Orlando was chilly and gloomy when I finally saw As It Is for the first time in nearly three years. The rain held off just long enough for me to get into the venue without getting my camera wet (how kind of the weather), but I think I’d have braved it anyway if it meant finally getting to hear the band’s new music.
It was no surprise to anyone attending the Welcome to Elsewhere tour that the band absolutely killed their set, despite it being a bit different from the last time any of us had last seen them. A lineup change or two, some sound experimentation, and a handful of singles has found the trio at their most authentic, but not without obstacles to get to that point.
Like anyone else who’s been following the band since the beginning, I’ve been excitedly awaiting the new era of As It Is. The months leading up to the release of I WENT TO HELL AND BACK (releasing Feb. 4th via Fearless Records) left me insatiable, and seeing them live only furthered my curiosity for the new era. It felt familiar, so far, but not like something I had seen before. Nostalgic. Comforting, in a way — almost safe. Like whatever was about to come was bound to be a collection of tracks that made me feel seen in a time where most people are feeling anything but.
Of course, if you’ve listened to As It Is even once then this is a feeling you’re familiar with. There’s always been a sense of transparency laced within their music, and this new era doesn’t show any signs of deviating from that. Still, there’s a sense of something new woven into the IWTHAB era that I was intrigued by, and who better than frontman Patty Walters is there to provide some insight?
You’re back playing shows in the US for the first time in a few years! What does it feel like to be back out on the road?
It’s been a weird and wonderful feeling. I’m writing these words from a hotel room in Maryland, where I’m currently quarantining with COVID. I’ll be rejoining the tour soon, once it’s safe and sensible, but I already miss performing and experiencing the joy it brings to myself and others.
Were there any cities/venues you were particularly excited to hit while on this tour?
Not particularly, I have an entirely new appreciation for performing anywhere and for anyone. However, I have a feeling that our shows in both Chicago and Berkley will be fairly special, the first of which being Ronnie [Ish]’s birthday, and the second of which being Ali [Testo]’s.
On the note of the tour, you’re playing shows with Set It Off! How did the collaboration with them and JordyPurp on “IN THREES” come together?
Last August, we were lucky enough to spend a week in the studio with our producer Zach Jones, and even luckier than Cody [Carson] was available to come through one day. We spent the day writing “IN THREES”, and as soon as the titular lyric was written, we all agreed that the song wouldn’t be complete without a third artist. Once we heard JordyPurp’s contribution to the song, we knew our work as a team was done.
How did you go about deciding which songs to reference within “I MISS 2003”?
We filled a whole sheet of paper (front and back) with band names, song titles, and iconic lyrics from the early 2000’s, and we included as many as we could by writing verse after verse after verse. There are probably six or more verses that’ll never see the light of day, plus an expanded chorus that never made the final version of the song.
Which song from the record are you most excited for fans to hear?
There are still a few favorites of mine we’ve yet to release, and “I’D RATHER DIE”, “I DIE 1000X”, and “I WENT TO HELL AND BACK” are all some strong and unique songs in my opinion, and I’m very interested to see what our fans have to say about them.
I WENT TO HELL AND BACK is finding As It Is in this state of experimentation blended with nostalgia. Were there any particular influences that led you toward this sound? I remember being stoked when you guys reimagined The Great Depression in 2019, so I was excited to hear some more experimentation on the tracks from the new record!
Blending the two was extremely important to us. We think everything Travis Barker is touching right now is extremely exciting for the heartbeat of the scene, everything from Avril Lavigne to Nascar Aloe. That hugely informed the music, but our longtime influences are still present on the album, everything from pop to post-hardcore.
You guys have always been really transparent with how emotions and mental health are key themes in your music. I WENT TO HELL AND BACK is taking that to the next level. Has it become second nature by this point to portray these feelings naturally as you write, or do you find that you need to tell yourself “okay, this is how I’m feeling — let’s write about it”?
It’s both. My lyrics have always been a projection of my feelings, my struggles, and my doubts, and it’s for myself more than anyone else that I’m putting those innermost thoughts to music and melodies. Sometimes it’s just easier to tell a song before you tell anyone else, and sometimes you don’t even know how to articulate your struggles until those lyrics get written. It’s a catharsis that I’d be lost without.
