• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

INTERVIEW: FUTURE TEENS BELIEVE

Written by ROB DUGUAY Posted April 7, 2021 Filed Under: MUSIC

From COVID derailing a promising year to recording a record in eight hours.


Before COVID-19 turned everything upside down last March, people were planning. It was the spring, so folks were planning summer vacations, bands were planning tours, and if you’re a music journalist like myself, then you were applying for press passes to a bunch of festivals.

All of this blew up in our faces before we even knew what was going on, and Boston indie rock act Future Teens can relate. They were riding the high of a successful 2019 into a musical expedition-filled 2020 while sharing the bill with some cool bands, and then it all stopped before it started.

Fortunately, they made the most of the rough year and released the Deliberately Alive EP, which was released via Take This To Heart Records nearly an exact 12 months after the pandemic hit on March 12.

I recently spoke with co-guitarists and co-vocalists Daniel Radin and Amy Hoffman about having to cancel some big gigs, having only eight hours to make the record, evoking their own take on Cher, and waiting for it to be safe to play shows again.

What was the band preparing for before the pandemic hit in March?

Amy Hoffman: We were gearing up to tour a lot while writing for both the EP we just released and the next full-length. Then everything kind of veered off course from there while we waited to figure out what the next year was going to look like.

How many shows did you have to cancel?

AH: We had a weekender booked with the Brooklyn acts Pronoun and Proper the same weekend when everything shut down along with four or five other dates. We also had a full US tour that was going to happen with Spanish Love Songs from Los Angeles and Dollar Signs from Charlotte during the spring. I think that’s as far out as we were booked.

What did you aim to do differently with the Deliberately Alive EP than what you did with the full-length Breakup Season that came out in 2019?

Daniel Radin: I think one of the freedoms that you have with an EP is that all the songs can feel really different while taking chances on arrangement and song structure. You’re not trying to create a super cohesive concept album so we definitely tried to push ourselves in terms of songwriting, lyrics, guitar tones and just the sounds in general. A lot of it came from working with Andy Park on the mix for it and he also mixed Breakup Season, so we have a nice working relationship that we’ve built already. We were building upon that foundation from the full-length into the EP, so that’s probably the biggest shift. This is also the first time as a full band that we got to record a cover, which was exciting.

What inspired doing a rendition of Cher’s “Believe” on the EP? It’s kind of a banger, so it’s interesting to hear a rock band taking on that energy of a pop song. 

AH: A couple of years ago we were asked to do a few Halloween shows and we were trying to figure out what our cover set should be. We kind of cheated and chose Kidz Bop Vol. 1, that record is just filled with bangers front to back and “Believe” is one of them. It’s also where our cover of Smash Mouth’s “All Star” came from for that cover set, we arranged it as if you could do it through a Blink-182 filter. We only had eight hours to practice together and Daniel and I wrote the songs for the EP over FaceTime, then we brought everyone together for a socially-distanced rehearsal for one single day. At the end of the day we had to pick a cover which is something that we all kind of know and we can put our own spin on.

“Believe” was everyone’s first pick. It’s something we’ve covered before and we were able to re-work it in a way that sounded like us.

Another track on the EP that really sticks out to me is “Guest Room,” where you have a bunch of people contributing additional vocals. How were you able to get all these folks to do backing vocals for the song? Were they all done through Zoom and socially-distanced fashion? Or did you have them all go into a room together with a mic in a remote way? How were you able to accomplish that part of the song?

AH: We kind of just called and texted all of our friends and asked, “Hey, do you want to do this? It doesn’t have to be fancy.” Some of them recorded themselves on their phones and sent it to us and others set up mics and stuff in their own homes. Luckily, since no one had anything else to do, we were able to turn it around really fast after giving everybody really short notice.

That’s awesome how it worked out seamlessly. With live music being nonexistent due to COVID-19 can we expect a virtual show to promote the EPs release? Do you have other plans where you’re looking to utilize social media as much as you can for the time being for marketing and promotion purposes?

DR: We haven’t really gotten to see each other since the pandemic started other than the one day we planned ahead for the EP. We’re all working now again so meeting up is very difficult. I think we’re just kind of hoping that there’s some sort of show that we can do in a safe way this summer either outdoors, at a drive-in or something like that. We really want to do the songs justice in a way and we’ve thought about doing a livestream, but it feels like it’s not quite as exciting as us getting ready and actually playing the songs in a real live format. We’re kind of waiting for it to be safe and structured at this point besides the fact that we’ve only gotten to play these songs together for one day. We definitely need to practice and to do a livestream that needs to be involved, which is something we’re still figuring out but we’re hoping to properly play the songs live for people when it’s safe to do so.

futureteens.bandcamp.com

ROB DUGUAY

Rob Duguay is an arts & entertainment journalist based in Providence, RI who is originally from Shelton, CT. Outside of DigBoston, he also writes for The Brooklyn Rail, The Providence Journal, The Newport Daily News, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, New Noise Magazine, Alternative Press and numerous other publications. While covering mostly music, he has also written about film, TV, comedy, theatre, visual art, food, drink, sports and cannabis.

