After nearly a decade full of changes―band lineup, management, name, label―and ambitious struggles to break through, The Snips needed to decide who they were and who they wanted to be. Treading water and dealing with things as they came up, the band needed to restart and begin building from the ground up―to become masters of their own fate―and, according to singer Ricky Pridmore, as soon as that decision was made, things started to line up in pretty short order. “It's funny, you know, because we've always had fun and always put a lot of work into this band, but all the work we've ever done before hasn't made it work as well as The Snips do now,” says the singer with a smirk that it's actually possible to hear on a telephone.
“We went through a lot of changes as far as what we were doing as a band and management and all that kind of shit," says the singer as he summarizes the events which happened around the band over the last couple of years, "and, when all that finally worked its way through, it just felt good to be able to do whatever we wanted and that's exactly what we started doing. We left the horns we used to think were essential to the band at home – they only really came back for one song on this record and not like they did before – and started just writing and not holding back or trying to contain anything in one genre or another so much as just connecting the music with an emotion, no matter which emotion it was. We let that guide us; there were moments when we all agreed that, 'Well, this riff really feels like it should have a slow, sludgy rhythm,' so that's where we'd go to make it work. That was the whole philosophy behind the writing of the album and that's when things really got cooking with the record; we got into the studio, recorded Highs Of Low and got it out there as quick as we could.”
While it may have been recorded quickly, there's no way to deny that Highs Of Low captures a perfect moment in The Snips' development as they come into their own and really stake their position in punk rock. Heads will turn with the force of an involuntary reflex as “Meeting Place” tensely opens the album with some nerve-wracking rhythm guitar before shoving the record off into a perfect pop punk paradise. Pridmore's melody is instantly memorable and will get listeners' attention easily while drummer Brent Fuller's beats cut a path through their consciousness like a hot knife through butter. This lets guitarists Chris Accursi and Tony Ventresca and bassist Mat Breton come in and win new fans while appeasing those old ones who still remember The Snips from their earliest beginnings as “a hardcore band with horns.” Unlike on their last EP [Blackouts – The Snips' first release to feature Pridmore on vocals –ed], there is no balancing act of appealing to their old fan base and sort of only going halfway with a new sound to make sure they don't alienate old fans. This time around, The Snips just bravely go for broke, doing what they want and if old fans don't like it, they're invited to leave.
Some listeners would call this bold 'take it or leave it' stance brave, others would call it stupid―but, in listening, there's no question that it works. After “Meeting Place,” listeners are confronted with a set of nine more solid punk tracks which don't always mine the same style as that first one, but the assembled songs all work together to present an excellent, complete work―rather than a series of variations on a theme. “The Better Part Of Never”offers a heartfelt alt-country ballad, while “Dirty Water” dusts off the kind of punk that Less Than Jake won fans with while signed to Fat Wreck over a decade ago. Later in the run-time, “Microscope” shoots out sparks of genuine genius as the edges fray between pop punk and aggressive melodic hardcore. Combined, the record proves to be (unexpectedly) the first mature work for The Snips; with it, the band proves that they just needed to season―and now that they have, they're ready to impress.
Saying that is one thing, but the astounding bit proves to be the fact that the album has already started to get picked up with little promotion other than word of mouth, according to Pridmore. “I know I'm supposed to say that response has been 'really good so far' or 'surprisingly good' no matter what [laughing], but the truth is that it really has been well-received,” beams the singer. “In fact, we've really been surprised at how positive everyone has been. I mean, granted, you have to take it with a grain of salt because people who think the record's shit aren't going to talk about it, but our peers have told us, other bands have told us and fans have told us that they're all loving this record. I figured we'd get a middle-of-the-road response, but it has been really, really positive. The thing which has really surprised me is that everyone seems to like a different song; that's really positive, in my eyes, because it means there isn't just one standout song, there's a bunch.
“Not only that, but the fact that people are actually paying to download it surprised the shit out of me,” exclaims the singer with a laugh. “I mean, We got CDs and vinyl pressed this time, but we've found that we're doing really well with digital downloads too. That the digital side is doing as well as it is has been a bit of a surprise because we give everybody the option to buy it digitally and pay what they want, take it for free or buy a physical copy, and a lot of people have actually been paying for the digital download. We figured a free download was a good way to get the music out there and get people listening to it and then maybe a few people would buy it if they liked what they heard, but they're actually paying for the downloads! There have been lots of people who have paid a buck or three bucks of course but, the other day, somebody bought the digital download of our album from us for fifty bucks! Like what the fuck?! I was totally in shock from that. He must have just been trying to help us out or something, but it was pretty cool. Stuff like that is the shit that tells me we're doing something right and there are people out there who really appreciate it.”
With the proof in hand that people are listening and liking what they're doing, some bands would take that as a sign that they should try to get off the 'independent, self-released' level and start trying to shop their music around to get a record label behind them, but Pridmore is pretty plainspoken when it comes to expressing his disinterest in any such ambition. “You know, we were on a label before [when they were still known as The Ceremonial Snips, the band released Check Your Audio on Warner-distributed 2112 Records in 2007 –ed] and that was fine for then – but I don't think we're going to try shopping for a label again.”
“If you want to know the truth, at this point, I find shopping to be kind of pointless. I say that not just for ourselves, but for lots of bands. I feel like if somebody wants to work with you but you have to bring it to their attention, that means they didn't already notice what you were doing on their own.”
“Don't get me wrong, you could get lucky and someone will fall on you by accident but, in my mind, the best way to do something is to do it on your own, do it on your own terms and, if someone sees that and wants to join you on that venture, so be it. If they don't, you're still doing it your way, and that's just as fulfilling as it was before. I'm not saying this is absolutely going to be the case―there might be some exception which changes our mind―but that's where our heads are right now.”
As for the future?
“We're going out to do a short tour around Ontario and Quebec before Christmas, but planning to do some more recording early in the new year,” says Pridmore. “We're going to do an EP probably, but possibly another full-length album that we want to have out next year. I think we're going to self-release again, like we did with Highs Of Low. We've got our own little record label now [Rival Party Records –ed], so why wouldn't we use it [laughing]? Anyway, no matter whether we have enough material to fill an EP or a full-length, we'll be hitting the studio and demoing and recording more stuff, and then we're touring more through March, April and May. That's the plan.”
Artist:
www.thesnips.com/
www.facebook.com/thesnipsmusic
www.twitter.com/thesnips
Tour:
The Snips are on tour right now. Click here for a list of upcoming shows.
Album:
Highs Of Low is out now. Buy a physical copy of the record here – directly from the band – or download the pay-what-you-want digital edition of the album here .
