Comeback Kid: Talking about symptoms and cures

To be honest I'm not the biggest Comeback Kid supporter around. Though 'Turn It Around' and 'Wake The Dead' had some good songs, I never particularly lost my mind on them. It may come as no surprise nothing has changed after the release of 'Broadcasting' and the recent 'Symptoms and Cures'. I did this interview for Upmagazine and think it's interesting enough to post here as well. If anything you got to admire to workethic of these Canadians and the fact they're getting a new generation interested in hardcore. Vocalist Andrew Neufeld gives the answers.



Just before Broadcasting, Scott left the band, so you were rather new as the singer for CBK upon entering the studio. Was there less tension on him recording Symptoms and Cures as this time there was more time to prepare?

There was more time to prepare yes. But there wasn't really any tension going into the studio with Broadcasting. On Symptoms + Cures it was just the fact that I'd been singing in the band ( as opposed to playing guitar ) much longer so I had more control of my voice and was more confident to sing on record how I do live. So that's what I did!

I remember you saying that the soundtrack for Lost was a big inspiration when writing Broadcasting. What was the biggest inspiration for the new record and why?
I wouldn't be able to pin point one big inspiration for the new record other than the transient lifestyle we live. It affects every part of my life personally and music wise. Most of the songs talk about that and how it makes me feel living this kind of lifestyle. Lost is over and I was sooo dissapointed with the ending! It was all a dream and they were dead? I mean, what the fuck?

Some people who’ve heard the new songs say Comeback Kid is very angry. The new songs sound harder and more straightforward. Are you more angry now then in the past or has it something to do with the way the new record was recorded.

I'm not angry at all. We are all very chilled out dudes. My vocals naturally are a lot more aggressive so maybe that sounds angry but it's a misconception. The songs deal with struggles in my life at times, but on the other hand we feel like the album has a lighter vibe and is more of a fun record than our latter. We wrote songs intentionally for the plastic cups to be held up high with beer spilling over and for people to have fun with and sing along. We really don't take ourselves TOO seriously.

The past few years you have created quite a backcatalog with songs. How do you pick which songs to play on stage. As fans want to hear old stuff and you probably want to play new songs. And does this decision making gets harder with every new record you write?

Sometimes we don't play songs that I personally would like to play live. Making a setlist is a combination of playing something from every record. There are certain songs that we would never do set without. Like All in a year ( first song we wrote as a band ), False Idols Fall, Wake The Dead, Broadcasting, and there are a few more. The other part of it is playing songs that we feel get the best reaction and excited the audience the most, which in turn makes us psyched. The last part is playing songs that are fun for us to play live. So we just mix it up based on how much time is available. to us.

Some people say you should have changed the name of the band one Scott left, in fact this still comes up in some reviews of the new record. Did you ever thought of doing so?

Hell no, we are Comeback Kid through and through. We have 3 original members that were the same 3 guys at the first few practices. The 3 of us wrote all the songs and Scott and I wrote all the lyrics together before he left. We have built on the foundation we created for the last 10 years and will continue to do so. Fuck the haters.

Different from the previous two records you didn’t record in the Blasting Room this time. Did you want a change of scenery and did it help the band to grow further?

Yeah we just wanted to switch it up recording wise and see how we worked with different producers in a different studio. This time we did it in Canada with awesome dudes Eric Ratz and Kenny Luong. We went for a more raw sound with everything sounding really natural but big. The tracks sound like they are tearing through the speakers more on this album I think.

What’s the meaning behind the artwork for the new record and it’s title?

The artwork is a guy jumping headfirst into the unknown. Maybe looking for answers or a "cure". The title comes from a lyric in a song that pays homage to the few people who make sacrifices in their life to really make a difference or follow their passion to put a dent in the earth. The title comes from this lyric... "Can we breathe out new life in the air? Send out a wave. Use this as ammunition against the vultures that prey on the public's addiction. They're creating symptoms + cures."

Isn’t it hard getting older but still having to write songs people in their teens can relate to, or is that not something you think about when writing a record?

If we were writing music for the teens of 2010 we would sound more like Brokencyde or something like that. We write hardcore/ punk rock songs the only way we know how to. We write songs for ourselves and hopefully people can relate to them no matter what age they are. I write lyrics and they are reminder's to me after the fact. We are musicians first and foremost so we don't ever rely on the current trends to find our place in this music scene. Hopefully we can stand out.