Jul 05 2024, 11.05am / Features
Dani Filth dishes on how he got into horror and how he actually made Tony …
A band’s third album is normally a pretty nerve-wracking release.
MORE: AVATAR: Dancing With The Devil // TROPHY EYES: “I Realised My Career Was Probably Close To Over If I Didn’t Release Something” REVIEWS: MILITARIE GUN: Life Under The Gun // TROPHY EYES: Suicide and Sunshine // PVRIS: EVERGREEN // MOVEMENTS: RUCKUS!
More often than not, it’s the release that sees bands begin to experiment with their sound, changing up their formula to deliver something different from the setlist they’ve been playing night after night for the few years leading up to the release. But yet, with fan and label expectations coming at them from all angles, expecting the group to deliver a perfect continuation of their first two releases, it’s quite often a move that leads to pretty divisive receptions.
Which is why it’s important for bands to disregard these expectations and allow themselves the freedom to trial anything that they like. Which is exactly what Movements did for their third release RUCKUS!. And while it may have been a daunting move for the Californian based emo-rock outfit, it’s a shift that has paid off massively, with their third effort boasting “the record that [they] are most proud of as a band so far.”
As explained by the band’s vocalist Patrick Miranda, “It’s always going to be a difficult thing to put something new into the world and try something different with the hope that people like it. It’s very nerve wracking to do that. But it’s also extremely exciting. And it’s something that we feel very, very confident in.”
“Sure, there are always going to be those groups of people or fans who expect a certain sound or style from what it is that we do, and that’s okay, but in my opinion, Movements has always been very much about being honest, truthful and expressive about how we’re feeling in the moment. And for me as the lyricist, all of our songs have always been about my issues with mental health, or the experiences I’ve had in my life, or whatever, blah, blah, blah. And those things are still very much true, I’m also at a point where I’ve grown up a lot.”
“We started this band when I was 19, and I’m now 28. So for the last nine years, I’ve been kind of only doing one thing lyrically. But at the same time I’ve been growing and realising that I feel differently now, so of course I want to write differently to how I did back then.”
We started this band when I was 19, and I’m now 28. So for the last nine years, I’ve been kind of only doing one thing lyrically. But at the same time I’ve been growing and realising that I feel differently now, so of course I want to write differently to how I did back then.
[ Patrick Miranda ]
“I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘well, I can’t write this happy song or I can’t write this song because that’s more upbeat and fun, or because that’s not what people are expecting from Movements.’ Like, Movements has to be Movements, so it was important for us to say, ‘fuck it, and I’m going to write whatever it is that I’m feeling and just go with it.”
Which is a mentality that the whole band took on board, with the group amalgamating a collection of different styles and influences into their arsenal for the writing process of RUCKUS!. Although, it wasn’t just heavy inspirations that Movements looked up to, with the majority of their inspiration for album number three coming from the sonic tones of groups like The Strokes, The Gorillaz and Lauryn Hill.
“We decided that we didn’t want to pander to anybody,” explains Miranda.
“We didn’t want to sit here and say, ‘oh, well, the fans are expecting this, so we need to give them that.’ It’s like–no, as much as we love and appreciate our fans and recognise that we can only do this because of our fans’ support, this isn’t for anybody else. This band was, and always will be for us.”
“So we just wrote what we wanted to write. And it turned out to be a kind of mix match of different shit that all came together into one record, and we’re really excited to put it out and for the rest of the world to finally be able to hear it. Because I think it’s the record that we are most proud of as a band so far.”
“To me, these songs feel like the strongest Movements songs that exist. So this release is a really, really exciting time for us.”
Purchase and stream here.
