Victory Kid is a pop-punk band from Los Angeles with some ska and politically induced tracks. I got the chance to talk to them about inspirations, lyrical content and show. Check it out now!
Your newest single, “My World” is a catchy track with a fun video. You said to idobi, the game in the video is something played at your parties, what other inspirations from your personal lives do you incorporate into your music?
Most, but not all, of the songs on the record are very personal and draw from life experiences. We’re heavily influenced by surf culture, other bands and artists, movies… anything in our personal lives can be something that we shine a light on and look at with music. A big inspiration to the style is how we interact with each other. Being close friends as a band means that you can take that feeling of being with them and collecting awesome experiences and feed it to the music. Hopefully you can hear it, that’s the goal!
“Tuck Frump” is a lyrically powerful song. With listeners interpreting songs all different ways, what’s something you hope a new fan will take away from that track?
The song’s takeaway is really about hope. We have strong opinions about how we got to the situation we’re in politically, and everyone has different ideas, but the message is that our politics need to start with our citizens and work towards a solution that is best for them. Instead of working towards finding solutions to problems, our legislators have been trying to “win” bills for their voter base AND their lobbyists, instead of just the people they are representing. We think by having a well educated nation we can find the root of problems and work to solve them instead of thinking about issues with the lens of republican or democrat bias. We are proud of the high schoolers from Parkland and encourage people to make their voices heard, and to think carefully about their beliefs and values. So, yea, all of that and that energy you feel when you listen to a badass punk song!
With Illenials dropping on May 11, what is something you’re proud of on this record?
Pretty much everything about it. We are so stoked with the performances, parts, and production of this record. Finding Allan Hessler (our co-producer) was such a huge game changer, and every person that worked on that record rose to the task and made it as incredible as it could be. We’re excited about developing more of a skate punk sound, since the first half of the record will be more in that style, and a great place to jump from moving forward! We’re so happy with the responses we’re getting, people have been incredibly supportive and that’s the best way to start a following!
Your songs have a Ska meets Punk feel to them, what influences you to create such a unique sound?
California has produced some great rock music and culture, and we are lucky enough to be influenced by such amazing bands like Sublime, Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goldfinger, etc. that captured different aspects of California music. Harrison and Nathan grew up in California and have lived here most of their lives, and Carlo was all over those same bands growing up in Switzerland, so the similar cultures have a huge impact on our identity as a band.
You’ve played some smaller shows, what was your favorite venue to play so far?
I don’t think there’s one venue that’s our particular favorite, we’ve had different experiences different nights. Two shows that stand out would have to be one at O’Briens, where we raged in a packed back room with some incredibly rowdy Venice Beach locals until the neighbors called the cops (that happens a lot) and a house party at our buddy Ryan’s house near UCSB, where a similar situation happened but with more destruction and prettier people!
Which song gets the best crowd reaction?
Really depends on the crowd. When we play with punk and more hardcore bands, they gravitate towards Clownin’, Adrenaline, and Tuck Frump, but if we’re playing with alternative or other ska and reggae bands it’s definitely My World, Stepping Out, and Clownin’. Clownin’ was a song that we were so excited about, we went back into the studio to record it, along with Tuck Frump, after all the other songs on the record were already in the can. It’s the most unique (in our opinion) in the blend of styles and content, and we’re really excited to move more in that direction.
Who would you want to tour with you if you could choose any band?
That’s harder than asking what our favorite movie is… Reel Big Fish would be incredible, since they are such huge influencers for ska and it would be fun to tour with Matt who recorded all of our horns and absolutely killed it. Knuckle Puck is a band that was in the studio the same time as us, and they are one of the sickest newer bands out there right now, along with Neck Deep. Any of those bands and of course the other bands we talked about would be insane! Plus we’re opening for Alien Ant Farm on 3/9 at Whisky A Go Go, so if they’re feeling it we’d be honored to hit the road with those guys too, they’re so talented! Sorry, it’s a long list but that’s an impossible question!
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