Fresh of the release of their new EP, Headfirst, we talk with Sub-Radio. The DC-based pop-rock band have gained recognition since their debut in 2016, steadily touring and playing live shows, while also continually releasing tracks during the 2017 year. The six-piece band, yes six, are hitting the road hard this summer so we caught up with them.
First of all congrats on the release of "Headfirst". How long did you guys work on this project?
Matt: Thanks! Headfirst, from start to finish, took about a year to complete. Back in 2017 we were releasing a single every month and during that time we wrote a group of songs that we thought had a different sound to anything else we had released. We decided to release an EP instead of continuing with the single-a-month campaign. We did this partially to give ourselves a break from the constant writing and recording that we had been doing to keep up with releasing music that often and partially because we really did feel that this EP was a new direction for us.
The influence on fashion carries over into your music. Did that develop recently or has that been a key component of the band?
Chinen: Fashion has been something that has developed more recently. I’d say we really started taking it more seriously about 2 years ago because we wanted to create an image for ourselves. We were sort of all over the place in the past with our image but now have become more cohesive as a group and you’ll generally catch most of us wearing floral-based shirts.
I think each project has its own vibe, its own story. What do you want your fans to take away from this EP?
Matt: I think we’d like fans to take an optimistic view on whatever they’re doing. There’s a lot of negativity in the world today and we wanted to make something that oozes positive vibes, floral prints and lots of dancing.
How did you guys develop Sub-Radio? I mean I can't find too many other acts from Sterling, VA. Who are you listening to right now? What are you guys enjoying?
Chinen: Sub-Radio developed over a longer period of time starting with the idea by Matt Prodanovich to start a band and then came into fruition as we all slowly came together through high school. A few of us were already close friends which resulted in great chemistry amongst the band members. I’ve recently been listening to a lot of Glass Animals and especially enjoy their songs “Gooey”, “Life Itself” and “Youth.” We all have similar tastes in music and love listening to groups like Walk The Moon, Smallpools, MisterWives & Two Door Cinema Club.
With summer shows approaching, what can your fans expect from the live show, especially with the new tracks?
Matt: They should expect some choreographed dancing and a high energy performance. We love to feed off of the energy of our fans in the crowd, so we want them to groove with us and in general just have a good time.
As a floral print shirt enthusiast myself I have to know, what's the prime spot for finding your apparel?
Chinen: There are lot of good places to shop. Etsy has some unique floral shirts that you can’t find anywhere else. You can also shop at stores like Forever 21, H&M and Zara.
Finally, What's the rest of 2018 looking like for Sub-Radio?
Matt: We’ll be playing a ton of shows in support of the new EP so keep your eyes on our tour dates and come on out to one if you can!
Be on the lookout for more new music and show announcements from Sub-Radio in the near future. For now, throw Heartbeat on your summer playlist and toss on a floral shirt with me.
Sub-Radio is:
Adam Bradley - Lead Vocals
Matthew Prodanovich - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Michael Pereira - Drums, Vocals
Mark Siford - Bass, Vocals
John Fengya - Guitar, Keyboards
Mike Chinen- Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
