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- The lyrics on Berkeley’s On Fire, the album, stick with you, whether it’s the deftness of Trashbag Baby (‘The words cut through her lips like a Japanese knife’) or the provocation of Hellboy (‘Charlie Manson is alright / He ain’t no worse than all the violence you say Jesus like’). Perhaps the finest example comes during Lose Lose Lose, a cluster bomb of styles and unquestionably the most danceable track of the year to feature the words: ‘2019 is a fuckin’ disaster / Dear Vladimir Putin stop fuckin’ up my shit coz I know I can fuck it up faster.’
- Got through multiple snare drums after his initial offerings were nixed by the producer for sounding “too pop” and “too rock”.
- onvergence of diverse sounds and unusual arrangements
- “The more you can feel, the better you’re going to be as a person. And only when you feel like a better person can you help with bringing about real change. That’s what music does.”
- Album inspired by a riot in 2017.
- The song "Lose, Lose Lose" as being "Mentos in Diet Coke levels of explosive."

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"It might be someone having to do homework, or taking out the trash," says Max, returning to his point. "They're the problems right in front of us at that time."

In America right now, the rise of nationalism is sadly becoming one of the most pressing everyday concerns, but Cole says that's countered by a pervading sense of shame among those who have to bear witness to it.

"A lot of people are weirdly ashamed to be American right now, which is disheartening," says Cole. "It makes it so hard for people to look forward."

"It's not limited to America though," adds Max, constructively rather than defensively. "You go to Poland and they're saying, 'Oh man - our government!' and then you come [to the UK] and it's, 'Oh man - Brexit!' The thing they can all relate to is the problem of nationalism."

"The older I get the more responsible I feel," says Joey. "And what I can do is be accepting of other cultures and learn about them - we all have a responsibility to do that."

"And just to be kind at the baseline of it," smiles Cole. "There's so much unkindness in the world, especially in America. You can either say, 'Fuck it, I'm moving to Canada', or you can say, 'How do we make it so we can try and enforce some positive change?' We're not going to give up."

It's fair to say SWMRS fans aren't your average rock devotees. Only this week, Cole tells us, one got in touch to vent about kids in his hometown not knowing who Nancy Pelosi is. And while it's odd that someone be ostracised for being able to identify the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the story illustrates just how different SWMRS' listeners are.

It's a relationship between band and audience that's more mutually beneficial than most. In December, Max showed his appreciation for the passionate, communicative support they receive by telling his 39,500 Twitter followers he's jealous of SWMRS for their fans, despite being in SWMRS. In return, those beloved fans look to the band for support in everyday lives that may be testing, for guidance in what their heroes say as much as what they play.

"This is how fucked-up parts of America are," explains Cole. "Us, a group of straight white dudes, have become the queer icons for those kids who don't have access to gay culture. These kids see us supporting the LGBTQ community and say, 'Fuck it - I'm going to come out to my dad now.' We're trying to make a space for them to feel accepted. That's what music does."

The question of just what SWMRS' music sounds like was one Berkeley's On Fire had to provide a definitive answer to. This seems particularly important to Joey, who explains he'd grown weary of "stagnant" pop and the underground's preoccupation with nostalgia - as well as assumptions about what he should be doing, based on his parentage.

"It's something I've grown up with," he explains. "You're expected to do certain things, know certain things, and play certain things. Am I supposed to wear all black and listen to emo? Fuck you - I don't do that! My entire life I've thought, 'How do I do something different?'"

Max agrees. He and his bandmates can only cite two bands, Blur and The Clash, other than their own that they can all agree on. The four men's musical educations have been entirely different; Cole proudly rocks a Missy Elliott T-shirt today, while Max fondly recalls performing in Les Misérables at high school.

"None of us are the same at all, so why make music that's in one box when we represent four completely different worlds?" says Max, grandly. "So why not create our own borderless box?"

"If you're putting up walls to block out sound then you're being obtuse," is Cole's take.

Thankfully Rich Costey was on hand to assist with the demolition work. Mr Armstrong senior had produced the band's two albums as Emily's Army, while Drive North saw FIDLAR singer-guitarist Zac Carper help them realise their change of course. This time around, however, it was decided a more experienced head was needed to assist SWMRS in realising their place in the musical landscape.

During the band's search, the four gauged the success of meetings with prospective producers on how quickly the time passed. Most encounters, they admit, felt as long as they were, if not longer, so were no-goes. Then came Rich, a man they describe as "a demigod" and "Wikipedia for music and sounds", who questioned the band about what made the music they love special. Only later did the boys register the breezy exchange had lasted four hours. They knew then they'd found their man - and a tough one at that. Rich's honesty sometimes resulted in reactions to the band's efforts ranging from, "Well that sucked", to, worse, complete silence, but his dogged aversion to recreating anything that's come before proved an effective filter for them.

