The Used are planning on releasing their newest studio albumImaginary Enemy onMarch 28!The band’s singerBert McCracken caught up withLoudwire recently to talk about their new album, check it out!
Imaginary Enemy is about to come out, but you recently released your The Ocean of the Sky EP. To you, what part does that EP play in the lineage of The Used?
Its a great step, maybe a building block. I think that consciousness is becoming more acceptable in the world and not everyone is going to bow down to Duck Dynasty much longer. [Laughs] So, were really excited about the transition. I think knowing who we are in the world is more acceptably cool than it used to be. I dont think people get bummed out talking about a little philosophy here and there.
Like always, I think art is just a snapshot of whats going on in the moment behind the artist. I could only write and be true to what its in my heart, and thats where Im at. I think we try to keep things general enough to where it can be about whatever, but Ocean in the Sky was kind of a different situation. Theres cool allegory, theres some tricky semiotics. Were taking signified and signifier and maybe turning on its head a bit.
From Imaginary Enemy, youve released the song Cry, which is a more straight-forward Used song. Is Cry a hint of what we can expect from Imaginary Enemy or does it go into experimental territory as well?
The Used has always liked to keep it wide open. I love a good catchy melody and I love I dont want to say pop music, because thats taken on a whole new term nowadays, but I love a song that gets stuck in your head with a catchy chorus. Its always been a part of my aspiration to write songs that I like to listen to. This record is just as diverse as any of the Useds records in the past. This record, I think, has the heaviest song weve ever written, which is called A Song to Stifle Imperial Progression: A Work in Progress.
This record also has a really, really lovely sentimental value and it has a lot of deep, open questions. Were really not trying to push ideology down anyones throat, were asking some serious questions that I think are important to ask.
Whats interesting about the Used is that youve progressed through a time beginning with almost no social media all the way to its zenith right now. How has that advance in technology altered your experience as a musician and as someone whos in the public eye?
Its hard to justify all the negatives and positives. Its such a double-edged sword, technology. Its such a huge distraction, but at the same time, it makes the world such a smaller place and it makes everything so much more accessible that its kind of silly to talk about the negatives. For me, I dont have any time to follow anyone. Even my family and friends. Maybe Im just too selfish; Im working on that. If I want to talk to my family or see pictures, I call them and they can text me pictures.
Weve seen the benefits of Facebook with the Arab Spring uprisings. It doesnt matter what your opinion on war is, its been around before humans. Its like asking, Whats your opinion on stone? [Laughs]
Life is worth the constant fight. Its a tricky world we live in with social media. You cant tell me empirically that the more followers you have on any outlet influences the type of severe fandom you might experience or the type of hardcore fan you might get. I dont know how many followers we have on whatever, but I do see how many people come to our shows and sing along. But I also see how many people are watching the show through their iPhone and iPad.
Check out the rest of the interview over at Loudwire!
