The Mandates - DEAD IN THE FACE

A few months ago, THE MANDATES have released their third full length. This Canadian four piece rock'n'roll combo is tighter that ever and "Dead in the Face" is probably their best work so far. If you like your rock'n'roll in the vein of the Exploding hearts, this collection of 10 new hooky originals all penned by the band is gonna be right up your alley.

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about The Mandates to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys together as a band?  Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays?

Mandates have been a rock n roll band for about 8 years. Brady plays guitar and sings, Jimmy plays bass, Warren on drums and I (Matt) play guitar and sing. That’s the way it’s always been.

2) About the latest full length record "DEAD IN THE FACE",  what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs?

We recorded it with our good friend and Brady’s bandmate from FEEL ALRIGHT, Craig Fahner, in his basement studio. It was rad. Zero pressure, lots of laughs. I think the whole thing took about eight days or so. The backbone, like all of our records, was recorded live off the floor. Vocals and some extra guitars slapped on after. We sound best when we play all together, the instinctive tempo changes that happen, the rough edges, that’s all part of our sound.

3) Do you consider it should be foolish not to use the nowadays recording technology or do you guys only work with analog machines in analog studios?

I don’t think it’s foolish at all. There are a ton of examples of bands that record totally analog and sound rad doing it. We’ve talked about how awesome it would be to make a Mandates record on tape and we would jump at the chance if it came along. But, I have nothing bad to say about the technology we’ve used recording either. With the software we can go back and fix a guitar solo, or a flat vocal or add a cymbal hit in no time. Everything is analog until it hits the hard drive - we still want our records to sound like the mid-70s - but having a computer involved as an editing and mixing tool is really handy.

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

Brady or I will do the initial writing of the song but everybody is involved in shaping and rearranging it until we’re all satisfied. Mandates songs will change A LOT from the time they’re brought to the table to the time they are finished.

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?

Romance.

6) The Mandates are sometimes described as a "punk/power-pop" band. Do you agree with this label? Are you proud of it or do you consider there is way more than that?

I think there is more to it. I mean, I get the label. We do have a punk/powerpop sound. But, at the same time, I don’t wanna play by the rules of the genre. I like that our songs have twists and turns that haven’t been heard before and structures that aren’t typical of a powerpop/punk band. These days if anyone asks what genre of music we play I just say Rock ’n’ Roll. All these little sub-genres like powerpop, punk, proto-punk, glam etc. that we draw influence from all fall under that umbrella.

7) Do you have a new video on youtube  featuring a track from the new LP??

    YES!


8) What can concert goers expect at a The Mandates gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs?

Mandates gigs are loud, high energy, a lot of fun. And yeah we throw in some covers. Classic stuff that you might expect like the Ramones, Dead Boys, Dictators etc. Lately we’ve been having some fun with a little AC/DC.

9) Are there any bands in Canada today you consider yourself close to?

We’ve got a lot of close friends in Canada. Mother’s Children, NEEDLES//PINS, Real Sickies, Steve Adamyk, Vicious Cycles, Fashionism, Chain Whip the list could go on forever.

10) Anything you wanna add?

Check out our new record and PURCHASE IT HERE: at https://mandates.bandcamp.com/




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