Brooklyn’s post-hardcore/metal quartet Husbandry sounded pretty darn heavy on 2016’s debut full length “Fera,” but the 2017 EP “Bad Weeds Never Die” takes things to an entirely new level, with metal influences seemingly taking over emo and post-punk ones. Their distorted guitars, in this new record, are a lot more explosive and dynamic, so we thought we’d ask them a few questions about it.
What triggered this journey into an even louder sound?
there’s really never a lack of things to be aggressive/angry about.
Carina: Lyrically, I wanted to channel a lot of the frustrations I have with my own humanity as well as ones I observe in others. I also feel that generally, given the climate we are living in and how bleak the world can seem at times, we all had in mind to have a more blunt approach to music. In an effort to purge ourselves of that energy.
“Bad Weeds Never Die” is a pretty pessimistic title, what inspired it?
The title came from the second track on the EP. “Hierba Mala Nunca Muere” is the Spanish translation of the title and a saying that basically means the more corrupt or bad someone’s character is, the harder they are to “kill” or eliminate. I find it to be a pretty accurate statement. And the songs on the EP explore different facets of my own character and my observations of other people. I wanted to be able to do that honestly and without judgment. The title embraces the difficulty in killing the bad weeds in your life.
Did any new gear go into your new sound?
I am a gear-a-holic. The entire guitar rig was different than the first record. This record we used a Dunable Yeti and Electrical Guitar Company guitar, the first with very low output pickups and the latter with super high. The result was a great mix of aggressive guitars with lots of clarity. There was a new Mesa Boogie amp and an old Marshall, but we pay a lot of attention to the gain pedals used and gain staging of the guitars and bass to get super aggressive while not going into mush-ville. The Earthquaker Devices Palisades was CLUTCH, as was the Darkglass B7K Ultra bass pre-amp.
Here at the Deli we are really into guitar pedals… could you send us pictures of your pedalboards and briefly describe how you use your pedals?
I change pedals on my boards on a weekly basis! The mainstays are a Strymon Timeline, Boss PS-3 pitch shifter, an octave down pedal, and a good overdrive like a Maxon 808 for guitars. Arnau uses some great Darkglass gear, as well as a Aguilar Agro, Boss DD-20 and Tech 21 Chorus for those atmospheric watery bass sounds.
I found this picture [on the right] on your Facebook profile from 2015, are these your boards?
They are…the bass board is still accurate, that was indeed what we were using in 2015. The bass that goes through it is a 5-string Lakland Skyline Series.
[We spot a Red Panda Particle, TC Flashback, an Analogman Mini Chorus, a Crowther Audio Prunes And Custard Harmonic Generator, a Mr. Black Supermoon Modulated Reverb, a Strymon Brigadier delay and a mysterious upside-down pedal called “Les Enfants Terribles”]Carina’s vocals sound incredible, what does it take to get to that level of power and control, and we are wondering if she also sings the death metal guttural parts…
Carina: Writing for the EP was challenging. And it was fueled by the compositions and my desire to evolve as a vocalist. When I write lyrics and vocal melodies to songs we’re working on, I tend to have to train myself to sing a lot of the ideas I hear in my head. Through our practices, I was able to make adjustments and work my way into being able to execute the vocals when it came time to record. It’s really important for me to be able to recreate what I do in the studio, in a live setting. I’m also heavily influenced by Arnau’s ideas with respect to harmonies. He has a great ear and frequently serves as a guide when we’re in the stages of writing. He does both the screams and a good portion of the harmonies on the EP.
Was there anybody outside the band who was instrumental in forging the sound of the new record?
Jordan: We have to give credit to Jon Markson for helping us shape the sounds of the record. He is an excellent producer who knows how to get the most out of a performance and layer sounds on top of one another.
What other NYC like-minded artists do you enjoy these days?
There are lots of people doing excellent and original work in the heavy/heavy-ish music scene in New York right now. We have good friends in Geometers and Dead Tenants who are super original and talented, label-mates Godmaker as well. Moon Tooth, with whom we just toured with, is on their way to taking over the world. I have a huge love for NYC post-hardcore from the 90s: Burn and Quicksand just released some amazing new music after years of being on hiatus, and let’s not forget this new Glassjaw record that dropped on the same day as our EP! I’m looking forward to diving into that.
