(Originally published on Examiner.com on October 3, 2015)
Clay Cages may have only been together for two years, but the band has already been getting a lot of attention for their hard-hitting pop-rock sound.
The band is gearing up to release their new EP, “The Lenses We See Life Through,” this fall. It is the follow-up to their well-received debut EP, “Tension,” released in 2014. On August 17, the band released the first single from “The Lenses We See Life Through,” “Rust,” via PureVolume. The song is currently up for free download.
Formed in 2013, members Danny Fields (Vocals), Matthew Schumacher (Guitar and Vocals), Hayden Wadell (Guitar), Austin Rolison (Drums), and Daniel Farrin (Bass), broke out on the scene with their soaring melodies and hardcore-influenced guitar riffs. Much of ““Tension”” takes on a sound reminiscent of early 2000s rock bands like Brand New and Taking Back Sunday. Songs like “86” and “Who I Was” create height with guitar-driven movement. The way “Face Things//Fake Things” breaks its own “Tension” with an Adam Lazzara-like scream is timed perfectly. “Little Hen’s” slowed-down sincerity shows range in an otherwise hardcore-heavy album. Ending with “The Historian” and its spoken word outro ties the EP together nicely. The band’s new single, “Rust,” is a lamenting tune over a Yellowcard-like floating melody.
I had the opportunity to correspond with Clay Cages guitarist Hayden Wadell via email to discuss the band’s origins, sound, the new EP, opening for The Early November and the success of their debut EP.
Elise Yablon (New York Rock Music Scene): How did the band form?
Hayden Wadell (Clay Cages): Clay Cages formed back in September of 2013 at Middle Tennessee State University. We were all freshman and new to the Nashville area and were looking to start some sort of project. Luckily we all just happened to meet each other in our dorms and through mutual friends, we started jamming and writing music together and yeah, here we are.
EY: When did you know you wanted to make music your career?
HW: It was after our very first show about a year and a half ago. Clay Cages is the first real band I’ve ever been a part of and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was immediately addicted to the energy of performing music in front of a crowd and the rush you get from putting yourself out there. Seeing people genuinely enjoying and connecting with the music you put your heart and soul into is indescribable. After that night I knew this is what I wanted to do.
EY: In a press release, it says that your influences range from “post-rock to classical to traditional hardcore.” How did you develop your sound?
HW: The thing that I think is interesting about us is that we didn’t try to develop a certain sound, we let our sound develop itself. We’re all from different backgrounds in music so we didn’t go into this with any specific idea in mind. We’ve never set out to sound like a certain band or to conform to a certain genre, we just write music that we enjoy, and hope that other people enjoy it too.
EY: You recently announced that you will be releasing a new EP, “The Lenses We See Life Through.” Is there anything you can tell me about the album yet?
HW: ”The Lenses We See Life Through” is a concept EP based around the idea that your perspective of the world changes with each stage of life; beginning with birth and ending with death. We believe that this EP is better written and well-rounded than our previous works, and shows that we have matured as songwriters and as a band since we first formed two years ago. We’re really excited to release it.
EY: What was the songwriting/recording process for the album?
HW: Both the songwriting and recording process for “Lenses” were drastically different from how “Tension” was created. When we first became a band we were practicing out of a storage unit and wrote “Tension” in the winter and early spring of 2013-2014, and “Tension” expresses that environment perfectly. It’s raw and hard hitting like the cold nights we spent in the unit writing with numb hands and just a single light illuminating us. We recorded “Tension” that summer with our great friend, Jon Hicks, in his home studio in Athens, TN. We all drove there the day we finished our finals and spent around a week recording and putting together the album. Lenses had a little more sophistication backing it as were finally able to move into a house and have a more comfortable practice space. We matured more and we believe this new album reflects that. Our new single “Rust” was recorded first in Atlanta at Century Studios with Josh Manuel and Brian Meadows. They were some awesome guys to work with and really helped motivate us to be the best we could be while recording. While the rest of the EP was recorded here in Nashville at Blackbird Studio, which was an awesome experience since it was our first time being in a studio of that class and helped us take that recording process more seriously.
EY: I like the imagery that the title of the album evokes. How did you come up with the name for the album?
HW: It all goes back to the idea that your perspective towards life changes as you grow older. We use the “lenses” as a metaphor for the different perspectives you have throughout life and how you view the world through these various lenses.
EY: How would you say the sound on the new album has evolved from that of last year’s “Tension” EP?
HW: Our sound has definitely matured since “Tension.” I feel like we have become more observant of the world around us and no longer write in such of a “self-centered” way, for lack of a better term. Our music is no longer strictly our personal experiences, we’ve written in a way to involve people with all different types of backgrounds yet they are all still be able to connect to our music.
EY: You recently released the album’s first single, “Rust,” which your singer Danny Fields said was about “reflection and how no matter how much one has changed, comfort can be found where you once called home.” Where did the inspiration for this song come from?
HW: The inspiration behind “Rust” actually came from a poem Danny’s mother wrote. When he discovered it, it really spoke to him and he decided to share it with all of us and we decided to incorporate parts of that poem into the song. It just all just worked out perfectly.
EY: You recently opened for The Early November. What was that experience like?
HW: Opening for The Early November was an awesome experience because it exposed us to a fan base that wouldn’t usually listen to us. We got some pretty great feedback from that show and it was a ton of fun to play.
EY: Your debut EP has gotten good feedback, with Absolute Punk giving it eight out of 10 stars. How does it feel to be getting that kind of recognition for your music?
HW: It feels great knowing that there are people out there who genuinely enjoy our music and that we are starting to gain some sort of recognition. I’ve read absolute punk reviews ever since I was finding bands through MySpace. It was really cool to even be featured, and the fact that they gave “Tension” such a gracious review was amazing.
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