Backpacks – Interview Oct 2016
Backpacks are a 4 piece from Michigan, US. They are currently killing it over in the states with their unique take on the Emo/Indie punk style and are just about to get their debut UK release on Dirty Sushi Records with the ‘Feels Like’ E.P. Think Gameface and Jimmy Eat world take on Brand New and Title Fight. We spoke to Yong Los for a bit of insight into the band, how they started and why they do it…
Hi Backpacks, what’s going on with you guys currently?
Hey! We’re currently finishing up writing a brand new EP that we’ll be recording with Nick Diener (Ex-The Swellers) this December/January. We’re also working on some awesome tour plans for next year!
What’s the history of Backpacks, how did you all meet?
We all went to school together in our hometown of Mount Pleasant, MI. We were all friends prior to starting the band, but we weren’t really that close. Austen and I had the idea to start Backpacks the summer of 2013, but we didn’t actually start doing things until 2014.
What other band names did you consider? Fanny packs (we call them bum bags)?
At first I think we were called Fancher, named after one of the elementary schools in our hometown. Then I think we wanted to call ourselves Windbreaker for some dumb reason. By the time Austen had come up with Backpacks, we didn’t really care what our name was anymore, haha. We have a lot of different excuses for the name Backpacks, but I think the main one is that we just wanted to travel around and explore while playing music.
Great to see you having a UK release, how did that come about?
It was pretty unexpected. Gareth (Dirty Sushi Records) contacted us in the spring about possibly working together, and we extremely excited about the idea. Our last EP, Still Life, had been out for a few months at that point, and I guess he just liked what we’re doing and wanted to help us out.
How does a typical gig day go with you?
Typically, we set aside a lot of time for practicing, and driving, but nine times out of ten, we end up running super late and are in a big hurry to get where we need to go on time. To be fair, it’s not usually our fault. I think the universe has a vendetta against us, but somehow we’ve managed.
Generic question, but who are your big influences, I hear Gameface, early Jimmy Eat World?
Oh wow, haven’t gotten comparisons to Gameface or Jimmy before! That’s pretty sick, haha. A lot of our individual influences vary across the board. We’ve gotten a lot of comparisons to some newer bands like Title Fight and Citizen, as well as some “mythical-status” bands like Brand New. We blend a lot of different genres together, but I think overall we’re trying to do something that’s completely our own.
When should we expect a full length release?
This is actually something we’ve been talking about recently. I think it’ll definitely depend on how our next release is received, but if things go well, we’ll probably try to for a full length sometime in the year/year and a half.
Any chance of a UK or European tour?
I hope so! It would be a literal dream come true to come play overseas. If anyone like to make this happen, PLEASE hit us up, haha.
Any bands you have played with we should look out for?
We were fortunate enough to share the stage with a lot of different bands on tour! Some that immediately come to mind are Fossil Youth (Oklahoma), Save Face (New Jersey), Only Sibling (New York), Dingus. (Chicago) and Everyone Leaves (Ohio). There’s also a hardcore band called Bruise from Indiana that recently put out a killer EP and a band from Minnesota called Household that Austen and I really like. There are way too many Michigan bands to name, but we thank a handful of our friends in the inside cover of the UK version of our EP, so check that out!
Give me a cartoon character that best encapsulates each member of the band?
It’s not a cartoon but I’m going pick out characters from The Office (the U.S. version, haha) for each of us because we quote that show too often.
Austen is Michael Scott because he sometimes says weird things or does weird things, but he has the best intentions.
Kiegan is Oscar because he’s a literal bank of knowledge, and will correct people if they misspeak, but he’s very kind and is always willing to help.
Elijah is Andy because he’s new to our little office, but he’s super talented and is very determined to help bring the band to its full potential.
I guess I’m Dwight because I’m an idiot, but I work hard for this dang office.
Thank You guys, any final comments for me?
Thank you for chatting with us, and an even bigger thank you to anyone out there that has checked out our music. Find us on all of our social media to keep up with our shenanigans, and if you know anyone that would/could help us with a UK/Europe tour, send them our way!
Check Backpacks out here:
https://www.facebook.com/backpackssux/
https://www.facebook.com/DirtySushiRecords/
buy ‘Still Life’ from here: http://www.dirtysushi.com/shop
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