performance that mirrors the recordings, and you know it's going to be good simply because of the musicianship on the songs.
"Too Broken" speaks for many and with the release of this one, we wanted to have a chat with the band and talk shop.
Here's what happened.
RAG: Okay so let's start with "Just Too Broken". This single has a summer single feel to it. Where did this track come from?
It was an old idea I had on my hard drive from a voice note I recorded on my iPhone 3 years ago. I had this melody in my head and an idea to write about a struggle with an ex or old best friend type thing. The riff was already recorded and I had a very simple drum beat that kept things moving. After deciding it was going to be an actual release I worked on the chorus more and tightened it up. I wanted something to make the hook stand out, the melody in my head kept going higher and higher as it moved. I thought, why not repeat a word and move with the rythem. I wrote a line “maybe I’m maybe I’m, maybe I’m, just too broken” at first I was concerned it was to repetitive of a line but after playing it to my wife she convinced me it was great and made the song stand out.
RAG: I'm hearing some great styles on this release. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
My influences are wide and always changing. This particular song had a lot of Slightly Stoopid influence in the riff. However the chorus and bridge had a Twenty One Pilot influence on me. I would say those two bands are the driving influence on this particular song.
RAG: So how did this all begin for you really? When did you fall in love with making music?
I was previously in a nationally touring band called The Holdup which dissolved a few years ago. At first I thought I was done with music, but after a few months I realized it was my passion, I missed it and needed to get back to it. I decided in 2019 to take a different approach and start my own band with me as the songwriter and singer. I recorded a single called titled “Back Then” in the summer of 2019 and told myself if it did well I would stick with it. The song did extremely well and landed on some really great playlists, from there I solidified a band and got to it. Six months later we had a debut album released.
RAG: What's next for you as a band?
Recordó nft more music and trying to get to as many cities as possible.
RAG: What inspires you to write a song?
Different situations inspire different ideas. Usually, I’ll be feeling something or thinking about something and will be like “that would be a good song idea”. I’ll squeeze out a basic melody and force myself to write at least one verse and the hook for future reference. I then archive it and come back to it later, sometimes even years later to finish.
RAG: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
At the beach or at concerts watching my favorite bands live. It’s important to support the music you love. We do our best to go out to shows and support artists through their journey. It’s hard to be an artist in 2022 every little support helps artists get through.
RAG: Who are you all listening to right now?
I listen to a lot of different styles of music, I think that’s where my influences all mash up and meet in my writing. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Hippo Campus, Flor and Coin. They release music consistently and always have multiple bangers on each album. For fun, lately I’ve been playing Southbay by Rossi Rock, an up-and-coming San Diego rapper (My bird Sebastian loves this song). And I of course always slap all my “liked” songs on Spotify which runs me through all the classics old and new. I love that playlist.
RAG: Are you doing live performances?
Our next show is in San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay Area in late July. From there we are playing a big local show in Los Gatos with our good friends 880 South.
RAG: This single seems like a big undertaking. What kind of advice might you have for other up and coming bands out there?
Just write and just produce, record all your ideas and archive. Most of our releases are songs that have sat on my hard drive as basic ideas. I get bored of stuff I currently work on then go back to the archive and scroll through and listen. You’ll be surprised how amazing an old idea from 2-4years ago you had will excite you years later. Just Too Broken was one of them.
RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
How’s it sounding?
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