Trashed
August 3, 2022| Dan Hillier |FEATURES
Introducing: Trashed | Optimistic and Intimate Emo Punk Delivered in Drop B
Ever been curious what the outcome would be if someone took the hooks of classic pop punk, the vulnerability of modern emo and combined them with an abundance of down-tuned drop B riffs? Wonder no more. Enter Trashed.
An all-organic product of the South West’s burgeoning emo and punk scene, Trashed are a fresh proposition that offer a sound that’s immediately distinct, yet wholly contemporary. Composed of Jimmy Embleton-Smith (Vocals, Guitars), Sam Yesner (Bass, Vocals) and Ben Wood (Drums), whilst the sound of the halycon days of brazen pop punk genre serve as the bedrock of their output, the Bristolian trio take the influence from all across both the punk spectrum and timeline, creating something far more visceral than punk related genre tag can imply.
Associations to the likes of Dookie era Green Day and Blink 182 can be clearly made, but within their heady mix, motifs associated with the likes of Basement, Milk Teeth, Drug Church, Gnarwolves and Off With Their Heads are evident. When combining that with their affinity for down-tuned riffs approaching Slipknot levels of density, the end result is genre and time hopping emo punk for the modern day.
However, their provocative and heady sound isn’t just what makes Trashed such an appealing concept in 2022. Rather, it’s their approach to vulnerability and transparency. Their home-cooked approach to the genre is merely the vessel for their message and ruminations of love, loss and mental health, with the band utilising their craft to detail their experiences with such themes with fully human emotion and pained, yet optimistic clarity. Fresh singles ‘Memories’, ‘Decay’ and ‘All Alone Again’ serve as testaments to such a fact, and with their Neil D. Kennedy (Creeper, Boston Manor, Trash Boat) produced debut Happy In Hindsight coming later this year, Trashed stand as a band offering up home-brewed punk that’s true to it’s roots whilst still being forward thinking and vitally positive. With that in mind, we got in touch to find out more about the band.
For those new to Trashed, how would you briefly describe yourselves?
“Emo punk rock. I can hear everyone yelling ‘YOU’RE POP PUNK’ but we’re more visceral than the modern pop punk scene…and we play in drop B.”
Musically, what are your main inspirations?
“Green Day and mental health issues.”
You’re gearing up to release your debut full length Happy In Hindsight later this year, how are you collectively feeling about the release?
“It’s rare that we feel anything other than broody angst, but when we do, it’s usually excitement about the album. It’s 11 tracks of us settling into our sound.”
Your take on pop punk is both nostalgic of the classic sound of the genre whilst sounding wholly fresh and organic. What’s your approach to writing, do you have a certain sound in mind when creating music?
N’awww thanks! We definitely write with the ‘Trashed’ sound in mind, but it all comes very naturally. We started this band to write authentic songs.”
Your latest single ‘Memories’ is a classic heartbreak anthem that saw you working with Neil D. Kennedy. What was it like working with them?
“Don’t forget Kurt Fagan! They’re both dreams to work with. We’ve worked with Neil and Kurt since our first EP, Yours Not Mine, they always get the best out of us. They know when it’s time to take a break or when we’re hitting a solid streak. We can also quote anything from Lord of The Rings or School of Rock and Kurt will laugh, which is actually the main reason we work with them.”
A major and often stereotypical lyrical theme of pop punk is heartbreak. What do you think it is about the genre that allows artists to approach this subject so easily?
“We’re all terrible at relationships. I think it’s just part of the culture. Pop punk is very on the nose as a genre, and everyone knows how shit heartbreak is and wants someone to express that for them, and in a genre that most people start listening to in their adolescence, pop punk offers that relatability, so we all end up being Parker Cannon and never letting that heartbreak go.”
From growing up with pop punk, do you think the genre has shifted and moulded your perception, attitude and approach to heartbreak and loss in general?
“It’s definitely given me a LOT of songs to listen to so I can really drag out the “sad” right to the tear ducts. I do often wonder if I relate to pop punk/emo because I’m emotional or if I’m emotional because I listen to it… but I’ve personally grown out of the super sad songs, I find them hard to relate to now. When I’m upset I turn to albums. I’ll walk around and listen to them and it allows me to really feel and go through what I have to to be able to move on… but it’s hard when you part ways with someone who you share all of your music with because then it goes from a comfort to a reminder.”
Similarly, a major theme of your work is addressing the crushing reality of mental health but in an upbeat and positive way. How do you go about addressing and tackling such a subject whilst still managing to remain upbeat and optimistic?
“We’re trying to spread the word on mental health in our way. A whole buttload of people use stuff like sarcasm as a defence mechanism, which I think is why we write how we do… but also it keeps our songs relatable without being totally fucking dismal. It’s important for people to know that lots of people feel the same as them, and that those feelings pass. I guess writing in a somewhat jovial way gives the subject matter a sense of impermanence, which is important for people to remember that bad times pass.”
Did writing about your mental health help you process the issues you were facing? Was it a therapeutic process?
“I always feel better when I write a song about something I’m upset about or struggling with. Maybe I self-perpetuate my issues out of fear for losing my songwriting ability… but I find it cathartic in a lot of ways. It never makes the problem go away, but it’s a form of expression which helps you let go of something or gain a new perspective on it. Self expression is a very, VERY important part of figuring out how you feel about anything.”
The size and stature of the UK pop punk and emo scene has fluctuated over the past decade, what’s your opinion of the scene at the current time?
The scene seems truly grooving right now. We’ve been in different bands for a long time, and the alternative scene hasn’t ever felt as healthy to us as it has since the pandemic – apart from the scene days of course.”
Finally, what do you want people to take away from your music and your upcoming record?
“We want people to listen to our album to jam out, but also for catharsis when the inevitable shit parts of life kick in. The three of us all turn to music when we’re feeling low. We really hope this album becomes something people go to when they need it.”
