Eyedress breaks down his new punk mixtape COMMITTING CRIMES

Learn extra: How UK protest punk flourished off the again of political turmoil

“I didn’t actually inform anybody about this mixtape aside from my buddies who helped me make it,” he says of the venture. “It’s a group factor. I acquired the gang on right here serving to me behind the scenes — acquired rappers enjoying bass and skaters, who clear 20-stair handrails, whispering on synth-punk beats and even acquired the synth-punk god himself, N8NOFACE.”

Under Eyedress breaks down each observe on his collaborative new punk mixtape.

“OPP HUNTING SEASON” (FEAT. JUICE & MICHAEL MYERS)

I made this track in a haze of smoke in my studio at house with my buddies Juice and Michael, who each are insane skaters who can skate 10 stairs, as seen within the music video. Me and Juice each performed the synths on this synth-punk track, and Michael did his verse immediately after we completed recording the instrumental. Really feel like that is the type of track you hearken to if you’re about to get right into a battle, on the lookout for a battle, searching down your enemies or the entire above. This track represents how I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. I all the time acquired into fights in school, and typically we’d take the fights out to the streets after college.

“SCHOOL BURNERS” (FEAT. NATIA)

I made this instrumental a pair years in the past after I lived in a tiny studio residence in Echo Park. Initially it was for me and N8NOFACE’s punk venture DON’T DIAL 911, however we ended up not utilizing it. I bear in mind I texted the instrumental to my buddy, Inglewood rapper Natia, who’s loopy proficient, however someday I used to be like, “You right down to get on some punk shit?” and naturally, he was down. We recorded the vocals only a couple weeks in the past, to be sincere. It was one of many final songs I made for the album, and I’m glad it’s on right here as a result of natia has all the time been an excellent buddy, and it’s tremendous random that he acquired on a punk observe, nevertheless it’s additionally excellent ’trigger Natia is fairly bizarre anyhow. I feel Natia’s lyrics are about his love for cocaine and mine are nearly shit I did after I was a youngster. Issues like sneaking out my dad and mom’ automotive, hot-boxing the automotive and getting so drunk I go out on the ground.

“DIE WITH DIOR ON” (FEAT. NICK BLANCO)

In all probability one of many oldest songs on the album. Me and Nick made this in the identical studio residence I used to be dwelling at in Echo Park that I discussed earlier. Round that point, me and Nick have been making a bunch of music movies on VHS. We used to kick it rather a lot throughout the pandemic. We’d smoke blunts and document ignorant Auto-Tune rap shit to plugg beats we discovered on YouTube. In the future we determined to attempt approaching a punk beat the identical method we’d a plugg beat, which was rapping about designer garments, flexing and having costly shit however over a punk beat. I solely did my verse a pair weeks in the past additionally, however I’ve been holding on to the track ever since, and I knew when the time was proper I’d get on it.

“SACRED SECRETS” (FEAT. N8NOFACE)

I made this beat solely on my laptop computer on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles. I initially recorded vocals about being excessive on medication ’trigger I believed it sounded onerous with the beat. Then I noticed Nate make a submit about how he had struggled with habit, so it made me wanna change the message of the track. I deleted these previous vocals and got here up with these new ones about why it’s so onerous to remain sober. I used to be talking from expertise as a result of I struggled with sobriety earlier than and thought it will be totally different to do vocals on a synth-punk track the place you’d count on some hard-ass lyrics however as a substitute ended up being about one thing actually constructive. As for Nate’s lyrics, all I can say is we don’t snitch round right here! 

“COMMITTING CRIMES”

I feel this track actually represents the darker facet of me. it’s like a soundtrack to all of the occasions after I did a bunch of silly shit that usually acquired me into bother. The music actually captures that dangerous, sketchy vibe I used to be all the time on and the adrenaline I acquired from doing all these loopy issues like working from the cops, beginning fires, all while feeling like an absolute failure in life.

“SLIT WRIST SLUMBER PARTY” (PROD. BY RAZY)

I made this track with my photographer Razy, who additionally likes enjoying the synthesizer at any time when he will get an opportunity at my studio we all the time document [in], and that is a kind of tracks that we made. It feels like darkish online game music, particularly with the Donkey Kong samples in there. Me and Razy love Donkey Kong, so you already know we needed to put it in there. Total it is a constructive punk track impressed by my heroes Dangerous Brains with their PMA (constructive psychological perspective) and that complete mindset. I feel I discuss being sick of letting my household down. I suppose I needed to make a track about turning my life round regardless of all of the occasions I allow them to down after I was youthful.

