Project Description

Interview With 

COLTON ULERY of SINK THE SHIP

Interviewer: Kelsey Hentschel

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SINK THE SHIP erupted into the underground heavy music scene with their energetic, bold and bright post-hardcore and pop-punk infused blend of metal-core in 2012 – and since then, they’ve been sailing stronger and stronger with each passing year. 2018 sees the band preparing to unveil a masterful blend of melody, metallic aggression and brazen, bold honesty in the form of their debut full-length record ‘Persevere’ on April 27. Amnplify interviewer Kelsey caught up with Colton (Vocals) to chat about the impending record. 

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Listen to their debut album ‘Persevere’ HERE

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It’s been 4 years since you released ‘Reflection’, how has your journey been creatively between releasing that first EP to now releasing your first album ‘Persevere’ on April 27^th

I think a lot of people who are not from where we live, which is Ohio, don’t know that we actually released another EP in 2015, but a lot of those songs got re-recorded to be put on this new album. Once we found out that was the case, we removed all of that music from the internet so it didn’t look like we’d just released the same album. Creatively it wasn’t too hard. It was a bit of a challenge to write brand new songs that don’t sound too far off from those songs.

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You’ve released a few singles already, how did you decide which songs to release ahead of the album?

It was a lot of conversations with the guys at the label. We wanted the singles with the collaborations to go out because you know that’s gonna get more people to listen to our music. But for the other singles, we looked for the songs that we thought would be the catchiest. That’s how they got chosen.

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The music video for “Everything” ft. Levi Benton just premiered online, what was the filming like for that?

We actually filmed 3 music videos in two days, and that was the first one. Yeah dude it was absolutely crazy! We shot that in Columbus Ohio, in this really huge studio. The production guys had built like the big walls and full sets for it. Out of all of the videos though, that one took the least time. It was so fun, we got Levi there.

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Since you’ve been releasing so much of your work online, do you feel like the internet has become a vital part of being a musician these days?

I mean me personally; I’m not a big fan of the Internet. I think it’s made it harder to make money if you’re in a band! Haha. But I mean that’s the way it is. You have to utilise it, it’s the primary source of getting what you’re doing out to people. That being said, I think its really important to be active.

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I’ve heard fans say that your music lifts their spirits when they’re feeling down. how does that make you guys feel? Knowing that you can impact someone’s life in such a positive way must be pretty full on….

That feels great. For me especially because everything that I write is pulled from my experiences in the past year or so. And to hear that people are connecting and responding to those experiences, and they can relate to that is a great feeling. It was always my intention to be like “hey you’re not alone, I deal with this too”. So yeah I really love that. It feels awesome.

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Who do you turn to musically when you’re in the same kind of headspace?

This answer’s gonna sound a bit off the wall, but there’s a rapper called ‘Hopsin’ and he’s my go-to. I actually got into him because a bunch f my friends were like “Hey man, there’s this rapper, he reminds me a lot of you”. A lot of my friends were literally calling me the white Hopsin. So I started listening to him & I was like “Wow, this dude sounds exactly like me”. He says a lot of the things that I would say, so I relate to him. That’s probably why I like him so much.

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Say theoretically, if you we’re ever reincarnated into a new band, new life, new everything, what music genre do you think you’d like to step foot in?

I’d definitely like to dapple into hip-hop! But not like the rock/rap kinda music ya know? A very specific kind of hip-hop. I’m not really sure how to explain it. So I’m just gonna go with Hip-Hop Haha!

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Is that a genre that inspires you?

It definitely inspires me as a lyricist, so yeah I think so.

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Do you ever catch yourself hearing a sound from a music that’s completely different to your own & think about incorporating different elements of that into your own sound?

We all seem to be into the hardcore street music at the moment. So I think that maybe the next album we’re gonna incorporate much heavier elements into the sound for sure.

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You’re off on tour this week. Are there any shows you’re particularly excited for?

Yeah! We’re playing the album release show for this album in our hometown on the 28^th of April. I’m really really excited about that one!! All our friends and family will be there. We’re definitely the most excited about that one.

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You’ve done a bunch of touring before, and had some success with your released music. What’s a career goal you have that would in your eyes mean you’ve “Made It”?

I mean if we could get to the point where the band is so big that we could go on a full world tour, that’d be it. I just wanna go on a tour for months at a time, and go everywhere.

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What’s your favourite track that you’ve ever released?

‘Nail Biter’ I think that’s my favourite. I think the stuff we’re gonna do in the future will sound a little more like that!

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Lastly, if someone had never listened to Sink the Ship before, what’s one song you would recommend them to start with.

I’m gonna go with ‘Second Chances’ for sure, because it’s very aggressive, and then its got a super poppy chorus. I’m gonna go with that one.

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Awesome! That’s it from me. Thanks for having a chat with me mate. Hope to catch you guys down in Australia soon!

Thanks heaps! Enjoy the rest of your day. Yeah cool! Cya!

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Connect With SINK THE SHIP:

Website       Facebook       Twitter      Instagram

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