As It Is Interview: “We can’t wait to release this album. We think it’ll change a lot of people’s minds about us.”

Sad trans-atlantic pop punk quintet As it Is tell Andrew Bromley (Twitter: @AndyBromm) what is going on in their world….

Fearless

First off, can you introduce yourself & your role in As It Is?

I’m Ben, I play guitar and sing.

Last time we spoke you had some huge news to announce, that news was your signing to Fearless Records, how did that whole opportunity arise?

It’s funny because I can’t really pinpoint the moment it came about. All I remember is getting a Facebook message from our manager in April saying they were interested. Before we knew it there was an offer on the table. We’d spoken about labels between the five of us and Fearless were always one we knew we’d definitely say yes to. It all seemed to happen very quickly.

Being the first UK artist signed to the label, do you feel a sense of anxiousness being the first, having something to prove?

Yes and no, I think we feel like we have something to prove regardless of being the first UK band on Fearless. We just hope we can fly the flag for the UK and give it as much justice as say, Neck Deep currently do. I think it’s definitely a strong time for UK pop punk though and we can’t wait to release this album. We think it’ll change a lot of people’s minds about us.

You’ve been in Florida recording your debut album, why did you decide to travel there to record?

It came down to the producer. The producers that were on the table that both us and Fearless thought were best for the record were all based in the states.

Who are you recording with & why did you choose to work with them?

We’re recording with James Paul Wisner, he’s produced Underoath, Dashboard Confessional and even some Paramore. It came down to the fact that we love so many of the albums he’s produced and thought he’d definitely get the vibe we were going for with this record.

 

How has he influenced the recording process?

He’s definitely pushed us, and got the best out of us. We spent four months locked away writing this record so we had a pretty clear vision for the record but James definitely elaborated on that and realised the full potential of all the songs we’d written. We couldn’t be happier with the results and we’ve only heard rough mixes so far!

What’s the plan after the album is finished, mixed & mastered?

Tour. Tour. Tour. We have a lot of stuff booked up that we can’t announce yet, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to be at home much next year!

Do you have an expected time of release for the album?

Yes, but I don’t think I can say yet. First half of 2015 is all I’ll give you!

Have you worked out song titles & an album title yet?

We have an album title that definitely captures both the feel of the album and the band at this moment in time, again not that we can say what it is yet. I’m sure all will be revealed soon enough.

You’ve got some supporting dates with label-mates The Summer Set, will you be playing some new material off the album?

Yea, we’ve played one or two live before during the writing process just to see the reaction. I think we’ll try out one we’ve never played live before though.

What’s on the horizon for AII for the rest of 2014 & beyond?

The rest of the year is literally a bit of time off and gearing up for the album launch, then next year is just a lot of being on the road. We’re excited. We never expected this year to go as it did.

Cheers for the chat, anything you’d like to end on?

I’d just like thank everyone for their support. We’ve had an incredible 2014 and looks like we get to have an even better 2015 so thank you!

For more on As It Is: https://www.facebook.com/asitisofficial