Exclusive Interview: Dead Posey Talks New EP 'Malfunction' and Life In Quarantine

Headrush TV: How’s life in quarantine been? Have you found any interesting new ways to pass your time?

The first large chunk of time was spent finishing up the EP, so we would have mostly been in “studio lockdown” anyway even without a nasty virus out in the world. And lately it’s been getting everything prepped for the release, finishing up editing the “Parasite” video, etc. Lots of work which we’re lucky to be able to do almost exclusively from home. We’ve been finding time to read/listen to podcasts/watch some movies+tv & talking long walks & drives.

Headrush TV: Aside from spending some well-deserved time at home, what’s next for Dead Posey?
 
Our video for Parasite is premiering on Spin.com Monday June 22, and we’re doing a livestream performance and Q&A on Tuesday June 23 at 7pm pst on Spin Magazine’s Twitch Channel. Besides getting “Malfunction” into as many brains as we can, we are starting to compile material for our first full length album that we are gonna be diving into soon. 

Headrush TV: What message were you trying to get across as a band with this new EP ‘Malfunction’? 

Malfunction was inspired by the internal and external chaos that's all around us, such as -  religion, war & social perceptions all going hand in hand creating some of the world's most gravely Malfunctions. It also highlights the struggle to maintain a sane state of mind & figuring out how to cope with the chaos of this world to become more vigorous from it. 

Headrush TV: Are there plans to support the new EP with a tour for 2021 once things blow over? 

Most definitely! We’re ready to get back to the Gypsy life style & hitting the road again - we miss it something crazy. We’re in talks with our agents who are on the lookout for touring opportunities as soon as the flood gates open again. We’re looking forward to non-stop touring to make up for lost time!

Headrush TV: What is your favorite track from the new EP, and why?

The favorites for us shift around at different times. Danyell, “For me it’s ‘Bad Things’ which is a mix between the off-putting atmosphere like you’re in a David Lynch film and the tongue-in-cheek nature of the lyrics - that makes it my favorite.” Tony, ”Right now it’s ‘Holy Roller’ - the sounds and vibe all come together really well on that one (and it’s a favorite to play live as well.)”

Headrush TV: Did you learn any new tricks in the studio this time around creating this new EP?
 
We wanted to push ourselves to not rely too much on sounds from our earlier work, while still retaining the core elements of what makes us sound and feel like us. To go with the darker lyrical themes of this EP, we sort of went for a hybrid of the gritty/bluesy influences of our past mixed with an industrial edge. We probably wouldn’t have allowed something like a “synth” to really be near Dead Posey music a year or two ago, but now we opened it up to new sounds like that being brought to the forefront if it felt right. We leaned in more to the guitar here as well as tech/industrial flourishes. And we went for an updated flavor with the vocals, letting Danyell’s natural power and energy come through more without as much distortion.

Headrush TV: When writing music, who’s your biggest inspiration? Does it differ lyrically?

Sonically and lyrically our inspirations are Depeche Mode, The Kills, NIN, Marilyn Manson, Garbage, Joy Division, The Doors, QOTSA, and many more. Lyrically we lean toward artists and bands that are provocative and have sensuality and depth to them. Our general artistic godfathers of inspiration are Salvador Dali, Edgar Allan Poe, and David Lynch.

Headrush TV: Do you have a specific process when writing? (or superstitions, only finding inspiration while on a drive, lucky guitar picks, etc.)

We’ll both bring in our compiled ideas: guitar riffs and beats that Tony has stashed away and lyric and sonic ideas that Danyell has concocted. From then on we’re both in the trenches; for each song it’s like a tug-of-war of both our minds, constantly challenging each other to dig deeper to get to the real essence of what we want to say. While we’re both very interested in all the nuts and bolts of the production and sounds and all that, we try to get the core elements of the song (lyrics, melody, chords, feel) all dialed-in pretty early in the process so we have a strong foundation to build on. With this EP in particular, the actual songwriting happened very quickly – it was the production and getting things sounding just right that took some time.

Headrush TV: When you first began in this industry, did anyone give you advice that you’ve held onto till this day?
 
Let the music come first and the rest will follow. Quality over quantity. Don’t be afraid of new technology. Your fans are a life source.

Headrush TV: What’s been your most memorable experience in the music industry thus far?

There have been a handful of shows so far that are engrained into our brains for life, such as The Gramercy Theater in NYC, and Rock City & Electric Ballroom in the UK; shows like these have really helped it sink in how lucky we are to do this. And just being able to put music out that has an impact on people. We’re looking forward to what’s to come...