Putting your feelings into your work ends up making a lot of the songs relatable for listeners. Is there a particular one you’ve found that people have resonated with most so far? Or maybe one that you think they will end up resonating with?
I don’t know if I’ll ever pen a lyric that surpasses “stay strong, hold on” in the hearts of our fans. That lyric got such an overwhelming reaction and has been tattooed on so many limbs since we wrote it. It tickles me slightly, because the whole song is resentful and sarcastic, it doesn’t literally mean any of its own lyrics; it’s actively rejecting them, if anything. But that’s the beauty of art, that it’s subjective, and that our truths and intentions are only subjective and can be completely disregarded, just so long as the music means something to the listener.
As people relate to the songs, sometimes they’ll interpret lyrics in their own way. Have you seen anyone’s interpretation of any of the new tracks that stood out to you, even if it’s not what you intended while writing it?
If you visit the comment section of “I MISS 2003”, you’ll see more than a few people missing a year they were born in time to experience. It surprised me a little at first, but I suppose it’s not dissimilar to how I wish I’d been alive to experience the hardcore punk explosion in the early 80’s. It’s nice to know that our song has allowed people to experience that time through us and is a real testament to the power of music.
We’ve gotta talk about the videos for “ILY, HOW ARE YOU?” and “IDC, I CAN’T TAKE IT”! They’re filled with a ton of familiar faces, how did the collaboration with those come together?
That’s the power of Ronnie Ish. He opened his contacts, made some calls, and we suddenly had half the scene at our music video shoot. He hung out with the people, and I mostly hung out with Maxx [Danziger]’s dog.
The video and actual sound of “IDC, I CAN’T TAKE IT” are both really fun, and juxtapose the sense of apathy and hopelessness in the song. Why did you choose to contrast it like this?
To me, that song sounds like when everything comes crashing down on the same day and all you can do is try to laugh through the pain, trying to convince yourself that everything’s fine even when you know it isn’t. The chorus also felt a little like a party anthem, so we wanted the video to feel like a party too.
The tracklist for I WENT TO HELL AND BACK has a motif of “I” statements, with “IN THREES” being the only one to break the pattern right in the middle of the album. Is there a particular reason for that?
Well spotted, but no! It was important to us that every track title began with the letter “I”, but we weren’t too concerned with slight differences between the songs as a collective.
The visual aesthetic of each As It Is era has always been important — how did you decide on the black and pick for this time around?
That hot pink color takes me back to the mid-2000’s in a big way, but it also just felt really fitting for these songs. These songs are angry and sorrowful, but they’re also upbeat and playful, and the two colors together really reflected these songs.
Speaking of visuals, the album art for I WENT TO HELL AND BACK is super cool — the skeleton shadow in the coffin shape is just insane. What made you decide to go with that? Is there a reason it’s monochromatic?
We wanted something simple and striking, something that would instantly give you a glimpse into the journey of this album. We came up with the rough concept, a silhouette in a door frame creating a skeleton in a coffin in a shadow, and our good friend Flo at Fearless Records made something amazing out of our vision.
Stepping back to look at the album as a whole, what does this new era mean to you? Either as a band, an artist, a person, anything.
I think the title says it all. These past few years have been hard for me. I went nearly two years without seeing my family, worrying about them every day. The same is true for my band mates, our team, and our fans. I watched band members and team members leave, and had to ask myself whether this was still right for me. But with Ronnie and Ali’s love, support, and artistic gifts, we made something tangible and beautiful out of pain, fear, and doubt. For me, the last two words in IWTHAB say it all.
If you could have fans take one message from I WENT TO HELL AND BACK, what would you want it to be?
No message, no hope or expectation. This is us, on the other side of hardship and heartbreak, and we’ve missed our fans each and every day. We’re not the same people we were before this pandemic, and we don’t suspect that they are either. We love this record and these songs, and if you do too, then we have a lot of noise to make together, and we look forward to getting loud with you.
You can stream some of the singles from I WENT TO HELL AND BACK below, and can click here to preorder/presave the record. You can also click here to grab tickets to see As It Is on the remainder of the Welcome to Elsewhere tour, alongside Set It Off, Stand Atlantic, and No Love For The Middle Child.
I WENT TO HELL AND BACK will be the fourth full-length installment into the band’s discography, releasing February 4th via Fearless Records.
