Interview: Unturned Discuss Their New EP ‘Sunk’
Posted: by The Editor
Unturned is the freshest face on No Sleep Records’ roster. The Minnesota based alt-rock band just released their newest EP, Sunk, through the label late last month, and we had the opportunity to chat with Sam Kuchera a bit more about how they’ve been handling the newest chapter of their career.
Written during a turbulent time, Sunk is a record that marks a new beginning for the band. At its core, Sunk is all about finding direction and growth. Now, imagine an ice cream sundae. Here, the concept of forward motion is the ice cream base, the scoops of vanilla ready to be doused in fervent toppings. Grungy guitars act as the gooey, chocolatey drizzle, pop-punk driven vocals serve as the sugary sprinkles. Finally, sultry chord progressions and dingy riffs tie everything together, the cherry on top. Hungry yet? Great, feed your mind on this light-hearted interview, and decide if Unturned will be the next headliner of The Gathering of the Juggalos.
The Alternative: Can you tell me a little bit about the inspiration behind Sunk?
Sam Kuchera: Sunk is the culmination of two years worth of writing. All of us went through pretty prominent life-changes and we utilized writing together as a band to cope with those changes. We didn’t know what we were writing for, we had no plans for an official release. It was really just the five of us getting together and writing for writing’s sake, and the finished product is representative of that.
What’s your favorite track?
My favorite track off of Sunk is “Swimming”. It was one of the first songs we wrote and it was the first indicator of us trying to move in a different direction musically. It’s just really fun.
Why is this release so important to you as opposed to past releases?
This release is important to us because writing this record helped get all of us through difficult times in our personal lives. It gave us direction and to be able to have a label behind us like No Sleep makes us incredibly excited and proud of the collection of songs we created together. It’s different than our last two EP’s, and I think that it will help draw in new listeners that are interested in a newer sound.
What’s something that went down behind the scenes during the recording process fans might be surprised to know?
The dumbest possible dad-jokes one could ever think of. Also, a completely incoherent sleeping schedule. We would wake up at 8 AM every morning and not get to sleep until three or four in the morning.
Why did you decide to work with No Sleep, what’s your favorite thing about them?
We decided to work with No Sleep Records because we truly felt that Chris and the label as whole believes in our band and what we want to do with it. The line of communication is clear and open which is incredibly important to us. Also, the sheer amount of incredible artists who have worked with No Sleep is hard not to take into consideration. So many good bands.
If you could tour/collab with any No Sleep band (past or present) who would it be?
That’s such a tough question to answer. Personally I would say either The Wonder Years or Now, Now.
How’d you end up saying goodbye to the old van?
We haven’t actually said our official “goodbye” to our van. We’re probably gonna light it on fire or something cool like that. If we could shoot it into space like, Elon Musk, we would, but alas, it’s not in our budget.
What’s your favorite memories of the van?
There are too many memories to pinpoint a specific one. Some of my fondest are our 14 hour overnight drives, sitting in the van with our overhead lights on, just trying to make each other laugh. Another good one is when we drove through Oklahoma in the middle of the summer with no AC. It was 103 degrees and none of us thought we’d survive the journey, but our van got us through it.
Come up with any names for a new one yet?
Not yet. We’re going to have a lengthy discussion about that. I’d like to call it Danny Devito but I don’t know if the others would appreciate it.
Congrats to Issac on getting his license! What’s your favorite and least favorite parts about driving on tour so far?
Picking the music is pretty great. Being able to get behind the wheel and just focus on driving is nice since the last few years of touring I’ve spent in the back either sleeping or looking aimlessly out the window.
If you had to give the band a set aesthetic/brand what would it be and why?
If we could get in with the Juggalo crowd that would be pretty tight.
Any plans for a tour this fall? What can we expect in the future?
Nothing is set in stone for fall tours yet, but our options are open and we should be setting up something really cool. We’re excited.
You can stream or buy Sunk through your favorite platform now.
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Emily Kitchin | @deathnap4cutie
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