What makes music so attractive and endearing to the soul? Why are we so drawn to let out our emotions by listening to song? Why does music makes us feel better. To me music is like a medicine. The strongest medicine. I have never found another way to let it out. When I listen to music it’s like I am looking up at the sky and all the galaxies are visible. You know when it is really dark outside and you can see the stars so bright. Well when I listen to a song I like and I close my eyes it is like I am looking at a sky with all those stars. Just think about how incredible music actually is? It is endangered all the time. By people who swear that it has nothing to offer- so they challenge it. They challenge it because deep down they know this form of human expression is honest and relevant to the masses of people that listen to it. The beauty of music is that it presents itself and makes moments so much more simple yet, when it is composed it is so complex. It takes creativity, patience, and time, but when it is a finished product- when it becomes a single and then an album it is all worth it. I like bands that make waiting for their music worth it, because it is that good. I like bands that are able to talk about their music with passion. So, here is a band for you that does all of the above. Born Cages from New York City. You are bound to be captivated by their blend of 80’s influenced synthetic guitar tracks and pop rock sounds. Check out our interview with the band below:
MWN: Your new album Exit Signs In A Burning Building is set to debut very soon (Early April I believe), how does it feel to finally release something you have been working so hard on?
Born Cages: Yeah, April 7th! It feels pretty good to have new music coming out. You kinda never get over how nerve-racking it is to put yourself out there and release music and hope that people dig it. But at the end of the day we’re really happy with how everything came out. We had a very DIY approach with the whole thing, from self-producing to self-releasing, so it’s very special to us.
MWN: How did you guys decided on the name for the new album?
Born Cages: It came out of the collective theme of the songs. They’re all very reflective, pick yourself up and take on the world type of songs, but they have a reoccurring theme (that I didn’t intentionally put in) of the world just being completely turned upside down right now. Everything’s fucked up and it’s hard to grasp it all. The 7 tunes on the record are meant to be the “exit signs” in the “burning building” we all live in. Maybe it’s all for the best though because the rent is getting ridiculous.
MWN: Speaking of putting out new music. Currently what song would you guys say is on repeat for you?
Born Cages: The new Arcade Fire / Mavis Staples “I Give You Power”. It’s so weird. Has a very jammy thing going on. Not as weird as the new Gorillaz but I’m excited to hear that whole album too – they tracked a bunch of it at Mission Sound where we did our first record. Also on repeat is Ain’t Gonna Happen and Half Asleep on Spotify cause we’re trying to make some of that royalty money.
MWN: Every artist has different ways of developing their sound which become albums they can often vary depending on the song. Sometimes songs start off with a simple melody, other with a guitar riff, and other times they are developed from the lyrics. What would you say your process was for this EP?
Born Cages: There wasn’t a specific process to writing this record other than, write when you wanna write. I don’t like music that feels forced, and sometimes that inevitably happens with a band’s second release, when you don’t want to be in the shadows for too long. But we took the shadows head on, because life’s too short to write shitty songs.
MWN: Did you guys find yourself writing more about your past and personal experiences or do you focus on writing more about the “outside world”?
Born Cages: I like to think our songs are a good mix of the two. They’re not stories filled with extravagant adjectives that bring you into the room where I experienced those emotions. They’re meant to give you just enough of a glimpse to let you fill in the gaps with your own life and your own experiences. That’s what my favorite lyricists and songwriters have done for me, so that’s what I try to do.
MWN: Making music is quite the task, but I feel like the end product is really rewarding in all aspects. In the creation of this album what is one new thing you learned or realized about yourself and the band?
Born Cages: We learned we like to be more hands-on than we originally thought. Everybody’s a producer nowadays because paying tens of thousands of dollars for someone else to record your band is a thing of the past. But I think that’s potentially a cool thing. Artists are forced to envision the whole package, and not just bring in a few lyrics and an acoustic guitar part to some computer nerd to turn into a whole new thing. The downside to everyone being a producer is musicians concentrating ONLY on production and forgetting about the songwriting. Our goal is to focus on it all because everything is important.
MWN: I feel like music has a different impact on everyone. We all take a song and apply to our lives in different ways hoping it will help us cope with a situation. It is one of the many reasons music can be so intimate and unique. With this is in mind the song that most resonates with me is “Half Asleep.” The bridge and the first part of the chorus: “We’re all just trying to find some meaning in this world. We’re all just trying to find ourselves. It’s like all my life I’ve been half sleep. Just waiting for someone to rescue me.” Can you guys tell me a little bit more about the background story of this song?
Born Cages: Glad that resonates with you! To me, the song’s about a euphoric feeling that comes when you’re at your lowest. It’s so rare but, sometimes you have a realization that makes you feel so extremely alive, as if you haven’t lived until this moment. Maybe you fall in love when you’ve given up on it, or maybe you make a decision to follow your passion no matter how much the odds are stacked against you. Maybe you realize you’d rather try and do something meaningful with your life and fail than to accept the bullshit hand you’re dealt. That chorus is a revelation, and I’m so happy that I could fit it into a song, because those moments are so fleeting. And I want to relive it over and over.
MWN: Top three favorite songs of all time?
Born Cages: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Bob Dylan, Are You Sure – Willie Nelson, Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis.
MWN: How do you pass the time between gigs?
Born Cages: Local bars, coffee and writing
MWN: What was one of your biggest musical inspiration growing up?
Born Cages: Michael Jackson. I was obsessed. I was born and grew up in Bucharest, Romania and he was HUGE there. He even shot a Live in Bucharest DVD.
MWN: As we finish of the interview what is something you would like to tell all your supporters?
Born Cages: Thanks for supporting, thanks for understanding that we need time to write songs and not forgetting about us, thanks for coming to shows, which is where we’re happiest. Thanks for writing to us and staying in touch. Please pre-order our new album because your support not only means the world to us, but it helps us keep doing this. Much love!
Check out their music below:
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