Young Mountain is a six-piece alternative rock/post-rock band from Atlanta. The band was originally a solo project founded by Jason Mays (Slaves, Native Suns) to memorialize and cope with the loss of his father. It has since expanded into a group of friends leaning on one another and managing losses together through music. Young Mountain’s debut EP If You Leave will drop on July 17th.
Mays shares that “Young Mountain was such an important project to me right from the start. After my father passed away, I grieved the only way I knew how–through writing music. Before I knew it, I was sitting on a pile of material that I, not only, was proud of, but saw incredible potential to expand upon. When life puts a mountain in front of you, you can either let it stop you in your tracks, or you can climb it.”
All Punked Up got to sit down with Jason Mays to talk about Young Mountain, the upcoming record, and the band’s mission moving forward. Check out our conversation below!
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Young Mountain consists of Hance Alligood (Woe is Me & Favorite Weapon), Chris Lent (From First To Last & I Set My Friends On Fire), Michael Matejick (Of Machines & Native Suns), Matt Mulkey, and Jake Russell.
So, Young Mountain started as a way to memorialize your father and has now turned into something bigger. When did you realize this was more than just part of the grieving process for you?
JM: Umm, I guess after Michael, Matt, and I recorded our first song together. We did the day before I flew back home to be with my family. I really wanted my dad to be the first person to hear this new project. And he was, It was during the recording of that song when I saw how much heart and work went into it, I thought maybe we should do an EP.
“James Albert” is so emotional and captivating. How has music helped you cope with the loss of your father?
JM: I think music has helped as a form of therapy. Anytime I get sad or miss him, I can just pick up the guitar and channel that feeling into something. It doesn’t have to be a song, It could just be a riff or something. For me, It helps me express grief. In short, It just redirects my feelings into my art.
What can we expect from the rest of Young Mountain’s debut EP?
JM: The rest of the EP is actually a bit darker sounding, The first and last songs are the more post-rock influenced of the bunch. This EP is also very vocal-driven and the music is more textured than showy.
If you could describe the record in one word or phrase, how would you describe it and why?
JM: Cope. The reason why I think that word is important and best fits the EP is because it’s really just a journal of us coping and coming to terms with our own personal loss and mental health. Matt was going through some life stuff as well and for him, this record was a form of coping. It’s like we needed each other without knowing it.
What are some artists you look up to? What artists or albums influenced the creation of If You Leave?
JM: Honestly, the biggest influence for this project are my friends. In particular 2 bands come to mind: LIMBS and The Villa. I’m really, really, close to those dudes and they’re like my best friends. They were there and were always encouraging throughout the whole process. In terms of musical influences, that’s easy, This Will Destroy You, Daughter, Moving Mountains, Deftones, Caspian, Holy Fawn,
What are some goals you have for this EP? Where do you see Young Mountain going after this release?
JM: Some of the goals for this project is to be able to help out with different organizations like Black Lives Matters and others that deal with mental health. We’re not a political band per se, but we do feel like it’s important to use whatever platform we may have to bring awareness to a lot of the things/issues that we’re pretty adamant about. I think the main goal is just to get the EP out there, This has been 2 years in the making and I’ll be happy just when it’s out there and ideally, I’d like to have an EP out every year.
I think some of the plans for after the EP is working on our follow up EP and singles, maybe a few cover songs that we’ll release. Everybody really seems to be on the same page about a certain band we’d like to cover. So there’s that. Other than that, we’d love to play a few festivals next year. I know with everything going on and just being older, I don’t really see us touring as much, so getting onto festivals would be fun. But really, It just depends on the reaction to the EP and if there’s a demand for us to do those things.
Do you have any words of advice for someone coping with the loss of their parent?
JM: Honestly, the best advice I can give is some days will be a lot harder than others, but the most important thing to remember is to always have a solid support system. If it wasn’t for my friends and family being there for me It would’ve been far more difficult to process.
Is there anything else you want to say to your fans or All Punked Up readers?
JM: Honestly, It’s weird to think we even have fans. lol. But If there’s anything I can say it’s “Thank you!!!, thank you for reading this interview, thank you for supporting this band, thank you for listening to our music! Thank you for giving us the time of day! We truly appreciate it…also, check on your friends suffering from depression or other mental health issues…and as I’m doing this on what would’ve been Breonna Taylor’s birthday…I just to say that her murderers still haven’t been arrested. Thank you for your time!
Featured image courtesy of Garret Cardoso.
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