In a world where genre-blending is often the rule rather than the exception, BLVDS has carved out a distinct sound that uniquely fuses retro synthwave vibes with modern rock sensibilities. Their latest single ‘Two Sides’ is a bold leap forward, blending influences from metal, indie, and electronic to create something that pushes the boundaries of their musical evolution. As part of the release, we sat down with the duo to explore their creative process, the inspiration behind ‘Two Sides’ and the challenges they face balancing the art with the business side of music. In this exclusive interview for Urbanista Magazine, BLVDS gives us an inside look at how they craft their signature sound, stay fresh in a fast-paced industry, and continue to evolve without losing the essence of who they are.
Walk us through your creative process. How does a song typically come to life for you, from the first idea to the final recording.
The creative process always starts with one of us in the studio plinking around on a piano or a guitar. We are firm believers that if it sounds good on a single instrument then it will sound good produced so we start there. We typically formulate ideas apart from each other and then try and get together to write lyrics and vocal melodies in the same room. Once we have all the parts down we record the final takes in our own separate studios and send the mix off to our mix engineer and he takes care of the rest.
Can you share any unique or unconventional methods you use when creating or producing music? How do you keep things fresh?
One thing we do that is very uncharacteristic of bands is we write the music for songs apart from each other. Not together. We have found that we have our best ideas when there is no time crunch and your not waiting on the other person to come up with ideas.
As a band, who are your musical heroes?
The answer to this varies for each of us being that we came from seemingly opposite musical backgrounds. I come from a metalcore and emo background so bands that shaped me were: Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Anberlin, and My Chemical Romance. Jake comes from an indie, folk, alt background so he was in love with: MGMT, Tame Impala, and The Black Keys.
And how would you describe your music to a person who had never heard of you before?
Our music is equally nostalgic and modern. You will always hear that 80s driven synthwave vibe but with modern musical production and sounds. We typically say if “The Midnight”, “The Weekend” and “The Chainsmokers” all got in a room together and wrote a song you would get BLVDS. Then occasionally throw in a metal or emo riff.
You recently released your new single ‘Two Sides’ – what can you tell us about it?
Two Sides was definitely a leap from what we have done in the past. But that’s why we enjoy being an independent band. We can experiment and do things that are out of the box. The song was written for quite some time before it was eventually released but it didn’t fall into what we were trying to do at the time so we sat on it. After our first album cycle we wanted to come out of the gates swinging with something that was not like anything people had heard so we asked the heavy metal band Righteous Vendetta to feature on the song and it came together perfectly. It’s a perfect blend of modern metal/rock and the vintage sound of BLVDS.
What’s the biggest challenge you face when balancing the creative side of music with the demands of the business?
The hardest part is staying up content and marketing while also churning out songs every 5-6 weeks. We produce and mix all our own music so it can become very very busy. But we love that aspect and the challenge it poses.
As a musician, what’s one thing you wish more people understood about the music industry or the process of making music?
I wish people understood the amount of time artists put into everything they do. It is a 24/7 job. If you aren’t writing and recording you are spending all your time making content and posting it all while creatively trying to make that content interesting and engaging. Not only that, but our band plays live and that is entirely another thing that takes up hours and hours perfecting. All in all I wish people were a little more understanding that the pressure of putting out good music is HARD and not everything is going to be the best thing ever and watching the artist grow from day one is a privilege.
And what do you hope people take from your music?
We hope people can get a glimpse into our souls and emotions. Our songs are a reflection of how we feel or how we have felt in the past. It is very real for us and we want people to relate to those feelings and know they are not alone in having them.
What can we expect from BLVDS in the future?
Lots and lots of music. We are working on getting on the road a little more but that takes time and demand so as we work on new music and hone our craft you can expect to see us live hopefully in the next year.
And finally, do you have a message for our readers?
Thank you to anyone who does listen to the music and thank you for caring. There are millions and millions of song you can listen to and if it’s ours, we are eternally grateful!
