Stick To Your Guns: “The Sentiment In The Stick Camp … Is We Literally Can’t Do Better”

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Stick To Your Guns have been a massive name in the hardcore scene for some time now and with the release of their new studio album ‘Spectre’ and a completed European tour for the first time since pre pandemic music, the band have a lot going on. I had the privlage of sitting down with them and discussing the new music, what touring has been like and a lot more during their time in the UK for 2000 Trees. Check out the interview below!

Hi, my name is Nick from The Rock Fix and I am here with Stick To Your Guns. How are you guys doing?

Josh: What happened to your finger? Uh, let’s flip this interview around. What the fuck did you do?

I broke it between a keg and a fire door.

Josh: A keg and a fire dole?

Yeah, a fire door.

Josh: Oh, I just thought that like, there was a dole between a fire and a keg.

That would’ve been better. That’s a better story. I might go with that.

Josh: Was that here at 2000 trees?

No, this was a few weeks ago in my other workplace.

Josh: Well, good luck with that.

George: Very sorry to hear that.

Ah, it’s fine. It’s all good. Um, wow, that really threw me off. I won’t lie.

George: We’re concerned for your health.

Josh: We can change this whole thing up, we can just interview you.

George: Did you get taken care by the NHS?

I did. It’s a blessing.

George: It’s a wonderful institution.

It is. It’s not like that form over where you guys are from.

George: Yeah. Yeah. It must be fucking nice.

Um, alright, so let’s go onto the music. Your most recent single was weapon, I believe. How have you found fan reaction to that?

Josh: Actually great. Um, we didn’t know what it would be like because it’s a little bit more punkish. You know? But we’ve been playing it for the last eight weeks and it’s been great. It’s actually been really cool for us to play a new song that everybody in the band collectively likes. It’s kinda like a Stick To Your Guns super song. It has all the elements of our band in, in one song. So I now feel like there’s a song when someone goes “Hey, what song should I check out from your band?” And I can just go that one. And if you think that sucks, then you’re just gonna hate all of it, so just don’t bother to listen to anything.

George: I don’t wanna pump our tires too much here, but I feel like we’ve been playing it exceptionally well.

Josh: We’re playing great. Maybe not tonight, ’cause it’s the last day a tour but other than that, I swear to God.

You gotta celebrate a bit , don’t you, when it’s the last night of tour. Speaking of the tour, how has that been for you? It’s been quite a strenuous tour I’m pretty sure, nonstop sort of thing, so how has it been?

Josh: Yeah, we’ve been out for a couple of months straight.

George: Two months. It’s 10 days short, of two months.

Josh: It’s been, um, we actually had a tour right before this, that got canceled. So we would’ve been out for three months. But, it’s been all the things it’s been super exciting and super stressful. All at the same time, there’s a lot of things that have changed since the pandemic, as far as like, um, rules and regulations and like flights and gas prices and all that and expenses. And then we’ve seen a lot of the festivals kind of change as well. Take like a hit with how they take care of the artist or how they take care of the people coming to the show. So it’s been interesting, but at the end of the day, I think we’ve all been super grateful to be back out, on tour, especially to be back in Europe. It was one of those things where like, I don’t know if we ever going back. I knew it had been a long time once I started craving schnitzel. Which is something I never eat at home.

Fair enough, obviously you say you’re back in Europe. Do you see a big difference between a crowd you get over here and you would say back at home?

George: Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, it’s not like quite night and day, but I feel like we’ve pretty firmly solidified like a fan base here in Europe that keeps continuing to come out and support us – And not that we don’t have that in the states – But I feel like the states is like still a grind for us. We’re still always working.

Josh: The states have always notoriously been a place where you have a group of, you have a small group of die hard fans forever, but it’s kind of like every five years. You know, so we kind of stay in the 700 cap rooms. But it’s just a rotating door of people. Where in Europe – especially a place like Germany – you get the 700 and then another 700 comes you know. I think that there’s a different appreciation for music in Europe than there is in the states. And that’s not talking shit in the states. It’s just a little bit more spoiled. Maybe. I don’t know.

George: There’s a I guess like a certain longevity, that gets established here where you feel comfortable in knowing that you have a dedicated fan base?

Josh: Yeah Europe’s a great confidence builder.

Awesome. I understand you have a new album coming out. I believe specter is coming out at the end of July, I believe. How did that come about? Was it during like lockdown where you wrote it and stuff like that? Or was it before that?

Josh: We actually finished recording it in January of 2020. And it was supposed to come out July of 2020, And obviously then the pandemic hit. We’re the type of band that it’s bad for us to release a record when we’re not on tour. So we were like, “well we’ll probably go on tour, like at the end of the year” And then the end of the year came, we’re like “whoa, we’ll probably go on tour next year”, then next year came “probably on tour in summer”. And then, so at that point we were so dedicated to just holding off, that, you know. Now we’re like, alright we’ve actually done a couple of tours, put the goddamn record out.

George: Yeah. I also had it in my head that like anything that got released during the pandemic was just getting put out into like a cultural void. That everyone would just forget, you know, cuz like everyone was just absorbing things and then just forgetting that they even listened to it or watched it. Lady Gaga put out a record that everyone’s like, “oh she what? She put out a record. I had no idea.” You know, everyone remembers Tiger King because it was at the top of the pandemic. And then maybe like, the first thing that you watched in like 2022 when everyone was like coming out of it.

Josh: Yeah. Love on the spectrum.

So you said that weapon was a bit more punky, Is that the sort of theme throughout the new album?

“I know it’s like the most generic standard thing to say… ‘it’s our best record’, but I really think that this time.”

Josh: No, the album is… it’s… I mean, it’s…

George: The album’s kind of like weapon, it’s like the quintessential Stick To Your Guns record.

Josh: Right. And then there are some really fucking heavy songs, probably a couple of our heaviest songs we’ve ever done. And then there’s a couple of curve balls in there too. So I’m really excited to see what people think of it. I know it’s like the most generic standard thing to say. But we’re like, “it’s our best record”, but I really think that this time.

George: I truly believe it this time.

Josh: If this was our last record, I’d be like we’re not on top.

That’s normally a good thing, I think you’re doing something wrong if when you record a new record, you’re like, “Ah no, this might not be better than the last one”. So it sounds like you’re still on the right tracks.

Josh: If anything, the sentiment in the Stick camp right now is we literally I can’t do better. So like take this for what you will.

George: So maybe this should be the last one, ’cause we’re not gonna be able to do better.

That’s all I’ve got for you guys today. Is there anything you guys wanna add?

Josh: No, I just hope your finger gets better. What’s up with that Slayer tattoo? Just a big fan or was that a dare?

No, just a big fan.

Josh: Okay. Just wondering. We know a couple of people that have Slayer tattoos from dares. So I wondered if, if you fell into that category.

All right. Thanks so much for your time guys.