“1800 SUICIDE” (FEAT. JAY UGHH)

A track I want I had made sooner in life. Through the pandemic, somebody I as soon as knew took their life, and it actually had me fucked me up inside. That taking place to me put me on the trail to ultimately creating this track. I made this one with Jay Ughh on the bass and me on guitar. I grew to become buddies with Jay when he was managing the Fucking Superior retailer on Hollywood Boulevard. From there, we grew to become buddies, and I advised him we should always make music someday. In the future I posted a pic of me and him, and my buddy messaged me saying, “No method, you already know Jay Ughh? He used to rap on this group referred to as Chill Black Guys,” and that’s how I discovered he was a rapper and was into music prior. He had by no means talked about something about music to me, which I believed was tremendous cool of him.

Ultimately, Jay confirmed me one other facet to him when he performed me this post-punk-type track the place he was singing in a low coldwave voice. Jay acquired a bass and began coming over extra to document, and out of that got here this track. The vocals got here round a time after I was feeling down on myself. Oftentimes I get too in my head, and my ideas spiral into this black gap of negativity. Jay Ughh’s vocals actually helped lighten the track up, although, as he was the buddy that I wanted on this track and in actual life to complete the journey I had began into singing about how suicide isn’t the best way to go.

“RUNNIN FROM THE KKKLAN” (FEAT. JAY UGHH)

Throughout my early teenage years, my household had moved to Orange County in San Clemente, California. In my highschool, we didn’t actually have gangs like we did within the colleges I went to in Phoenix, Arizona, however this specific college had neo-Nazi skinheads, and I bear in mind they’d all the time hang around at what they referred to as the “skinhead hill,” which was the place all of them ate throughout lunch. It was only a desk on slightly hill, and every so often you’ll run into them, they usually’ll name you a racial slur, a f*ggot or one thing silly like that. I feel this observe is about racism. It’s like a historical past lesson primarily based on reality, in keeping with Jay’s vocals about being an African particular person rising up in America. 

“WHO IS WHO” (PROD. BY ZEROH)

I made this observe with Zeroh, who’s engineered virtually all of my data. He’s additionally an especially proficient rapper and singer who additionally simply so occurs to play bass. He performed the bass throughout the first half of the track, and I performed the bass on the second half the place it modifications up. I feel this track is nearly driving quick and never being a judgmental dweeb. I handled lots of classist individuals after I lived within the Philippines, so this one’s for these assholes who tried to make me really feel much less for not being wealthy like them. 

“NO ONE IS ILLEGAL” (PROD. BY REALYUNGPHIL & JAY UGHH)

In the future Phil and Jay have been over, and I simply saved telling Phil that he’s punk [but] he simply doesn’t realize it but. We have been smoking rather a lot, however Phil picked up the bass and performed essentially the most punk bassline I’ve ever heard a rapper play. Phil is a very proficient younger rapper from the rap group Surf Gang, so it was simply so sick to see him enjoying bass. Him and Jay each performed bass on this, and I simply sing about how fucked the immigration system is. That blended with those that don’t actually love you and the way they wanna see you at your worst, so I believed all that simply tied in along with how unhealthy the immigration system works everywhere in the world, and that’s how these lyrics happened. Additionally, I feel lots of youngsters like me who have been raised by immigrant dad and mom can perceive the message behind this one.

“THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD TIMES” (PROD. BY PENNY NIKKEL)

My buddy Penny made this with me when he visited me from San Francisco. He performs the all guitars at first. He’s a very good buddy of mine who’s additionally a proficient painter and messes with music when he will get the possibility. The lyrics are nearly my fiancé, Elvia. She had just lately misplaced a buddy to COVID, and I’m not all the time the simplest particular person to take care of, so that is what got here out throughout that point. It’s nearly eager to be adequate on your companion despite the fact that you’re not excellent, and in addition I suppose I simply made this to cheer her up about her buddy passing ’trigger I understand how that feels, as I misplaced one in all my buddies to COVID throughout the pandemic.