Waterloo's Death Party Playground are storming back today with their new EP, The Good Years.
Like many other artists who put out records at the beginning of 2020, Death Party Playground had no idea that their hard-earned release wouldn't get any semblance of a normal album cycle. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the band didn't have the opportunity to take their last LP Little Joy on the road.
Bandleader Kyle Taylor took his time in lockdown to recruit Matty Sawyer and Jesse Alarcon as his new rhythm section and focus on the next batch of tunes before the trio were able to rehearse and record safely together in their practice space with producer Joe Shugan when 2021 rolled around.
"Just having a new lineup has changed the approach to my songwriting completely," Taylor said in a statement. "This new EP definitely has a heavier groove and the songs sound more efficient than on the last record. Considering the circumstances we were working under, I think the entire record was made pretty efficiently overall."
Led by the singles "Make It Home" and "Upside Down," you can hear the influence of Matthew Sweet with the band's power chord-laden, crunchy guitar riffs and Taylor's robust vocal approach — which he says actually improved as a result of singing through a mask in rehearsals.
While The Good Years may seem like a strange title considering the times we're living in, it rings true for Taylor's creative output. Death Party Playground are certainly making the best of a bad situation — and emphasizing the latter half of their namesake.
Stream The Good Years in its entirety below on your platform of choice, and check out a studio footage reel from the recording process.
Like many other artists who put out records at the beginning of 2020, Death Party Playground had no idea that their hard-earned release wouldn't get any semblance of a normal album cycle. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the band didn't have the opportunity to take their last LP Little Joy on the road.
Bandleader Kyle Taylor took his time in lockdown to recruit Matty Sawyer and Jesse Alarcon as his new rhythm section and focus on the next batch of tunes before the trio were able to rehearse and record safely together in their practice space with producer Joe Shugan when 2021 rolled around.
"Just having a new lineup has changed the approach to my songwriting completely," Taylor said in a statement. "This new EP definitely has a heavier groove and the songs sound more efficient than on the last record. Considering the circumstances we were working under, I think the entire record was made pretty efficiently overall."
Led by the singles "Make It Home" and "Upside Down," you can hear the influence of Matthew Sweet with the band's power chord-laden, crunchy guitar riffs and Taylor's robust vocal approach — which he says actually improved as a result of singing through a mask in rehearsals.
While The Good Years may seem like a strange title considering the times we're living in, it rings true for Taylor's creative output. Death Party Playground are certainly making the best of a bad situation — and emphasizing the latter half of their namesake.
Stream The Good Years in its entirety below on your platform of choice, and check out a studio footage reel from the recording process.
