Alright, so we know that international rock bands love playing Australia – we know that the hype is real and acts always mention how excited they are to play here – so why is The Menzingers’ enthusiasm any different?
Well for one thing, the Philadelphia punk rockers have been on the scene for quite some time: 11 years to be exact, establishing themselves as clever songwriters with fist-pumping numbers. It comes as some surprise that up until now, they’ve only ever be been booked for supporting slots or festival appearances on our shores. However, The Menzingers are now embarking on their first headlining tour Down Under.
“We’re just really excited to come down and play shows,” says singer/guitarist Greg Barnett. “It’s an honour for us, it’s one of those things we don’t get to do too often. I’m excited to hang out in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – they’re three of our favourite cities and the whole trip will be a very welcome release from winter!”
The Melbourne show has already sold out, but this comes as news to Barnett. “It’s really so exciting,” he says. “I had no idea. We have been to Australia a couple of times on two support tours, Soundwave and now our own headline tour – man, it’s a cool experience for us to be in a punk club and do what we do best.”
Since their formation as teenagers in 2006, touring has played an important role for The Menzingers. They’ve grown up with it, and their shows in the US, Europe and Australia in support of each of their first four albums were always well-received. Barnett himself retains the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a younger artist, and his thoughts on touring and promoting are infectious.
“It’s like an addiction,” he says. “It’s my life, our life’s work, and we’re constantly trying to work to protect that, to sustain or push it to the next level. We’ve never been a band to compromise to get places faster. We started in our parents’ basement and created this thing organically. The travel does get stressful, but anybody in any career path can talk about stress and overworking – but at the end of the day it’s what we love to do.”
Without such a positive attitude towards their music, The Menzingers would perhaps not have achieved quite so much. Last year saw them working for six months straight on the production of their upcoming album, After The Party, set for release this week on the eve of their Australian tour. After that, they’ll travel back to the US and on to Europe, with headline shows booked in the UK.
“It was the most time we’ve ever dedicated to writing a record,” Barnett explains, and that long gestation period inspired some significant differences between After The Party and its predecessors. “It’s such a natural development from things we’ve done in the past,” he says. “It’s our most realised version of songwriting, and this is us at our best capacity of doing that.”
After The Party follows a clear storyline, conveying to its listeners the message that even though real life comes on so quickly, that doesn’t mean the party has to stop. Opening track ‘Tellin’ Lies’, with its chanted refrain, “Where are we gonna go when our 20s are over?”, establishes a narrative that long-term fans will especially relate to. The record is designed to be reminiscent yet edgy, offering a middle finger in the face of maturity while acting as both an accolade to youth and a permission slip to the maturing rocker to continue being young at heart.
“What I love is the biggest focus on [the album] was the storytelling aspect of it,” Barnett says. “Telling intimate personal stories of the shit in our lives – it’s almost like a statement of our lives. I think mostly what we’re drawing on is reaching the crossroads of getting to 30, spending an entire decade travelling and touring, constantly being away from family and friends, giving up a lot of personal things for the greater good of the band – for us, it’s not negative, it’s a celebration.
“We get to tell the rest of the world, ‘Fuck you, we got to live this way – and you know what? It’s the coolest thing in the world!’”
After The Party is out Friday February 3 through Epitaph; and The Menzingers playOxford Art FactorySunday February 12 withOslow in support.
