Crying upon dissecting the lyrics to an energetic punk track wasn't on our 2024 bingo card, but here we are. In their latest drop, To Kill A Monster wraps a sentimental message within the rough, heavy textures of grunge, as they vividly capture the underground music scene. The band includes Joey Lawson (vocals), Josh Mergler (guitar/bass), Scott Borealis (guitar/bass), James Barron (guitar/bass/drums), and Corey Melton (drums/bass).
Titled "The Past," the song resonates with several fans who grew up going to house shows, and inspires younger generations to immerse themselves in the DIY culture as well. A music video accompanies this single, and it aims to immortalize their local live music scene. Recently, Playlists & Polaroids got the privilege to chat with To Kill A Monster. We loved hearing them tell some of the stories that inspired "The Past," along with their overall artistic journey! Keep reading for our full interview with the band.
Image credit: Julie La Crout, graphic created by Karly Ramnani
YOU'LL LOVE TO KILL A MONSTER IF YOU LISTEN TO: Green Day, Blink-182, The Offspring, Foo Fighters, Incubus, A Day To Remember
How did you guys meet, and what made you want to call yourselves To Kill A Monster?
JOEY: The original lineup met and started all this in high school, around 2003. "To Kill A Monster" was the only name out of a bunch that we all agreed on. "Bears Fight Bears" was the 2nd highest so it became the name of our 1st EP. We were called "Last Night In Town" for a while in the beginning, but someone from California tried to sue us [when] we were already deciding on the new name anyway. After a very long road, these past roughly 5 years, I've slowly found these new guys and have been pushing faster than ever to bring a full new take on what "To Kill A Monster" is.
Have you guys always been based in Columbus, OH? How does the environment of this city inspire your craft?
JOEY: Columbus, OH and surrounding [areas]. I've met a ton of people, musicians, fans, and friends here that continue to make me keep pursuing this. No matter if it's here, or anywhere though I'm always going to try to find new words to hopefully help others that might need them more.
SCOTT: Columbus has always had a huge music scene with great venues both large and super underground. Growing up going to shows at places like Bernies solidified a love for punk music that has stuck with us to this day, and the incredible bands that populate the entire music scene here have kept pushing us towards growing ourselves as musicians and evolving our sound.
What artists did you guys grow up listening to, and who continues to inspire your craft today?
JOEY: I took a ton of inspiration and continue to from The Offspring, Story Of The Year, Tenacious D, Rise Against, Alexisonfire, City and Colour, AFI, The Used, and a lot of lyrical inspiration from Eve 6. I tend to listen to a lot of the same, but always love finding a new song/band to help inspire a lyric or two.
JOSH: Megadeth, Metallica, lots of 80s hair metal stuff as a teen, during [my] 20s a lot more progressive music and heavier metal. Bands like Periphery, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Tesseract. Im hoping we can interweave some of those heavier elements somewhat into the writing process during certain parts of the songwriting process. But I have recently gotten into more pop punk heavy stuff like Carousel Kings, along those lines.
Image credit: Gabriel Goulding
Did you all grow up in the punk scene? What are your favorite aspects of that underground culture?
JOEY: I started more in the metal/hardcore area but fell in love with Warped Tour as the only place I knew where to get a taste of punk in person. Punk was where I felt I could finally fit in. I grew up on country, but never got the chance to go to [these] concerts until way later.
JOSH: I didn't grow up too much in that scene but I do like the DIY aspects of the culture, the typically political charged or activist culture that punk music usually embodies. It can be a positive vehicle for change and expression that I do enjoy a lot.
There's something so special about the intimate environment of small local shows - especially in the punk/alternative genres. What are your favorite venues you've played in and why?
JOEY: Small shows where everyone is crammed in are always a blast. Kinda makes you throw caution to the wind and get lost in the moment. Venues that hold a special place in my heart were places like The Attic near Dayton, OH, and Bernies, Scarlet and Grey, and O'Sheckys in Columbus, OH. And always still love playing Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis Indiana, and The Basement, and Newport Music Hall in Columbus Ohio. There's also an incredible skatepark/studio/venue in Nashville that was awesome. I just love playing live. There's nothing better than a concert.
JOSH: Bethel RD Pub, before it shut down in 2020, was really fun to play. It had this very family-like vibe to it, [a] very close knit group of people who would be there at the shows and it had room to park.
JAMES: When I was in Maryland, there was a venue called the Mt. Airy Firehall. I was able to share the stage with some amazing local music, including I, The Breather when they first started playing. Watching I, the Breather on a flat stage with 40 people was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. The closeness of the environment is not able to be put into words.
The music video for "The Past" also depicts a house show, and it's got so many cool retro touches. I'm in love with the lighting color schemes and the camera angles, it feels very Y2K. How did you guys come up with the concept and film these visuals?
JOEY: This is one of those times where everything kinda fell into place just the right way for once. I wanted to have a typical house party music video to be reminiscent of the house show/parties we used to have. Shot it at our guitarist James house and he had the lighting options that were never part of the original plan. And all the magic comes down to the friends that came out and the phenomenal work of Kyle WK McDowell. Was our 1st time working with him and he absolutely nailed it. Only thing we forgot to shoot was Edward 40 hands, and someone on a skate board to really hit that mark!
JOSH: Kyle is the one to thank for all the cool lighting and shots that really made it feel intimate and familiar.
I love how "The Past" feels like a direct reflection of your experiences, yet so universal at the same time. How did you guys aim to reflect your own nostalgic memories in the lyrics of "The Past"?
JOEY: I'd been working on this song lyrically for a long time. I just wanted something that could hopefully be timeless and speak to everyone but comes from such an important part of my life. I found everything I love about this world through music and friends and I just wanted to try capture that/ honor everyone who got me this far in life.
If younger generations find "The Past", what do you hope they get out of it?
JOEY: I hope it helps them have a good time. I hope it's playing at their own house party, a joyride with friends, or the song they can play just to cheer up on a bad day. If I can help anyone have a better day I'm here for it.
JOSH: Enjoy the present (I know that seems ironic given the name of the song) and be very thankful for all the interesting and fun things happening now, and for the love you have from the people you surround yourself with, otherwise you may end up missing the past more than you thought.
JAMES: The good old days are always happening right now. Most friendships in life are transient. Enjoy your friends while they are around and cherish your time together.
Image credit: Gabriel Goulding
What are your goals in music for 2024? At the moment, do you have anything in store that fans can look forward to?
JOEY: More new music. We're finally releasing a new EP "The Sharpie on the Wall" and it holds the essence of everything this new To Kill A Monster [era] has. Now that it's finally coming out we're already working on the next batch. Other goals we have is just getting back out on the road now. Mini weekender tours, and hopefully landing some festivals.
Finally, the P&P classic! What’s a lyric from “The Past” that stands out to you? Walk us through the process of yourself writing it, and how does it speak to you personally?
JOEY: "Our only light that same ol camp fire / That lit up our smiles." It's probably not the most obvious answer but so much of my favorite memories were because of hanging out around a campfire, or bonfire, and that being enough of a reason to gather friends together. We could make anything fun but that always seemed to be the best place to make memories.
To Kill A Monster offers a fresh twist on classic grunge music, while preserving the genre's timeless culture for several generations of music fans. Making a powerful statement and inspiring a movement, the band has outdone themselves with "The Past." Hopefully by now, we've convinced you to dive a little deeper into their world - and if so, we've curated just the playlist for you!
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