Interview: Fox Wound shares the stylistic shift in ‘It Could Happen to You’
Posted: by The Editor
Fox Wound quietly released their sophomore LP, It Could Happen to You, in January. While their debut, In Passing, You Too Faded, pulled from the moodier, more aggressive side of the emo spectrum, the band’s latest release is of a decidedly lighter strain. The change in sound, while surprising, suits the band quite well actually. I spoke to vocalist/guitarist Joseph McMichen about the album and the stylistic shift it marks for Fox Wound, as well as what to expect next from the Georgia three-piece.
Why’d you drop almost all the screaming on It Could Happen to You?
When we were writing this batch of songs they didn’t feel like they needed it. Honestly we’re still writing a lot and screaming isn’t out of the picture, it just has its phases with us.
I know you had mentioned in another interview that you had undergone some lineup changes, so how different was the writing of this album compared to In Passing, You Too Faded?
When we went to write and record this record we were doing it as a 3 piece so a lot of the songs we had to make sure sounded thick coming from one guitar. We added a lot of extra parts in the studio but I think that dictated some of the sound.
Did you consciously try to make It Could Happen to You a catchier, less aggressive record, in general, than In Passing?
Yes and no. We’ve focused a lot of song writing on being aggressive or heavy and it’s just not what came out of our sessions this time around. We still write heavy songs and the next record will probably have more than this one but we just like to explore different ways our sound could go.
I think “Pineapple Palooza” and “Soothe You” are probably the most different from your older material. “Pineapple Palooza” almost has an surfy indie pop vibe to it and “Soothe You” feels sort of shoegaze-y. How did those two come about?
“Pineapple Palooza” was probably the first song we wrote for the album. We all thought it’d be nice to write something fun to contrast the last record, although I don’t know if we’ll go quite that poppy again. “Soothe You” is definitely in my top 3 from the record. I was in a shoegaze band before we started writing this album and things sorta fell through with that. I think a lot of the influence stuck around from that and it’s being incorporated more and more with our writing now.
What are your other favorites on the album?
Okay, if I’m being honest sometimes it shifts around, but “Rival Private School” is my personal favorite. “Arcade Port” also makes the list, it’s probably my favorite to play live.
Why did you decide on It Can Happen to You as the title?
I honestly don’t think anyone would ever guess it but there’s two reasons it’s the title. It’s a lyric from the record, and, more importantly, it’s a reference to a poster in The Truman Show.
What can fans look forward to? What’s next for Fox Wound?
Just look out for more music and possibly some touring this year. We’re definitely not going to take so long releasing the next record, probably. Haha.
Anything else you want to say?
We’d love for people to know we’ll be in Austin, Texas at The Love Goat on March 11 and on March 14 we’ll be in Dallas at The Curtain Club both for some SXSW showcases – so come out early!
Follow Fox Wound on social media:
Facebook // Twitter // Bandcamp
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Zac Djamoos | @greatwhitebison
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