After an EP and a Star Wars concept album, Cureton's Caleb Davis and Joel Drzycimski had branded themselves as a duo that mixed self-aware pop punk with a quirky sense of comedy. Their song "Marry Me" from 2016's A Party That Never Ends With A Host That Never Dies gives the listener a snapshot into the love life of students at a Christian private school. Mix tongue-in-cheek lyrics with some punk guitars and you have unique take on a genre that is all but worn out.
As the pair look back on the writing, recording, and release of their debut full-length, Spring In The Attic, frontman Joel Drzycimski says, "I think this album is a really good encapsulation of where Caleb and I were in the end of 2016 - early 2017."
Echoing that point Caleb Davis said, "In some ways, looking back on the album is kind of funny. You can tell which bands Joel and I were listening to at the time and how they influenced the songs we put on SITA (Spring In The Attic)."
On the first listen, the record is a lot darker than previous Cureton releases. Davis said, "Many of the songs on the record come from a place of frustration, sadness, and confusion." The album's six-minute epic "Cubicle Cowboy" deals with frustrations of feeling trapped. Looking for adventure, the protagonist heads to California where he hopes he will find his fortune in gold, but it was all for nothing. There is no gold, and he ends up stuck behind a desk. It wouldn't be hard for a college student to draw a parallel between him or herself and the protagonist. College has become expected of everyone, but not always necessary for a career that they would be content with. The adventure that one could expect in college can easily become a trap causing feelings of discontent.
Spring In The Attic's opening track "Religion Makes Great Theater" looks at the hurt that comes from when an important member of the church turns out to be different than the character they portray in a church setting. The line in the chorus where the band declares "Everyone's an actor, we are all imposters" hammers this sentiment home with a mild disdain. The track is produced like it is being played from a stage. You can almost picture dancers dressed like they're from a Panic! At The Disco music video twirling about the stage. For a band that has Christian members, the concept of "Religion Makes Great Theater" is a little risky. Christians are not always known to take criticism well, but Cureton is able to keep their criticism from becoming an all out attack.
One Drzycimski's favorite things about the album is seeing songs from Spring In The Attic pop up in his "Friend Activity" feed on Spotify. He said, "Caleb did a better job of this than I did, and I think people really connected to some of the lyrics he wrote because he wrote them just for them. At the end of the day, that's why we make music - to connect to people."
Speaking with fans of Cureton many of them are drawn to the band because of the purpose behind their songs. Noah Ginther, a fan from the beginning, said, "I love how each song on the album tells a story. Spring In The Attic is so eclectic that it allows for the different types of songs and stories to work together cohesively." Ginther's favorite track from the album is "Ursa Minor." It also happens to be Spring In The Attic's only folk song, which on a punk album is a little odd. The fact that it works within the context of the record is a testament to the band's writing. Cureton recounts the epic tale of a sailor proving that despite his weaknesses he is more than competent in his position. Davis also wrote the song "Ursa Minor" for Ginther as a reminder that he is always there for him.
The future of the band has been up in the air over the last few months. Drzycimski graduated from college and moved back to Iowa while Davis is still is school finishing up his degree. For most groups, distance and time apart equal a death sentence, but the bond between these childhood friends has kept the band alive. On June 14, the band plans to do a live stream on Facebook to celebrate the album and announce that the band is working on new material.
As many debut albums go, Spring In The Attic was a growing process for the band. This was the largest project the pair had attempted. The record was also one of the most diverse sound releases the band had put out, and unlike some debuts, both Davis and Drzycimski are happy with the album they put out. Drzycimski said, "It's not a perfect album - far from it, but it's our album that we've been able to share." Looking forward, Caleb Davis is excited at the idea of topping their debut. He said, "I think it's a good record and I'm excited about the thought of making a better one."
Below is a link to the album on Bandcamp as well as an interview Cureton did with a now defunct radio show hosted by yours truly.
- All photos were taken from Cureton's Facebook page with their consent.
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