Merchandise prioritise: “If we’re not entertaining, it’s not worth a damn”

This time last year, all eyes were on Merchandise, a Tampa, Florida group who’d been together since 2008 and in some strange collision of events, were suddenly being hailed as the saviours of punk. DIY Weekly cover stars, magnets to label attention, these underground heavyweights were being exposed to a whole new world. They responded by playing the buzz gigs, touring for months and then deciding - like anyone else would - to become a completely different band.

New album ‘After the End’ - the group’s first on 4AD - is said to be a different chapter, with 2013 EP ‘Totale Nite’ being the final knockout blow for the old Merchandise. There’s reason for this - they’ve picked up new members (Chris Horn on sax, Elsner Niño on drums) and they’ve seemingly ditched the distorted howl of previous recordings.

“I don’t wanna repeat a lot of old motifs,” says frontman Carson Cox. “I don’t expect everyone to look at ‘After The End’ under a microscope. I think it’s for entertainment. I’m getting something from my art, but if we’re not entertaining, ultimately it’s not worth a damn. We can’t just say we’re artists and make something that says nothing. That’s the problem with most modern art; it says nothing and it’s literally all concepts that nobody cares about.”

Read the full interview in the August issue of DIY, out now. Merchandise’s new album ‘After The End’ will be released on 25th August via 4AD.