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Chicago's punkrockers Counterpunch recently released their new album "Bruises", which is out now on Cyber Tracks. If you're into 90ies melodic punkrock, you should definitely check these guys out if you haven't done so already. You don't want to be that one kid who misses out on all the fun. Anyway, here's an email interview we did with Eric!

PRT: For the people out there who haven’t heard of you guys yet… can you give me the history of the band, written in one minute or less starting… NOW!
Eric: Jared and I started messing around with a few things about 10 years ago.
Brian came in when Andy departed shortly after the first record, and Jim actually joined us two weeks before a spring tour began.  Our old drummer decided to leave the band right before we got on a plane, and he basically learned our set in two practices.  crazy.

PRT: You are influenced by all the 90s Fat Wreck/Epitaph bands, a sound that you just don’t hear enough anymore if you ask me. Is that the kind of sound you grew up listening to?
Eric: It’s not obvious? Hahaha.  Yeah.  We all grew up listening to exactly that.
Fast tempos and melodic vocals

PRT: Your new album “Bruises” is your first release on Cyber Tracks, which is the label El Hefe and his wife started. How did you end up with them?
Eric: It was pretty basic.  We just sent them a demo of a few of the new songs out of the blue, and the rest is history

PRT: Kind of a cliché question… but what’s it like to be in the studio with Matt Allison and did he bring anything to the table that was lacking on previous albums?
Eric: Working with Matt was amazing. He pushed us to refine and perfect bits and pieces of each song, and helped us choose which songs to go with for the album track listing out of our demos.  It was definitely an experience we needed.

PRT: There is a movie called Counterpunch as well about a boxer fighting for another shot at the title. Which made me wonder who would be the last man standing in a deathmatch between you guys and NOFX. Any thoughts?
Eric: Um.  We would negotiate a peace accord over a case of whiskey and conquer the world together.  Everything goes better with whiskey.

PRT: There’s a line in the opening track of the new album that goes ‘I’m living in shades of grey’. Are you secretly a fan of 50 shades of grey and BDSM? And is that why the new album is called “Bruises”?
Eric: Yeah! We all wear gimp outfits on stage.  It’s kind of hard to sing like that, but we’re working on it.  I’m also thinking of getting my guitar custom fitted with a cat of nine tails on the headstock.  Actually, that song is about not fitting in to social norms and not caring about it because that’s who you are.

PRT: The new album seems a bit more varied in terms of tempo compared to your previous albums. Is that something that you set out to do or did it just happen?
Eric: It’s not something we set out to do, it just sort of happened as the songs were finished off one by one.  I think it’s awesome though.  I like a variety on an album because it keeps the listener (and myself)interested.

PRT: What is the rest of the year looking like for you guys? Touring, touring and then some more touring?
Eric: We have a few things lined up right now. Mexico, fest, and a run of dates in the US in October, and something in November I can’t really talk about yet.
you’ll know soon enough though :)

PRT: In the movie Almost Famous there is that one scene where the band is in a plane and they think they’re about to crash and so they come out with all the big confessions. If you were in that situation, what would you confess to your bandmates?
Eric: There’s honestly nothing I have to say, at least in a negative way.  We are like a family.  If there’s a problem, it gets discussed and quashed.
There’s no resentment or pent up feelings or anything like that.  We’re all bros.