Sock Goop, a band based out of Kansas City, released an EP Home on August 1. The six track EP is based on the five stages of grief. I interviewed the mastermind and creative force behind Sock Goop Drew Rancid about the EP:
LP: How and when did the band get started?
DR: Sock Goop started as a high-school rock band that would constantly change names, members, and roles. I always switched between the role as drummer, bassist, keys, and eventually ended up being vocalist. We also always changed genres from soft rock, to emo/pop punk, to death metal. After 4 years of these constant changes and bandmates not showing effort or enthusiasm for a more unconventional sound, I decided to go solo.
LP: What’s the band name origin?
DR: Right after losing our long-time vocalist, we decided we needed a new name. During school, I was watching a Penguinz0 video, where he misread a sign as “Sock Goop”. And I instantly knew I needed that to be the name. I also chose it because I'm tired of so many heavy bands trying to look edgy or cool, so I decided to choose a name that was as not cool as possible.
LP: Who are your influences?
DR: I have influences from all over the place. I've been a metalhead since middle school, which has its obvious effects on my music. And a few years later, I discovered Nine Inch Nails, which led me down the path to love more experimental genres such as industrial, noise, electronic music, and generally avant-garde music. When it comes to Home, the heavier side of it was influenced by artists such as Swans, Daughters, and Author and Punisher. The more melodic side was influenced by The Caretaker, Aphex Twin, Coil, and Sophie.
LP: Tell me about the Home EP overall. What was the songwriting and recording process like?
DR: The Home EP is definitely the project I've put the most thought into so far. I started the project when the picture that ended up being the cover art was sent to me. It's a picture of me and my now deceased friend at a museum when we were kids. This EP was dedicated to confronting things of my past, and dealing with changes, including his death. While it may be cliché, each of the songs (minus funeral) are based on the 5 stages of grief. The recording process was wildly different for each song. This release also stands out because it utilizes a lot more clean singing than my other releases, which I rarely do because I hate the way my voice sounds. Because of this, “Home” definitely took me out of my comfort zone and shows me at my most vulnerable and displays both of my musical and vocal extremes.
LP: Could you break down the EP track by track? What’s the story behind each track?
DR: “Never Ever” deals with denial. The lyrics are based on childish ambitions and conversations someone would have with their friends as kids. Then the realization that those dreams could never come true is when the denial comes in with the line “Stop, you're scaring me”. The instrumentals for the song are actually over a year old. I was planning for it to be an instrumental opening to a concept album about a toxic romantic relationship, but I realized it would be better used for this EP. The bells are reminiscent of a music box or lullaby, making a good connection to childhood comfort and innocence.
“Funeral” is definitely the least eventful of the list. This song was meant to be the calm before the storm that would come for the next few tracks. I found that piano sound, which reminded me of a memorial service, which worked perfectly for the aesthetic of the EP. The reason this song doesn't change at all is because it's supposed to make the realization that you lost someone you loved sink in all the way. At least it'll let you get some comfort before diving into the rest of the EP.
For “The Ugly,” here's where things start to take a turn. This song deals with the feeling of having the life you've always known being ripped away from you, making you question everything. This is probably one of the most interesting songs to record. The song starts with recordings from space that the earth emits. The drums are a mix of sampled drum machines and factory noises such as industrial sized punches and hammers. The main melodic-ish instrument was made by sampling a semi truck horn, and sending it through multiple layers of saturation. The glitching drone in the background is also made up of this truck horn. My friend and fellow artist Dalton Mersman has a rapped verse on this song that perfectly captures the feelings of dread and self hatred that I was trying to convey.
“Circles” is probably the heaviest one of the bunch. This song is about bargaining for some sort of comfort, and confronting those who are believed to be responsible for these self-inflicted traits. This song was very fun to make, especially the drums. I used an Alesis Nitro Mesh electronic drum set for this. I recorded two drum tracks, each triggering two separate sets of sounds, making a total of four drum tracks. I did this by running the audio out from my drums into my DAW, while simultaneously running my MIDI out from my drums as I was recording into a separate track in my DAW that had a set of sounds that were very different from the ones loaded onto my hardware kit. I purposely made the two recordings out of sync with each other to make it feel like the song wants to have a uniform rhythm, but keeps falling apart every time it gets close to straightening out. Just like how someone that indulges in toxic habits to combat internal unrest feels once the feelings wear off and the guilt sets in. The song also contains a feature in the first verse from Justin Love, the guitarist in another band I'm in called Sarcophilia.
“Take Me With You,” here's where the depression kicks in. When nothing else can distract you from the fact that you lost someone, and there's nothing that you can do to change that or make it hurt less. This song deals with the guilt and regret that occurs when you don't recognize or confront an issue before it becomes too late. Recording and production wise, this song doesn't really have anything special going on. It's just an outlet to express these feelings of loss. The only thing that makes this song stand out sonically is that this is the only rock/metal song found on the EP. The lyrics pull no punches and read more like a direct apology/confession to my friend that I lost.
“Home”: This is the song of acceptance, where I had nothing left to say, and no voice left to say anything. This song embodies the strange bittersweet comfort that happens after you completely break down and you finally understand that things will get better, and you won't be hurting like this forever. I made this song by recording a long drone to tape, then playing a randomized loop from my Arturia Microfreak over it. While they were playing, I improvised a solo from my Yamaha keyboard over it. What made this one interesting is that I recorded this live and did almost nothing in my DAW. I set up a series of microphones in the room, then recorded them straight into a mixer to adjust the levels. Afterwards, I sent a single output that contained all the tracks to my DAW. I also used no effects besides a little bit of reverb and chorus on the solo that came built into my keyboard. When I was uncomfortable or scared when I was a little kid, I'd always say “I wanna go home”, no matter where I was, even if I was at home. This is what this song represents, the relief of finally being at home.
LP: What are your plans as an artist for the rest of the year or where would you like to be a year from now?
DR: Now that Home has been released, I'm considering this a transitional point in my music career. Right now I'm working and going to school pretty much full time, so I don't have much free time, but I'm still doing what I can. I'm currently working on a couple film scores that will be released before the end of this year. I'm also working on changing up my live set. I usually perform vocals on top of backing tracks for my shows, but soon I will be playing with a full band recreating my songs live. But I will still be the only official member and writer in the studio. I'm also planning to take my music into less heavy territory and start branching out to even more genres. My next release is probably going to be a lot weirder than Home is. A year from now, I will have graduated from college, and hopefully have a job that lets me have time to dedicate to my music.
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