Q&A: Neutral Snap on “Danny ACOG,” New Nostalgia, and the Grind of Pop Punk Glory
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
NEUTRAL SNAP IS THE KIND OF BAND THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO BELIEVE IN POP PUNK ALL OVER AGAIN. Hailing from New Orleans, the four-piece has built a grassroots following by mixing the genre’s best throwback elements - punchy riffs, singalong hooks, raw emotion - with an infectious energy that feels totally their own. Imagine a 2005 Gusher’s commercial, but louder and with way more heart. That energy is front and center in their latest single “Danny ACOG,” a sugar-coated missile of a track that captures the rush of unrequited lust, angst, and the kind of youthful optimism that refuses to die out, no matter how many heartbreaks or hangovers you live through.
Co-written with A Day to Remember’s Tom Denney, “Danny ACOG” marks a new era for Neutral Snap - one defined by collaboration, storytelling and their most polished production to date. The track is part of the band’s upcoming EP I Hardly Know Her, which also features songwriting input from scene heavyweights Fred Mascherino (Taking Back Sunday, The Color Fred) and Rob Freeman (Hidden in Plain View). And while the sound is undeniably cleaner and tighter, the heart of Neutral Snap remains intact, all emotion, no pretense, and 100% commitment to the grind.
We caught up with the band to talk about the fast-and-furious origin of “Danny ACOG,” what it was like writing with their heroes, and the unexpected storyline behind their new music video.
LUNA: What’s the story behind “Danny ACOG” and how did the idea first come together?
NEUTRAL SNAP: Danny ACOG is one of those songs that just fell right into place. The entire song was completed within basically one day and we had great vibes the entire time.
LUNA: What was it like co-writing with Tom Denney, and how did that shape the track?
NEUTRAL SNAP: Tom Denney is one of the nicest human beings on the planet! We had a blast hanging out with him in his home studio. He was really receptive to each of our contributions to the song and helped coach us to find the best movements for the song.
LUNA: The song captures both angst and youthful optimism. How do you find that balance in your writing?
NEUTRAL SNAP: When writing the first two albums, I sometimes found myself cycling through the same dreary emotions. I think when we got around to writing this one I was in a much healthier place and was allowed to like not lose myself in the angst if that makes sense. I think in order to keep your sense of youthful optimism, you gotta get yourself through a good bit of angst! I think that theme of getting through angst is prevalent in this song and ep!
LUNA: How has being based in New Orleans influenced your sound or approach to pop punk?
NEUTRAL SNAP: Being from New Orleans has influenced us not so much in a punk-specific way, but more in our energy and musicianship. We are part of such a diverse and vibrant music culture and we see unbelievably talented musicians playing on every corner in the city. We pride ourselves on being masters of our craft and putting all of our energy into the music we play.
LUNA: You’ve worked with heavy hitters like Fred Mascherino and Rob Freeman. What did you take away from those collaborations?
NEUTRAL SNAP: I think the biggest takeaway we had from these collaborations are that these people got famous for a reason - they are extraordinarily talented. It was a really cool experience to see first hand how they work and how they were able to use their knowledge to coach us into creating something that we are so proud of.
LUNA: What was different about the creative process for the I Hardly Know Her EP compared to your earlier work?
NEUTRAL SNAP: Definitely all of the co-writing that we did with this music. For nearly all of our previous work, it has just been us in house writing these songs and getting them to the point where we were happy with them. Having worked with other people and taken their creative inputs, it feels like our music has been upgraded to something we may not have been able to achieve on our own.
LUNA: Who have you been listening to lately?
NEUTRAL SNAP: I’ve personally had Macseal’s album Permanent Repeat on permanent repeat lately (pun intended). The vibes are immaculate and they are all so talented. Other than that, I’ve also had the album Gusher by Just Friends in my rotation lately, talk about ~groovy~.
LUNA: How does it feel hitting nearly 5 million streams?
NEUTRAL SNAP: Hitting 5 million streams is actually so crazy. When we started playing music, we never imagined that we would be able to get any kind of numbers even close to what we have. We are so thankful for all of our fans who have been listening over the years.
LUNA: What’s one moment from the “Danny ACOG” video shoot that fans wouldn’t expect?
NEUTRAL SNAP: I think the whole sub story of gramps watching all of our live footage and him remembering how he used to play in a band back in the day (a Doo-Wop band from the 50’s, how cool is that?!). We really let our video editor (shoutout Mackenzie Andrews and Fred’s in Baton Rouge, LA!) flex her creative muscles and she crushed it with a storyline promoting feelings of nostalgia and time passing.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for this summer?
NEUTRAL SNAP: We are going to be working our asses off promoting all of our new music as well as filming more video content for the masses. As well as playing some shows here and there as well as booking shows for the future! The grind never ends.
