The Quarantined is a punk-rock, grunge, metal band making noise out of Los Angeles, California. Using diverse genre influences and multiple lyrical styles, this band creates vivid imagery in their emotionally charged, socially critical songs that bring a personal example for awareness of global issues in society through captivating aggression. Sean Martin, Kaspars-Lucey Grinbergs and Alex Diaz met through mutual friends while looking for work as musicians, and decided to start the band in 2010. Further developing their sound through college, The Quarantined played live shows throughout Los Angeles, wherever they could. Independently owned and operated, The Quarantined is setting a new standard for DIY music on an international scale. Now on the horizon is their third EP, “Aversion to Normalcy”, yet to be released, but a “Shadow” of what is to come is displayed through this hard-hitting single.
“Shadow” cascades around you with stunning guitar work, a thick wall of calming and distorted melody, and a brilliant hook. There’s a classic vibe to this that reminds me of nu-metal or pop-punk records from a decade or so ago. The band offers such honest ideas and even vulnerabilities, as well as reflections on life, and everything in between. Continuously impressing musically and vocally, “Shadow” is everything it needs to be. Conceptually interesting, emotionally appealing, and brilliantly progressive musically. The Quarantined are a band who have figured out and mastered their sound and style, “Shadow” makes for a strong introduction to that if it’s your first time hearing them. I highly recommend you check out “Shadow” and stay on the lookout for The Quarantined’s EP “Aversion To Normalcy”.
Check out “Shadow” here and read more below in our chat with the band!
Hey guys! How long has your EP “Aversion To Normalcy” been in the making? What can listeners expect from this much anticipated project?
Hi! “Aversion to Normalcy” has been in production since November of 2017. Demos were finalized to pitch the album to the band in 2018, and we are still working on the other songs on the record, which we’ve released the song titles and lyrics to on Bandcamp. We’ve got one more song that I’m hoping we can include on the record that I just wrote, it’s a shorter song than the others (so radio friendly) but very much a grunge and blues mix of genres. For this EP listeners can expect a expansion on our sound with more intricate guitar playing, unique mixes, and layered meanings in the vocals. These songs are using more modal chord progressions than we’ve done before. We’re diving deep into the ocean of greed, apathy, disdain, and tribalism, to show the story of overcoming the adversity of life today, the journey of a soul regaining its independence from fear.
Will there be a set of visuals at any point to accompany “Shadow”?
Yes! We’re working together with a new film company J.A. Productions on a bunch of new videos for Free2Luv, and music videos for these new songs and for songs from Antiquate Hate. We have a lot of ideas fleshed out and are ready to be made, but we might need help from the community to make them fully realized.
Can you tell us more about the meaning of the lyrics within your single? What do you hope people take away from “Shadow”?
The first phrase of the verse is referencing our community struggles with mental health- “forever remembered, ever after should we wait?” I’ve known too many people who have killed themselves. Too many that could not be reached when they needed it the most, too many that have had to wait for the system to respond to its first responsibility.
The 2nd “enshrine the emptiness and hate your saving grace” is speaking to removing the victim hood and learning to accept help. “Feel the shadows creeping in, no time to waste”- is recognition of the problem and that immediacy is mandatory. “Still try to run away but the fear keeps pace”- even though we know the problem, sometimes the fear is of the healing. And when we do that, it seems like the fears in your head always are one step ahead. But feelings can be deceiving. “Death will be your master”- we all gotta die sometime. “Follow you from here on after”- the fear of the unknown is taken away. “Silent whisper in vain, yet no escape”- there is no avoiding the- “Cause the shadow on my back... tells my fate.” - essentially, your shadow is how the world sees you, it is the collection of everything you have done, and it will determine how people see you, but not who you can become. While our experience informs us for the now, the future is determined by our will and discipline, how well you can embody what can and should be instead of a lackadaisical reliance on what is, to always be.
The 2nd verse- “In a race with my past everyday” - if you never heal from your wounds, you’ll always be restricted by it. “Madness tempts my frantic mindstate” a statement to recognize the darkness inherent in all people. “When it takes you there’s no retreat” a commentary on the involuntary status of mental health problems- even though one might be aware they are manic, there is no retreating from being manic... without having coping mechanisms to overcome it. “My minds a cage and no one can set me free”- a cry of the helpless, of the wounded, of those in need. One that I know very well, enough to know it is not an absolute, though it feels true. Answer key- no other can set you free but yourself. No one thing will set you free either. It’s a trick that depression plays upon our minds that urges us to search for that one thing to save us- it’s a multitude of things, not just one.
The song is referencing the implied tasks to healing that, when failed, create the pain spoken of in the song. These were my emotions at the time before I knew coping mechanisms and CBT. When you know the right thing to do, it’s easier to identify others not doing it, but it is the greatest strength to be able to recognize when you Yourself are letting yourself down before judging others. That’s also an aspect of this song, and a valuable and hard lesson I learned from my journey through PTSD, in-patient clinics, psych wards, and in group therapy with other veterans. Of course. All of this is the inspiration for the song- what people take away from the song is really based on what they know and can imagine.
What’s your songwriting process like as a group?
We’re all very versatile musicians, so we don’t have 1 process. We react to the given circumstances. So right now, we are able to song write by recording parts and sending them to each other, critiquing and remaking it until approval by all, then more refining in mixing. The other process that we do, and it happens lightning fast, is improvise together and write on the spot. This is fucking electric, and it’s why I’m wanting so badly to tour with this group we have now. Each of us has really unique strengths, and the greatest of those is knowing that no one songwriting process is better than another, so we can skip right into step in just about anything. We’re only scratching the surface of the real potential to crank out badass record after badass record, only restricted by the palate available. I can hope that we will be in a situation in which we can record together in as many songwriting processes as possible. Like, please set us up at a house with a bomb ass recording studio?
What’s next for you as a band?
Immediately, it’s finish the EP. Also I’m finishing up some acoustic covers that I’m putting in a collection on Bandcamp called “Bedroom
Inc.” Because it’s catchy, it’s a subtle shoutout to my favorite Engineer Charlie Waymire at Ultimate Studios Inc. And because all the songs were recorded, mixed and mastered in my bedroom. We’re looking forward to shows in the local area of Tampa and LA to do fundraising shows for Free2Luv, and to support our sponsor Dirtbag Clothing, which we will have unique exclusive merch at our shows.
We’re compiling up footage for documentary type short films about the processes, the adversities of being a band with members in 2 countries and 3 states, about the issues we are trying to illuminate to our society, and to get to know the band members more in general.
So with the music videos on slate and the new EP, we have a very unique set of art and entertainment for our fans, one that reflects our society and inspires greatness in people by striving to change the status quo.
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