Interview: LA Grunge Band Return to Dust Releases Debut Single
Interview by Giannina Fredo
May 22, 2023 — Los Angeles-based grunge band, Return to Dust, has released their debut single, “Black Road”, along with a dark and cinematic music video. Read more about the rising band and their new music in this interview with Melophile Media.
Photo Credit - Matt Akana
Key: RTD - Return to Dust | M - Matty | G - Graham | S - Sebastian | MM - Melophile Media
MM: Hey! I hope you're all well and thank you for doing this interview with us. Congratulations on releasing your debut single, “Black Road!” First, please introduce yourselves and what you do in the band.
M: I’m Matty, I play rhythm guitar and sing the high parts.
G: I’m Graham, I play bass and sing the low parts.
S: I’m Sebastian, I play lead guitar and sing whenever they allow me to.
MM: Black Road has a cinematic and somewhat nostalgic sound. The instrumentals and vocals are great and I enjoyed the music video! What were your biggest influences for this track and the dark visuals in the video?
RTD: Thank you! It’s definitely the first song we wrote that we were truly proud of, and everything sort of came together seamlessly. It’s a bastardization of a lot of our favorite grunge songs.
M: To me, the verse is “Man in a Box”, the pre is “Freak on a Leash”, and the chorus is “Outshined”. These songs and the bands that wrote them shaped the entire era that “Black Road” (and the singles that follow) were conceived.
RTD: The visual inspo came from watching a lot of 90’s music videos, and more modern stuff like Falling in Reverse. We just tried to match the energy and themes of the song.
MM: You have described Black Road as a song about feeling somewhat lost, having self-doubts, or not being sure if your life is headed in the right direction. What advice do you have for listeners who can relate to that? Is there anything you do to help you overcome those thoughts?
RTD: Be the most authentic version of yourself, and people will respect you for it. Listen to your own heart and gut, and try not to care what people say or think.
M: If you ever feel doubtful, try to talk to those around you that you trust, and truly listen to what they have to say, your own thoughts aside. A lot of the time, people around you can see what’s not as clear to you.
MM: Do you recall the exact moment when you all realized you wanted to pursue music? What triggered that epiphany?
RTD: When we played in front of our producer Jim (Kaufman) for the first time. He told us we should pursue music full time. We didn’t even know that was a possibility, as I had no idea where to start. He gave us purpose, along with the confidence to move across the country and start the band.
G: It’s been a slow, steady process. For me, it’s like you just start doing music and learn to make it more and more a part of your life.
MM: I would love to know about your songwriting process. Do you usually start with a melody and then write lyrics to go along with it, or do you write the song first and then the instrumentals come after, or something else?
G: Music and lyrics are usually in tandem with each other. Matty and I share this type of songwriting where you kind of just say gibberish over whatever chord progression or riff you’re jamming, and then form the words and phrases as an afterthought to fit the vibe. So in a sense I suppose the music comes first, but it all works together. And finally we go to the studio either with a fully composed song or sometimes just a verse and chorus. Sometimes it’s best to leave the canvas a little more blank before studio day.
MM: You all have unique backgrounds and interests outside of music, like Graham studying cyber security in college, Matty being into drawing, and Sebastian enjoying videogames. What hobbies or media have you been into lately? Do you find that it helps with your creativity and music-making process?
M: I've been reading a lot more recently, feeling the lack of higher education in my bones for the past 4 years and trying to make up for lost time. I’m currently reading “Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls with my girlfriend and a nonfiction creative inspo book called “Keep Going” by Austin Kleon. It helps a lot to be able to break away from the seriousness that is “THE BAND”, and read a silly novel or play some games to unwind.
G: Graphic design. I typically come up with the merch concepts and single art. It’s somewhat of a new thing I’ve picked up but I try to learn something new every time I open the program. I like it because it helps me contribute more to what I listen to [with] visual aesthetics.
S: I’ve been going to the skatepark more recently, trying to get dem tricks. Then, I go home and shred.
MM: I can tell that you love performing and I saw that you have an unplugged show happening in LA later this month. What has been your favorite concert memory so far? Any funny stories? Favorite venues?
M: The acoustic show is gonna be awesome. We’re reimagining our whole upcoming EP. We’re gonna film it, record it, and release it later on as a whole new thing, stupid excited for it.
RTD: Our best concert memory so far has to have been playing in Seattle. We stayed in our friends apartment right above the venue we were playing. His apartment had rooftop access, so we just smoked, talked, and looked out into the city. That moment made us truly excited for future tours, and hopefully we’ll get to discover many new places none of us have ever been.
MM: Now that you've released a great debut single, what are your next goals?
RTD: By starting the EP campaign, we’ve officially released Return to Dust into the wild. It's a scary but exciting thing. If all goes well, we’ll be releasing music until our fingers fall off or we die. Jokes aside, we’re planning a summer tour to promote our EP, and we’ll be playing shows intermittently around LA, keeping the dust hype as high as possible.
STAY UP TO DATE WITH RETURN TO DUST:
