Interview The Bronx: Back To The Bones

“It doesn’t feel like five years, no way!” Matt Caughthran exclaims, his accent staunchly American. We’re sitting in the back of a rather infamous Kingston venue and it’s cold inside as well as out; a far cry from his native homeland of Los Angeles. Later on this evening, his band are going to turn the room upstairs into a living, breathing sweatbox, in true Bronx style, but it’ll be with an array of new songs half a decade in the making.

Whilst it’s true that The Bronx as an entity haven’t released an album since 2008, that doesn’t mean they stopped work altogether. In fact, they went into overdrive. As their roles in the hardcore punk band took a backseat, they switched things up and saw their rather ambitious mariachi side project (Mariachi El Bronx) release not one, but two records.
‘It feels really good to be The Bronx again.’
“You know, the Mariachi thing took on a life of its own and it was a really shocking and beautiful thing,” Caughthran ponders, “but that being said, five years is a really long time, and that’s why we’re so excited. Everyone’s really stoked on the record and it feels really good to be The Bronx again.”

Granted, it wasn’t as though they ever really stopped being that band; countless worldwide tours over the past few years saw them play under both guises, but it wasn’t until March 2011 that they really felt ready to go back to their heavier roots and produce album number four; they just hadn’t been inspired.

“Before the mariachi band, we felt like we’d hit a wall and you’re not supposed to hit walls. It was like, ‘Where do we go from here?’ So, we thought, ‘Let’s just go somewhere fucking else’. It was such a shock to the senses, a real shock to the brain. It was a reawakening. It was such a sweet feeling to be able to go back into that place of originality and creation and see something through from beginning to end. That breathed new life into The Bronx. It breathed new life into us.”



After playing a different part for so long though, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if it ever felt like walking on unsteady ground when returning to the band which was originally so celebrated. As an integral part of the modern punk scene, what if they had spent just a little too much time away from it?

“Everyone was just chomping at the bit, everyone was so excited. There was never any moment of hesitation, or moments of like, ‘I wonder if we can still be The Bronx.’ That’s just who we are. Music is an amazing thing that lets you act out on every emotion. The Bronx is our aggression, and that’s something that doesn’t die. Sometimes, it takes different shapes and forms but it’s something that’s inside all of us.

“This is one of the first records where we all went in feeling really excited. We had our worlds around us in order, so this was the first record that allowed us to completely focus on the record itself, and not things from the outside world; personal things, family things, money things, music fucking industry things. All of these other outside elements that can seep their way into your art.
‘The Bronx is our aggression, and that’s something that doesn’t die.’
“We had those ducks in a row before going into this record, so it was a time for us to simply make music. That was a great feeling because you’re rarely afforded that. Life is hectic and life is hard and you’re very rarely allowed a chance to simply focus on one thing you’re creating, and it was shocking that it happened, but it was a blessing.”

At the core of ‘IV’ burns the same fire that pushed these five Californians to become one of the few universally respected heavy talents, but, this time around, it feels a little more refined. Their anger is just as evident and exciting, but their stance is a little more considered. Most importantly though, it’s still as honest as ever.

“It still feels connected, it still feels true and it still feels creative. It still feels like self-expression and it still fills a hole, which is what it should always be.”

The Bronx’ new album ‘The Bronx (IV)’ will be released on 4th February via ATO Records.

Taken from the February 2013 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.