After three EP’s and a full-length release last year, Atreyu are now delving into their back catalog. The Pronoia Sessions finds the band revisiting previous material along with doing a couple of cover songs. Vocalist Brandon Saller gives us a quick update on the album.
Chad Bowar: What inspired you to revisit your past material?
Brandon Saller: I guess we’re just sort of constantly looking for ways to keep things exciting. What better way to sort of re-fall in love with songs than to give them a new life? We hope our fans will feel the same.
How did you decide which songs to reimagine?
The choices just sort of fell in our laps luckily. Definitely still room for more.
Did they all end up on the album, or were some abandoned along the way?
Everything we hashed out made it.
What was the process in deciding what to change and what to keep the same from the originals?
We just sort it took the songs to whatever place they felt right. Again it sort of just fell out of the sky. The album’s producer Matt Pauling had a big hand in the general guiding of vibes.
How did you decide to cover “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “Like A Stone”?
They are just two of our collective favorite songs. Both have a haunting vibe which matched the over all feel of the album. Just made sense.
What was your approach to the arrangements in terms of staying true to the original versus putting the Atreyu spin on it?
They stayed pretty true to it was more about feeling change. Instrumentation, etc. Trying to approach the same structure but with different colors.
You have a The Curse anniversary show coming up later this month. What do you remember most about the recording of the album?
It was meticulous and we all got coin fever.
Will there be a future live release of this show?
We hope so. If the people want it we will oblige.
What were some of the highlights of your summer European tour?
Rock am Ring/Park. Both ripped. We love Euro festival season so much.
Where haven’t you played live that you’d still like to get to?
South America. Russia. China. Everywhere.
The promotion process has changed a lot since you started in very early days of the internet. Do you like the social media era of transparency and interaction, or did you prefer when releases had a little more mystique?
I like mystique but I do feel social media provides a more realistic version of people in bands. Although you can fake it still, it’s fun to sort of take a closer peek inside of people’s lives.
Last year’s release of 3 EPs culminating in The Beautiful Dark Of Life wasn’t the usual way to get material out there. What was the response like?
It was fun! I think it gave our fans something to chew on all year long.
What’s the timeline for the next studio album?
Still figuring that out. Currently writing though!
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
Cooking. Hanging wtih the fam/friends.
What’s the best thing you’ve binge watched lately?
The Nickelback doc.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
I’m a fan of salad bars.
(interview published October 2024)