More from author
  • ROB DUGUAY
    https://digboston.com/author/rob-duguay/
    INTERVIEW: LINNEA HERZOG OF LINNEA’S GARDEN
  • ROB DUGUAY
    https://digboston.com/author/rob-duguay/
    THIS BLISS: THE RETROSHADE INTERVIEW
  • ROB DUGUAY
    https://digboston.com/author/rob-duguay/
    DEVIL LOVE: A SOUND HONED OVER DECADES, WITH HEAVY INFLUENCES FROM BOTH COASTS
  • ROB DUGUAY
    https://digboston.com/author/rob-duguay/
    INTERVIEW: LAKE STREET DIVE

Filed Under: MUSIC Tagged With: coronavirus, Interview, Music

WHAT’S NEW

THE HOUR THAT THE SHIP COMES IN

THE HOUR THAT THE SHIP COMES IN

JANEY OFFICIALLY DECLARES THAT SHE WILL RUN FOR FULL TERM

JANEY OFFICIALLY DECLARES THAT SHE WILL RUN FOR FULL TERM

"Boston Sunset" by walknboston is licensed under CC BY 2.0

EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR KIM JANEY

WHEN PRIVATE HELL BECOMES A PUBLIC MASSACRE

WHEN PRIVATE HELL BECOMES A PUBLIC MASSACRE

TALKING JOINTS MEMO: CANNABIS UPDATES

TALKING JOINTS MEMO: CANNABIS UPDATES

AT LONG LAST, BAKER SIGNS “NEXT GENERATION ROADMAP” CLIMATE BILL

AT LONG LAST, BAKER SIGNS “NEXT GENERATION ROADMAP” CLIMATE BILL

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • rally to protest discrimination and crimes against Asian and Pacific islanders during Stop Asian Hate rally on Boston Common in Boston PICS & RECAP: “STOP ASIAN HATE BOSTON” RALLY ON THE COMMON by KEIKO HIROMI
  • VACCINE EQUITY NOW! COALITION ASKS BAKER TO ALLOCATE 20% OF NEW DOSES TO HARD HIT COMMUNITIES by SHIRA LAUCHAROEN
  • A NEW PLACE FOR MORE PEOPLE TO CALL HOME IN TOUGH TIMES by MARK EMMONS
  • A FAREWELL TRIBUTE (OF SORTS) TO MARTY WALSH by DIG STAFF
  • RESEARCHERS SHOW EXTENT OF LOBBYING AGAINST CLIMATE BILLS IN MA by JON LAMSON

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 2.1 – March 2021

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

Footer

digbos

digbos
EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR KIM JANEY. Environmental organizations and individual activists invited to submit opinion articles for publication. https://digboston.com/editorial-digboston-seeks-climate-ideas-for-mayor-kim-janey/ #politics @boston_mayor #environment #globalwarming #climate #activist #callforsubmissions #policy #Boston #Massachusetts
“Most are some of my favorite bars or local clas “Most are some of my favorite bars or local classics that I’ve learned to love in my time living in the city. Others just have a great facade that I know would make a great drawing.” https://digboston.com/drawn-but-not-forgotten-local-artist-sketches-beloved-boston-restaurants/ #art #artist #sketch #drawing #Boston #Massachusetts #bar #restaurant
Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors hit new high notes. “My #teaching has gone to another level.” https://digboston.com/the-medium-is-the-maestro/ #education #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chron From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chronicles the business of joke-telling. https://digboston.com/the-history-of-stand-up-from-mark-twain-to-dave-chappelle/ #comedy #history #book #interview #Boston #Massachusetts
“I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local “I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local field office and hear what people have to say.” https://digboston.com/dear-reader-the-political-season-is-upon-us-embrace-it/ #politics #commentary #election #Massachusetts
“I think most people agree that we want our publ “I think most people agree that we want our public dollars to go to those companies that are not cutting corners.” https://digboston.com/bill-seeks-to-penalize-contractors-for-unsafe-conditions/ #politics #legislation #construction #safety #labor #Massachusetts
“It’s just shocking to me for Massachusetts, t “It’s just shocking to me for Massachusetts, the state that puts itself forward as this paragon of democracy. Those are just fundamental building blocks of a democratic society.” https://digboston.com/researchers-show-extent-of-lobbying-against-climate-bills-in-ma/ #environment #globalwarming #climate #crisis #politics #lobby #Massachusetts
I was lucky enough to get an extra #vaccine. Here’s how it went down. https://digboston.com/young-healthy-and-inoculated/ #young #youth #student #college #vaccination #publichealth #health #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
The MBTA confirmed that it will “fully fund its The MBTA confirmed that it will “fully fund its operating budget in the coming fiscal year and begin to restore cut service.” https://digboston.com/public-transit-public-good-responds-to-restoring-mbta-service/ #transportation #politics #Massachusetts
MASSHOLES LIKE BAKER BECAUSE REASONS: Suffolk/Glob MASSHOLES LIKE BAKER BECAUSE REASONS: Suffolk/Globe #poll finds governor’s height to be much admired. https://digboston.com/massholes-like-baker-because-reasons/ #politics #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]