Meet Me Half the Way: A New Release from Smoochknob
Portland, Oregon-based pop-punk band Smoochknob are releasing a video for the first single off their forthcoming full-length, Drive By High Five, set for release March 19, 2013 on DRD Records. Featuring a growth in songwriting and a more pop leaning, the band still has bite and doesn’t let go of their hard-hitting, feral sound. Instead, choosing to focus on stronger pop hooks with a wider pop span.
Written by Smoochknob front man/drummer, Donnie Rife, the song was conceived when Rife’s wife was eight months pregnant with their first child, who is now four years old. Shelved due to it not fitting on any Smoochknob albums, the song was revisited when the band began working on Drive By High Five, when the band decided early on that their new album wouldn’t stick to their normal formula or any guidelines.
“Our philosophy with the album was to just record the best songs we had, regardless of them fitting into our normal style,” says Rife. “I had a back log of pop songs and song ideas that Javier Canteras [the band’s lead guitarist] and I just started working on.” The end result is what many have described as Smoochknob’s most sonic-sounding album to date.
“We wanted to record an album without worrying about sounding like the previous albums,” continues Rife. “We all love and write so many different types of music. We wanted to showcase this on our new record. Javi and I – and I think most artists are in the the same boat – have tons of songs that we put into that, ‘someday I will do a side project with these songs’ folder. This release allowed us to explore that folder, and be true to ourselves as songwriters.” With the album slated for release in the spring of 2013, Smoochknob is happy to wet the whistle of fans eagerly anticipating it with the video for “Meet Me Half The Way.”
