INTERVIEW BY SHELBY BAKER
PHOTOS BY SYDNI ELIZABETH PHOTOGRAPHY
Although DROP THE GIRL has only until recently released songs, they’ve actually been around for quite sometime. The band started as a side project over half a decade ago. After their previous bands disbanded, the pop-punk four-piece came together earlier this year. Wasting no time, they released their songs they had been working on for the past few years. Together they created their debut EP, The Backburner, in June and are working on Glean, their follow-up EP. Check out what vocalist, Mike Owens, and lead guitarist, Juan Rios, had to say about the band’s upbringing, inspirations, and their aspiration to connect to listeners with their music.
How did your band come about?
Michael: It actually started five or six years ago as a side project. Both Chris and [I] put the band on our backburner, since we were focused on other bands at the time. I joined a new band, TO THE FLOOR, and when that ended we decided to continue to do pop punk. Then we took those old songs and put them all together.
What inspired your band name?
Michael: We got inspired by HIT THE LIGHTS. They have a song called “Drop The Girl,” and it was one of my favorite songs by them.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
Juan: THE BEATLES and NECK DEEP.
Michael: Mine are ALL TIME LOW, KNUCKLE PUCK, CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK!, FALL OUT BOY, A DAY TO REMEMBER, BON JOVI … Oh, and STATE CHAMPS. I’ve been on a huge STATE CHAMPS kick lately.
Juan: A DAY TO REMEMBER for me, too.
Back in June, you guys released your debut EP, The Backburner. What was the theme and/or main inspiration behind those songs?
Michael: The Backburner EP was all of the songs that we had written year’s prior, so basically we rebuilt those songs and put them out there. Then we added an acoustic song, “The Backburner.” The whole EP is about people putting you on the backburner and the repercussions of that.
Pop punk is getting pretty huge as a genre. What do you think makes DROP THE GIRL stand out?
Michael: We have really good hair (laughs). But really, we stand out because it doesn’t matter if you like our music or pop punk. We’re all about having a good time. We’re all about fostering a scene and music, and when we talk to people, we actually care.
What do you hope for listeners to take away from your music?
Michael: I want them to be happy, and I want them to know that were writing from the heart. We aren’t writing generic songs. We want to put something out there and make a difference in the world, even if it’s a song about a girl and [only has] four chords. As long as someone makes connection to it, I’m complete.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO DROP THE GIRL
Are you guys working on new material?
Michael: Yes, we are. Right before this, actually, we were busy writing new songs. It’s called Glean, and it’s an EP. We already released the first single, and were going have five other new songs. Hopefully we’ll have it out early spring.
