an interview with gorilla party

Photo by Chloe Barkley

Gorilla Party are a band based out of Athens, Ohio.

It’s nice to e-meet you! What have you been doing to pass the time lately?

Hey! It is nice to e-meet you as well! I have been super bored, as I am sure everyone is right now. While I have been doing a lot of stuff to get ready for the release, I also have been spending a LOT of time on Twitter and watching Naruto.

Can you tell us a little bit about how Gorilla Party got started? Gorilla Party formed in the summer of 2019. We had all grown up around a small town in Ohio but weren’t aware of each other until Preston and I (Tyler) were both attending Ohio University in Athens. In the beginning, we were just playing covers and jamming with other people. By August 2019, we solidified the lineup as the the three of us: Carson on vocals and guitar, Preston on bass, and myself on drums.

You’ve stated artists like Origami Angel, Mom Jeans, and Tigers Jaw as inspirations. What drew you to them? What aspects of their music or sound have been the most impactful for you?

We are definitely inspired by a lot of the “midwest emo” type bands, as well as many other DIY bands. For me their sound is just very genuine. Bands that don’t try to make something perfect—and focus on making something honest—really resonate with me. In this age, a lot of popular music revolves around perfectionism, materialism, and luxury life. For me, music needs to be genuine. Perfect music is boring. I want to hear grit. I want to hear honesty. I want my music to come from a bunch of sweaty kids in a basement, not a multi-million dollar studio.

Is there an influence we might not expect you to have? We are incredibly influenced by hardcore and heavy pop punk. The environment at our shows is that of a Title Fight showL stage divers, crowd surfers, and mosh pits. I think for people listening to our two songs on The Split may get the impression that we are pretty pop or indie influenced. They are by far the softest songs that we play. But going to our live shows, it's easier to tell.

Like you mentioned, Gorilla Party recently released an EP called The Split, which is a collaboration with another Ohio DIY band Clementines. What inspired you two to work together?

Clementines and Gorilla Party are sister bands. Clementines headlined the first show Gorilla Party ever played, and we’ve played together a lot since then. Sam, the drummer of Clementines, was actually in a band with me before I started Gorilla Party, and has stayed one of my best friends. It is just really cool to do music with him again.

Do you have a favorite track off of the EP? Are there any songs that have an interesting story behind them, or that were particularly challenging to write/record?

My favorite song on The Split is definitely "RSVP." It’s always my favorite song to play live. In the studio we added some group background vocals, which were really fun to record. Our photographer Alec even did them with us. [It] was super fun to get him on a track.

What’s the DIY scene like in Athens? What’s your favorite part about it?

Athens is the home of Ohio U, one of the biggest colleges in Ohio, so the scene is mostly made up of young college-aged kids. The DIY scene in Athens is INCREDIBLY diverse. There aren't two bands that play the same style of music which is really fun. While it is cool to play with a whole bill of emo bands, it's more fun to play with the mixmashed music of our friends. I think the diversity in music helps bring a lot of outsiders into the scene. There's something everyone can like.

You’ve done some local touring around Ohio. Any particularly memorable shows?

I think our favorite show outside of Athens took place in a basement in Cincinnati called The Lawn. By far the largest show we have played outside Athens. Kids were going crazy, the pit was moving the entire set. Our photographer was stage diving off the monitors into the crowd. [It was] a really crazy night.

If you could create your dream tour, who would be on your lineup? Where would you like to go to?

I would love to go on tour opening for Origami Angel or Mom Jeans. I have always dreamed of playing in NYC. Something about the big city seems so magical to a small town Ohio kid.

What’s your best memory as a band so far?

I think we have a lot of fun memories. Writing songs drunk and laughing in my basement, getting locked out of a house venue we were sleeping at after a gig and climbing in through the window. But the coolest memory is winning the Athens Battle of the Bands, It was very early on in our career, [and] we thought we didn’t stand a chance. It did a lot for our confidence and launched our career.

We’re all about finding new artists here at Underground. Who should we be listening to right now?

You NEED to be listening to Palette Knife, another Ohio emo band, Their material right now is fantastic, but they have some other cool stuff on the way!

We know it’s a little hard to think about the future right now, but what’s next for Gorilla Party? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to?

We are pretty excited to start writing again and working towards a full EP in the fall/winter. Besides that, we are looking forward to touring around Ohio, and expanding outside it once this all blows over.

Lastly, is there anything else you would like us to know?

You can check our music and merch out at gorillaparty.bandcamp.com.

Our instagram is @gorilla_party.

Our Twitter is @gorilla_partyoh.

Stream The Split here.

Words by Carly.