"He was the final piece of the puzzle," says Joey, who reveals he got through multiple snare drums after his initial offerings were nixed by the producer for sounding "too pop" and "too rock".

"We were all over the place," says Max of those initial efforts. "We had all the different pieces, but Rich helped us put them together."

"This is exactly what we wanted it to be," says Max of Berkeley's On Fire's convergence of diverse sounds, unusual arrangements and observations big and small. "Whatever other bands want to do is cool, but this is what we're doing. You can go play a dad show."

This comment, joke though it is, does raise an important final question. If SWMRS are trying to speak for, with and to factions of young people without a voice around the world, does this mean that, for all their restless ambition, they aren't trying to get to everyone? Does this politically conscious band think some minds can't be reached?

"We'll certainly always try," promises Cole.

"Identifying your fan base is one of the most important things you can do," suggests Joey. "If you come to one of our shows, you'll see 12 to 25-year-old people, and that's the coolest thing."

"I hold a couple of bands really dear to my heart as a fan from when I was between the ages of 15 and 22," Max says. "Those are the years when you change so much as a person. I want to be that band for people, because that band will stick with you in a special way for the rest of your life."

And while that's looking far ahead, on a more short-term basis there's the everyday good SWMRS can bring to a world facing an uncertain future.

"Music is everything, and it makes you feel," beams Cole. "The more you can feel, the better you're going to be as a person. And only when you feel like a better person can you help with bringing about real change. That's what music does."
Berkeley's On Fire is out now via Fueled By Ramen. SWMRS play Reading & Leeds in August.

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SWMRS Talk Positivity, Politics, and Being The Voice Of A Generation

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"It might be someone having to do homework, or taking out the trash," says Max, returning to his point. "They're the problems right in front of us at that time." In America right now, the rise of nationalism is sadly becoming one of the most pressing everyday concerns, but Cole says that's countered by a pervading sense of shame among those who have to bear witness to it.

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-  Mics: ics, [Sennheiser] 421s on the toms and a Shure 546 on the snare.” An AKG D12 captured the kick. “It sounds super punchy,”. “We changed the overheads out a lot on this record to get different sounds for different types of songs. For the fast songs, we used [Telefunken] 251s. For the rock songs, we used Coles 4038s. And for the heavy rock songs, like the song ‘45,’ it was [Neumann] U67s. “I use a Sony C-37A for heavy guitars."
- Signed up to watch tutorials on Mix with the Masters and pureMix.net.

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Los Angeles, CA-You might imagine that, as frontman, principal songwriter and sole original member of Sum 41, Deryck Whibley would have better things to do than get into the weeds regarding the creation of the band's latest album, Order in Decline. But as the producer, engineer and-for the first time-mixer of the project, which was recorded largely at his home studio in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, he is more than happy to talk shop.

"I'm a nerd, man," he says. "And all us gear nerds do is talk about recording and gear."

During a 23-year career, Whibley and Sum 41 have worked with some of the best record-makers in the business. Not all musicians take an interest in the technical side, but Whibley was all ears from the get-go. "I've learned from everybody we've worked with," he says, reeling off a list that includes Chris and Tom Lord-Alge, Ryan Hewitt, Jack Joseph Puig, Andy Wallace and the late Jerry Finn.

Sum 41 tours a lot. In the summer of 2018, the band came off a three-year jaunt promoting 2016's 13 Voices ready for album number seven. While on the road, Whibley records demos on his laptop through a Universal Audio (UA) Apollo interface. Those tracks frequently make it to the final mix. Stepping off the tour bus, "I suddenly realized we had a bunch of stuff done," he says, and it only took a few weeks to finish up the writing.

Whibley has been recording since age 16 in Toronto, when a friend of his band's manager gave him some Sennheiser 421s, a couple of Neumann KM 184s and a 4-track machine. "I started recording all the bands around town," he says, including two separate bands featuring Sum 41's current guitarist, Dave Brownsound (Dave Baksh), and bass player Cone (Jason McCaslin). "I stole them and put them in my band," he laughs. "That's how Sum 41 was started."

He's been collecting gear ever since, piece by piece. "I've got 16 or 18 channels of Neve. I've got Telefunken V76, Helios, API and Chandler Abbey Road mic pres. I got Electrodynes halfway through this recording," he says, after Ryan Hewitt recommended them. "He wasn't wrong. They're awesome."

