Hailing from Philadelphia, the fiery pop/punk 4-piece The Things We Were drops their lively lovesick single "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos." Making up The Things We Were are; dual vocalists Dylan Garforth (guitarist) and Thomas Jay (guitarist), Jonah Greenberg (bass), and Jake Siegel (drums). Explaining that their single "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos" is the band's first angsty lovesick track, The Things We Were truly strike similarities to a prime 1999 Blink-182. Through exhilarating punk instrumentals that showcase the band's power, "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos" touches on the realization of needing to move forward from someone who keeps you stagnant and is in the way of your dreams.
Opening "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos" with filtered drums from Jake Siegel that gradually grow into a whole sound, we can feel the nostalgia surface immediately. Moving into flame-throwing melodies through Dylan Garforth and Thomas Jay's punchy electric guitars and Jonah Greenberg's melodic bassline, Dylan Garforth begins singing with incredible clarity and poise. The lyrics he brings forward highlight a troubled relationship, and not knowing where it might lead to while finding the inner strength to pick yourself up and leave. The Things We Were take the outro by storm and leaves "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos" with striking power that leaves us wanting more of the fiery 4-piece.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, The Things We Were! You guys provide such pure energy with your recent single "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos." Could you tell us where you initially found inspiration for the song
This song actually first came about on thanksgiving night in 2019. Our two main songwriters were going through similar situations at the time and we wanted to use that emotion to help drive the sound and meaning of the song. Both were going through the toughest breakups we have both ever experienced and we knew that we had to use that energy and emotion to put into our music because it would help give listeners an inside to our personal lives. We used heavier instrumental and darker lyrics to convey anger and sadness throughout and we definitely feel we got our point across with it.
The Things We Were mentioned that "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos" is your first angsty lovesick track. What message did you want to tie in with the song for listeners to learn from and takeaway?
What we really wanted listeners to grasp from a lyrical standpoint is that it’s okay to not always feel at fault when things go wrong. There are always two sides to a tragedy and you don’t always have to feel like the one who caused it.
The instrumentals within "Plaid Shoes and Tattoos" are very lively and also nostalgic. What sort of atmosphere were The Things We Were going for when laying down the instrumentals?
We crafted it with our producer, Andy Karpovck, who we work so well with. We definitely wanted an upbeat, hard, and heavy instrumental that is fun to listen to but also goes with such meaningful lyrics. To us, it helped us highlight multiple sides of a heartbreak spectrum, being anger and sadness.
We've seen that The Things We Were are an incredibly dynamic band through your unpredictable and exciting sound. Why do you think so many people (and of different ages) can enjoy and relate to your music?
We honestly think that people can relate to our music so much because we take as much time as we can focus on relatable topics. We love for our music to be personal and meaningful to not only us but to our fan base. We want to send a message that when you’re going through good or bad times, we’ve all been there and you always have someone that can relate to you.
What's next for you
Next up for us is our last production and recording sessions for our debut album. We’re really excited that we’ve been given such tremendous opportunities and we can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on with the rest of the world.