Feature: The Party After Decodes ‘Happy Hour’
Can you talk about any specific themes or motifs that run throughout 'Happy Hour?'
‘Happy Hour’ is centered around the idea of refusing to spread one's wings and grow. It's an image of a person foregoing new experiences for the comfort of familiar places and routine, depicted through a bar patron that never leaves their hometown and preaches upon 'glory days' and 'how it used to be' all the while being so stuck in their ways that they even have their own 'seat' at the bar.
How do you feel this album represents your artistic identity?
This 5-song release is a precursor to the other half of the record coming this summer, and the whole record is indeed quite representative of us artistically. Many of these songs were cultivated during periods of growth and struggle, and in the specific case of ‘Happy Hour,’ we did not want to be stuck in a familiar setting when pushing ourselves to dig deep, therefore, we actually recorded the record in a different country. We totally removed ourselves from what we knew and pushed the limits of what we thought we could do.
What has been one of your most favorite memories along the path to making this album?
The entire process is burned into our memories, as we recorded in a city completely unfamiliar to most of the band (Mexico City, MX) and this led to us being able to really capture the process in an almost 'snowglobe' moment of our lives. None of the members had ever experienced quite what we did during the album's construction, and I think it truly played a part in the themes of self-growth and pushing each other to have more fulfilling experiences in our lives.
Can you tell us more about you as a band?
Our three-piece has been a three musketeers situation since the very beginning. The 'us against the world' mindset has been a huge driving factor in our brotherhood and as well as our progress as a unit. All three of us came from different musical backgrounds to find ourselves in a now defunt outfit that eventually led to becoming The Party After... After many soul-crushing moments as a band, it became clear that we were in this together for good, as nothing has torn us apart. (Being robbed on tour, being served legal papers from a supposed friend and bandmate, and many more roadblocks litter the timeline of what led us to be strongly bonded as we are today)
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
Our inspiration and themes come truly from the soul of what we believe rock and roll is: challenging the status quo in order to find better pathways to live our lives authentically and justly. Throughout history, rock and roll has always been about becoming a purveyor of truth in a world that has so many cruel intentions around every corner. Our skeptics of authority, in and out of the music world, led us to a sound and set of motifs that represent what we are: a group of men trying to deal with the hardest parts of life while standing up for those less fortunate.
