What happens when you combine creative intuition with crafty songwriting? You get Before You Exit—they’re one of music’s hottest bands. And, they just released their new EP, All the Lights. These talented brothers—Connor (Vocals/Guitar), Riley (Vocals), and Toby (Vocals)—are hitting the road again and Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with them.
PC: You signed with your first major record label and recently released your EP—what was that experience like? What did you learn from it? And, was the creative process different this time?
Before You Exit: The experience has been great so far. Recording the EP was by far one of the best experiences of our career because we really connected with these songs and many of them were in the works over the past couple years. It’s such a great feeling putting the songs out and we’ve been getting amazing responses so far.
PC: The EP is incredibly infectious. Every song could be a single—how did you guys decide on “Model”?
Before You Exit: Thank you, we really appreciate that. “Model” was one of the first songs that we felt we really connected to off the EP and we thought it summed up the overall sound of the EP best.
PC: As songwriters, I’m sure you have hundreds of songs, how did you choose what would make the EP? Is a full-length recording in the works?
Before You Exit: No doubt. We’ve gone through tons and tons of songs that we’ve written to pick the songs for the EP. For us, it comes down to which songs we relate to most and which ones feel like us. It’s really easy to spend time over perfecting melodies, lyrics, and production but that definitely makes for the best songs.
PC: How has the fan reaction been to the EP?
Before You Exit: The response has been great so far. There is no better feeling than working day and night for months on something and then getting a positive response. We’re most excited to take these songs to the stage though because we feel that’s where they will really shine.
PC: What do you hope fans take away from listening to the EP?
Before You Exit: One of the main messages of the EP is that things get hard and times are tough but you will always get through. There are a lot of times we think everyone else lives better lives than we do but ironically they are thinking the same thing. It’s easy to get caught up in all of that but you have to just be grateful for what you have.
PC: What can fans expect from your nationwide tour?
Before You Exit: Fans can definitely expect an energetic, electric, and enthusiastic show. We’ve been working tons of new ideas into the set and also been practicing every day all day long. We are so excited to get up there and play these new tunes.
PC: Will you guys be taking fan requests? And, have you started working on the set list? Any hints on what will be included?
Before You Exit: Yes! We’ve got the setlist all worked out and feel like it is a great blend of our older and new music. We always try to make sure there is a good balance of upbeat and slow songs too. We may also have a cover or two thrown in there.
PC: Is there a venue or city you’re excited to perform in?
Before You Exit: All of the cities hold a different memory for us at this point. We’ve done a handful of tours and been to all of these places before so it will honestly be great to go back to all of them.
PC: You guys are brothers, what is it like touring together? Any funny moments on the road?
Before You Exit: Definitely. We actually get along really well and love touring. For us, the best part is getting to hang with all of the band and crew guys because a majority of them have been with us for a while. It’s always a good time
PC: Guilty pleasure movie and television show?
Before You Exit: Guilty pleasure movie — Zootopia was an amazing movie and we saw it twice. Guilty pleasure television show — Spongebob Squarepants will never get old.
PC: An artist or band that people would be surprised is on your playlist?
Before You Exit: Red Hot Chili Peppers always surprises people but we were huge fans when we started out playing music.
PC: Favorite musical or play?
Before You Exit: The Lion King
PC: Favorite book?
Before You Exit: The Harry Potter series for sure.
PC: Favorite social media platform?
Before You Exit: As of more recently, we’ve all really loved Snapchat.
PC: Can you tell us one interesting fact about each other that fans may not know?
Before You Exit: A lot of people may not know that we all used to play sports before music. We did everything from baseball to swimming.
The boys are kicking off their tour this Sunday in Philadelphia. To see the full schedule and to buy tickets, check out their official website. And, make sure to get a copy of All the Lights!
Photo Credit: RCA Records
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