Features

What's wrong with Wrong? This Miami-based band just released their debut full-length via Relapse. It's called "Wrong" and it's unsanely good. I mean, better wear a helmet while listening to this thing, 'cause these guys just crush it! So what's wrong with Wrong? Nothing! Am I right? Here's an email interview we did with guitarist/vocalist Eric Hernandez.

PRT: You just released your self-titled album a couple of days ago. What has the reception been like so far?

It's been humbling to say the least, haha.  We definitely appreciate the support we've gotten from our friends and peers lately; especially since we started out just wanting our own little rock band to play locally in Miami, and now we have a record out on Relapse, a bunch of touring, and people want to interview me and talk about my band, haha.  Things for the most part have been pretty positive and that's given us enough reason to go out there and play.  

PRT: Everything from the band name, the album art and the album being self-titled right to the rhythms and the riffs has this simplicity to it, yet at the same time it’s highly effective. Is all that intentional?

We kind of thought of it the same way.  We more or less discovered that playing one riff over and over can be way more intense than playing a bunch of notes really fast.  Then again, we like that, too, so really it's just a matter of what we think sounds good or what we vibe with.  We like the simple stuff as much as the intricate stuff, but a lot of times the simpler stuff you can latch onto more.  Then from there we like to pepper in the... intricacies, if you will. 

PRT: How did you end up with Relapse Records?

We did a tour with our friends Torche and Nothing, who both currently are on Relapse and they kind of put in a good word for us.  We met everyone at the show in Philadelphia, PA and they couldn't have been cooler.  They really liked our set and we got to hang out and had a great time.  That, and Nicky from Nothing said he'd set the building on fire if Relapse didn't sign us so that helped a little, too... (haha, no that didn't happen).

PRT: Most – if not all – of you played in Capsule before this. Why did you feel you needed to start this project under a new name, rather than continue with Capsule?

Capsule is definitely a separate entity.  And even though Capsule was kind of steering towards where WRONG might end up musically, we still plan to do Capsule in the future at some point.  As far as having most of Capsule in the band, it was simply a matter of having the the best musicians for the job.  And in my humble opinion, they are some of the best musicians I've ever played with.   

PRT: You get compared to Helmet and Unsane a lot. Are those the type of bands you grew up listening to?

Of course, among other bands.  We all grew up with diverse backgrounds musically.  Some of us studied music in college and some of us learned just playing out a lot.  Some learned both ways.  Personally, I've played in jazz bands, funk bands, orchestras, etc... But it's always the heavy stuff that we all really have in common.  And it's just funner to play.  

PRT: What is it about those bands that drew you in initially?

It's really the pure ferocity of those bands.  They didn't sound like anyone at the time and still don't.  With any great band I suppose there is the aura they exude that draws people in.  They were never overly technical or had any kind if discernible image, just dudes playing what they want to hear.  That's usually the perspective I strive to cultivate with any band I am a part of.  WRONG is no exception.  

PRT: You released a video for the song “Mucilage”, which plays into the fears of the Cold War and the nuclear panic that came with it. On a scale from 1 (a firecracker) to 10 (nuclear bomb), how destructive would you rate your songs?

To be honest, it's like an atomic bomb going off in my head every time we play.  Haha.  At I think that’s what it feels like.  

PRT: You also have a song called “Wrong”. Does that serve like a mission statement or does it just happen to have the same name as the band?

That song somewhat sums up what we do, both lyrically and musically, yeah.  It's one of the first songs written (before the Stop Giving EP) but the name for it came later.  We played it live a couple times, but that song is better off on the record.   Having this record come out it marks the end of that particular time for us, so that song will probably be the first to basically... never be played live again. Haha. That's just how it feels now.

PRT: You’ll be on tour next month with Nothing and Culture Abuse, a pretty diverse yet very impressive line-up. Here’s your chance to sell it… why should people come to one of the shows?

Oh, it’s going to be really fun, that's for sure. All the bands are great and are going to have new records out, so we'll all be fired up and ready to annihilate ourselves, which usually makes for good entertainment, right? 

PRT: What’s up next for you guys after that tour? Any plans to come over to Europe?

We actually go to Europe right after the US tour with Nothing. It's mostly Germany, Netherlands, Belgium with some Czech Republic and Eastern Europe.  No UK this time but we’ll be back for them for sure.