Aisle Five On the Making Of “Evil Eye”
What was the creative process like for this particular "Evil Eye?"
Our guitarists initially came up with the beginning melody you hear throughout the song. They wanted to write something dreamier than our usual sound. The first title for “Evil Eye” was “Twinkle Song” because of the twinkling guitar in the intro. The name stuck around for a while until we finished writing the lyrics to the chorus, which felt like a perfect fit.
Was there any challenge that you encountered while making "Evil Eye?"
The entire vocal melody for both verses and pre-choruses went through several alterations before its final form. If you listen back to earlier versions, it sounds like a completely different song. This was the biggest challenge in completing “Evil Eye.” We just kept pushing to create a melody that clicked with the arrangement.
What has been one of your favorite memories along the path to making this track?
“Evil Eye” was the first song we recorded in a “real” studio. All five of us saved and split the cost of renting a studio for a day to record all of our upcoming releases. Everyone was so excited to be working at such a cool recording studio that would capture our music at such a high quality. We spent over 12 hours recording and perfecting the songs that day.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
Each of us comes from a fairly different musical background, so it is difficult to give just one answer. As it comes with the territory, we are all very big music lovers and draw from a wide range of styles and artists. However, we continue to inspire each other and play off of each other's ideas constantly. Our true inspiration comes from our very strong collaboration and bond as a band.
Are there any specific venues or festivals that you dream of performing at?
We would all really love to play Metro in Chicago again someday. We have been lucky to perform there for a battle of the bands event multiple times, but coming back to headline a show would be incredible for each of us. Aside, we all got to attend Lollapalooza this year and have dreamt of playing at festivals like that.
Guardrail On the Making Of ‘Content’
How does 'Content' reflect your musical journey and growth as a band?
‘Content’ is our first full-length album and our first release with all 5 of our current members contributing to the songwriting process. It has a little of everyone’s taste and influences, and if you know us individually well enough, you might be able to pick out which songs started from which member. We are becoming more mature as songwriters and also know how to take one’s initial song idea and mold it into a proper ‘diet punk’ song. We love the new songs and believe ‘Content’ is our best work yet.
What is your personal favorite song from 'Content' and why?
My personal favorite on the album changes day-to-day but the one I tend to pick the majority of the time is ‘Joke’s on Me’. It’s a slightly different vibe from our fast skate-punk mantra, and it features Alyssa on lead vocals and the trumpet, which makes for a pretty unique pop-punk song. (This is Ken, the guitarist, btw)
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for 'Content?'
We had a very lengthy writing, recording, and mixing process that we wish was a bit more condensed overall but our pre-production trip to work with Nick Diener (of the Swellers and Oneder Pedals) was one of our favorite times as a group. We were tweaking all of our demos with Nick each day, and then also having a blast hanging out at night sitting around a bonfire while having fun, deep conversations about life. I think those moments seeped into the final product of ‘Content’, especially the lyrics.
How did your band members initially come together?
Kevin and I met back in 5th grade when our love for Weird Al and SpongeBob brought us together. After playing together in a handful of bands, Kevin finally came up with the idea to start a punk band. We’ve always loved listening to punk and pop punk and it only made sense that we play it. Might’ve taken a handful of years to realize this but glad we did it. Then over the first few years of a rotating lineup, will eventually find Alyssa, Doug, and Xack through friends and our mutual love for punk music.
How do you balance the artistic aspects of your music with the business side of the industry?
This is a constant battle for us, especially in the modern age of TikTok. We are in our 30s and try our best to post as much as we can, but dang it’s time-consuming and soul-sucking. We’ve always been about quality over quantity but what do you know, that’s the opposite strategy when posting on social media to gain more views, followers, etc. Besides that, merch seems to be the only reliable source of income these days, but it’s also tougher to get people to come out to shows in the past few years. Not sure if COVID had anything to do with it, or if consumers’ attention spans are shrinking due to how pop music’s top songs rotate every week and are forgotten about. The struggle is real for up-and-coming bands but we have to try our best to keep up!