Brighton via Minneapolis quintet As It Is are almost on Australian shores to play some shows in support of their new album, simply titled okay. Front man Patty Walters had a chat with AMNplify recently about the upcoming tour, the new album and so much more. Check it out below!

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

My parents are the two biggest reasons for my career in music. All I ever wanted was to be in a band and tour the world, and without their support and belief in me, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am. My dad liked all the bands I liked and took me to tons of shows, and my mom drove me early to school four days a week so I could learn and practice in school bands.

How does living in Brighton affect the music you write?

Brighton’s always had a vibrant music scene. We started our band with very few expectations, just a passion for writing songs and playing shows. We played every show we were offered and would almost always lose money, but we’d still have a great time. I hope we never abandon that attitude along the way and always remember why we do what we do.

What inspired the video for Pretty Little Distance?

It’s a fun, upbeat song, so we wanted a fun, upbeat video to augment that. We loved the juxtaposition of a cheesy 1950’s dance battle happening over a pop-punk song. We also tried to include as many Back to the Future references as humanly as possible.

What is the story behind No Way Out?

We collectively wrote the lyrics to No Way Out, so I think it means something different to each of us. For me, it’s about my instability throughout 2015. I found it incredibly difficult to simply be happy and for that I felt ungrateful and guilty. I internalised everything and nearly destroyed relationships and myself because of it. For me, No Way Out is about the daily struggle of fighting for happiness.

How does okay differ to Never Happy, Ever After?

We definitely pushed ourselves much harder writing our most recent album. We especially wanted our lyrics to be more personal and vulnerable. We wrote about ourselves differently on this album, writing openly about our families, our struggles and our lives in general.

What makes As It Is different to similar sounding bands?

There’s a duality in our music. We often write songs with upbeat music accompanied by dark, pessimistic lyrics. It creates a blend of pop-rock, emo and a few things in between that we’ve come to call our “sound”.

What can fans expect from your upcoming Australian tour dates?

We’ll be playing a ton of new songs for the very first time which I’m hugely looking forward to! Our Australian crowds are some of our most fun and energetic, so we’re excited to be playing the most energetic and aggressive songs we’ve ever written in those environments.

What has been your most memorable career highlight to date?

Becoming the first UK band to sign to Fearless Records is still my career highlight. The bands on their roster heavily shaped my childhood and my love of music; to me it’s an honour to be part of their family.

What is something you would like to achieve career-wise that you haven’t done yet?

I’d love to continue touring and travelling to countries we’ve never been to before. It’s an incredible feeling to be playing to such amazing people so far from home.

If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only listen to one album from another band, what would it be and why?

Say I Am You by The Weepies. World Spins Madly On is my favourite song of all time and it would break my heart if I could never listen to that song again. The rest of the album is still phenomenal, but I think it’s one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

TUESDAY 31 JANUARY @ YMCA, WA – AA

WEDNESDAY 1 FEBRUARY @ ROSEMOUNT HOTEL, WA – 18+

THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY @ THE BRIGHTSIDE, QLD – 18+

FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY @ THE LAB, QLD – AA

SATURDAY 4 FEBRUARY @ FACTORY FLOOR, NSW – 18+

SUNDAY 5 FEBRUARY @ THE LAIR, NSW – AA

TUESDAY 7 FEBRUARY @ DRONE, NSW – AA

FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY @ EVELYN HOTEL, VIC – 18+

SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY @ EVELYN HOTEL, VIC – AA

SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY @ FOWLERS LIVE, SA