Studio Showcase: Fig, Spreng Bring a New Day to Dave's Room, by Steve Harvey, Feb. 25, 2019

Whibley's home facility, Studio Mr. Biz, has long housed his workstation and racks of outboard, but in the middle of making the new album, he learned that an SSL 4056 G+ desk was available. "I'd been looking for a couple of years and somebody I knew, producer David Bendeth, was getting rid of it. It was exactly the one I was looking for."

It was the final piece of the Mr. Biz jigsaw puzzle. Like an area rug, "It ties the room together," he says. The Desk Doctor-Bruce Millett-installed and recommissioned the console and is maintaining it.

Frank Zummo's drums were tracked at EastWest, the band's home away from home since 2002's Jerry Finn-produced debut album, All Killer No Filler. "I can do drums at home if I want, but I really love going to EastWest. We did all the drums this time to tape and back into Pro Tools. Everything else was done in Pro Tools."

Having played extensively with gear at his home, Whibley says he knows exactly what he wants to use when he records elsewhere. "I love [Neumann] M50s; there aren't any other drum room mics that I love more. On the close mics, it's [Sennheiser] 421s on the toms and a Shure 546 on the snare." An AKG D12 captured the kick. "It sounds super punchy," he says. The D12 was supplemented by a Shure Beta 52 and a Yamaha NS-10.

In Search of the Perfect Signal Chain, by Steve Harvey, Jan. 29, 2019

"We changed the overheads out a lot on this record to get different sounds for different types of songs. For the fast songs, we used [Telefunken] 251s. For the rock songs, we used Coles 4038s. And for the heavy rock songs, like the song '45,' it was [Neumann] U67s. A good overall drum sound comes from the overheads, for me."

At home for the overdubs, he continues, "I sing through a [Neumann] U47; that's always been my vocal mic. Usually it would be a U47, [Neve] 1073 and an [UA] 1176, but this time I added a Neve 32264 on the front, then an 1176 'blue stripe' right after it. Sometimes I would take the Neve out and just go with an LA3-A into the blue stripe. I also had a Pultec to boost a little 100 [Hz] and a little top, but it was always minimal amounts on the Neve and the Pultec."

As for guitars, he continues, "I use a Sony C-37A for heavy guitars. That was a trick I learned from Doug McKean, a great engineer. He came in and did the drums with me on this record."

Whibley had plenty of time to experiment at his home. He signed up to watch tutorials on Mix with the Masters and pureMix.net. "Those were really helpful. I would pick a song of my own and try mixing it seven different ways. I found that it always ended up the same. That's when I realized that it doesn't matter what you do, it's your own ear that's going to take you where you want to go, for better or for worse."

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He assumed the album would eventually be mixed by a professional. "I was just doing what I was doing, printing everything as I wanted it to sound. By the end of it, I had to play stuff for management and the label. They wanted to hear what I'd been doing, because it had been three months. I made some rough mixes, and everyone came to hear it. They said, 'Who mixed it?' I told them, 'I didn't mix it. These are my roughs.' They said, 'This album is done! What are you talking about?' A week later, Ted Jensen fit me in and it was mastered."

Considering Whibley's workflow, it makes sense. "When guitars went down, they came up on the SSL and went to Pro Tools fully EQ'ed and everything. I'd never felt confident enough to dive into compressing and EQ'ing that hard on the finished product going down to 'tape' as much as I did on this record. I really committed from the beginning-I was nervous while I was doing it, but when are you ever going to learn?" he says.

"Everything I did on this record, I wanted it to sound like it was mixed going down. There wasn't much to do on the back end-so the way I mixed this album was by not mixing this album."

Sum 41 * www.sum41.com

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Sum 41's Whibley Gets His Album in 'Order'

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By Steve Harvey. You might imagine that, as frontman, principal songwriter and sole original member of Sum 41, Deryck Whibley would have better things to do than get into the weeds regarding the creation of the band's latest album. But as the producer, engineer and mixer of the project, he is more than happy to talk shop.

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- Lyrics: writes to make sense of past traumas. "I'll walk around my yard or my house and just play some melodies on the guitar, and then the vocal melodies will naturally start to come in. Eventually, the weird gibberish that I'm singing in place of lyrics will turn into words."
- He is inspired by Linkin Park who mixes alternative music with hip-hop and rap, but in the album incorporates elements of post-punk, new wave, hard rock, electro-pop, folk and more.
- Mix of vocals and rap.
- Wrote while playing with the stylistic boundaries of the project.
- Quick-shifting styles, emotional charge of songs and distinctive songwriting sensibilities.
- Each song is 2-3 minutes long.

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“I love exploring and channelling these different pieces of me from these different eras” – Nothing,Nowhere on Trauma Factory and the 10 albums that changed his life

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“I still get tripped out when reading comments from people saying that my music saved their life,” admits Joe Mulherin