Post hardcore act
Counterfeit Culture have got a new EP "Deathwish" tucked under their belts. During this time they have released a couple of singles off this release, with so much more in-store you have seen nothing yet from these guys. Guitarist Patrick Robertson discusses the EP, band's insight, and how they want to spread their message far and wide.
1. What role do you play in the band?
Patrick: My name is Patrick Robertson and I play the guitar in Counterfeit Culture.
2. Counterfeit Culture is your namesake, but why is that? Does the name represent a meaning or is it just a name?
Patrick: The name represents a lot, we're calling out the culture that we're living in today. Everywhere you look there's someone or something telling you how to act, how to dress, how to look, etc. and we want to end that. Instead of looking how the society wants you to look, we want you to be your true self no matter what.
3. What has influenced your sound and style?
Patrick: Tons and tons of things over the years. Of course heavy bands like Northlane, Invent Animate, Architects, and Counterparts have influenced us. We also take a huge influence from alternative music, such as Rage Against The Machine and The 1975.
4.What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Patrick: This EP tackled a variety of themes, such as drug abuse, domestic violence, pretending to be something you're not, and finally shedding your costume and becoming your true self.
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Patrick: We do write our own songs. I generally sit down at home and record some riffs, then work it into the general idea of a song. At that point I'll send it over to Chris our drummer and Elijah our bassist who add their input, and then we all get together and practice it until it becomes good enough to record with our producer Ricky Armellino.
6. How do you describe your music to people?
Patrick: That's a tough question, being as we believe to have a unique sound. Generally we describe it as heavy with tough breakdowns, but also melodic by mixing in more alternative style melodies. We also use a tone of background ambiance to add to the mood.
7. What image do you think your music conveys?
Patrick: We just want people to be themselves, and not let anyone tell you who you can or cannot be. That is the image we try our best to convey.
8. Deathwish" is your newest efforts in the form of a EP. Why go the route of EP as opposed to a full-length?
Patrick: Obviously you can get more of a message across through a full length, but these three songs were truly the best songs we had at the time, and felt like they just fit perfectly together without anything else.
9. What is the concept behind Deathwish" and how did the idea come about?
Patrick: Basically, Deathwish is just how all the things we talk about can get to you. If you're suffering from drug addiction or domestic violence, or you aren't allowed to be who you truly want to be, that can have a very negative affect on your conscience. Hence why we chose Deathwish to be the EP title.
10. What is your favorite track off Deathwish" and why?
Patrick: For me personally it's Apothecary. It has some of the most intricate riffs I've ever written, and the breakdown in the middle is killer. Plus we got to have our good friend and producer Ricky Armellino on the track, so that was a very nice thing for us as well.
11. What can fans expect from the new EP how does it differ, compare, and come in equal to your previous works?
Patrick: Well we only have one EP out previously, and we were a completely different sounding band under a different name. So Counterfeit Culture is really a fresh start for us, and we feel as though we brought something new to the table of heavy music.
12. What was the writing and recording process like for the EP?
Patrick: Basically, we sit down at Ricky's studio and we start with the guitar. Once guitar is finished we move on to bass and drums, then finally add the vocals. It's a very relaxed environment that breeds new and cool ideas, and we gel with Ricky so well. It's our favorite time of the year.
13. Why do you think people should check out your new EP?
Patrick: People should just check out this EP to hear something new and fresh. The world we live in today is very toxic, and everyone is mad at each other, saying they can't be a certain way. We're saying be yourself and be happy about it. There's so much hate in this world, we're trying to bring some love into it.
14. How would you say you differ from other bands and artists on the scene?
Patrick: We have our own unique sound and imagery, that we believe to be different from all the others. Just the way we portray ourselves and the heavy use of alternative influence is something new and fresh.
15. What do you want to achieve as a band?
Patrick: We just want to be able to spread our message to as many people as possible, and hopefully help people out along the way.
16. What does next year hold for Counterfeit Culture?
Patrick: We have a ton of exciting things coming up next year and hopefully for many years to come. Trust me when I say, you've seen nothing yet. Be sure to keep up with us on social media find our links below, along with a link to our latest single.
Socials:
https://www.facebook.com/CounterfeitCultureNJ/
https://twitter.com/CCNJOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/CounterfeitCultureNJ/
Lyric Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KrpRCrNtD4
