Formed in 2010, emo/math rock trio Tiny Moving Parts hails from Minnesota and was recently signed to Triple Crown Records, a label that has consistently represented some of the best and brightest within their respective genres (Brand New had their start here). A family band, Tiny Moving Parts is composed of brothers William and Matthew Chevalier on drums and bass respectively, and their cousin, lead guitarist and vocalist Dylan Mattheisen. They are generally considered luminaries of the alternative scene emo renaissance, sharing the zeitgeist of the moment with bands like Foxing, Into It Over It (both Triple Crown labelmates) and Modern Baseball. The band is anything but conventionally emo, adhering to overly positive and incredibly welcoming vibes. They seem incapable of shaking the politeness and warmth of their small town upbringing, a quality that is immensely charming. Known for energetic and raw performances that have helped them cultivate a loyal following of fans, Tiny Moving Parts was recently nominated by Alternative Press as a prime candidate for "Best Underground Band." How long they stay underground remains to be seen, however, as talent often breeds momentum and success.
I had the opportunity to chat with Dylan as Tiny Moving Parts made their way down to Florida on tour behind latest album Celebrate, and we touched on a range of subjects, from how to properly shotgun a beer and the band's biggest influences during their formative years, to what it's like playing a porno shop in San Jose.
Tiny Moving Parts play Epic Problem Thurs., June 9; doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30, with warm-up from Prawn and Free Throw. Tickets are $12-$14 and can be purchased here. If you can't make the Tampa date, the tour also lands at Backbooth in Orlando the following day — Fri., June 10; show at 7:30 p.m., tickets here.
BR: So how's the tour been so far?
Dylan Mattheisen: The tour's been awesome. We've had a few sold out shows, which is pretty insane for us. It's our first time headlining and we didn't really know what to expect, so we were kind of nervous. But everything's great! The shows have been great and people have been digging all of the bands. It's been very solid.
You guys were signed to Triple Crown recently, a label that has an obvious legacy and pedigree. How does it feel?
We're very honored. We've always heard of Triple Crown because of Deja Entendu and Brand New, so we're very honored! We're very comfortable being on the label and couldn't be happier.
Celebrate has a different sound from your last two albums. How did you guys get there? Did it just kind of evolve?
It happened naturally. We've always wanted to one-up ourselves with every new record we put out. So we kept doing what we were doing and blended everything we really like about music into our sound. We wanted to make sure it was catchy and fun to sing along to, but also had interesting instrumentation. It has a nice overall blend from quiet to chaotic and it's interesting because of how direct it is. And we wanted to make sure it's really fun to play live, and of course enjoyable for listeners!
Was there any track that really stood out from all others?
It kind of varies every day! There isn't one song that makes us go "all the others are all right," but "Minnow" is a great ending to the record. It really helps collect it all together. We spent a solid year writing all the songs. And we put a lot of time and effort into it and we're really satisfied with how the whole album turned out.
You also shifted your vocal style in [2014's] Pleasant Living. Is that something you're going to be experimenting with more as you move along?
It all depends. We spent a lot of time in the studio experimenting with whatever felt right, or whatever we thought sounded the best. There are parts where we think we don't want to go to soft at a certain point, or too hard but it ends up being the complete opposite. It came down to what felt right. We keep doing what we're doing!
It's good to have that organic approach. Celebrate sounds, for the most part, incredibly positive and happy but the lyrics are still grappling with anxiety and the power of nostalgia. How do you strike that balance?
When I write the lyrics for the songs, I write what feels right at the moment. Y'know something that could have happened in my life. I make sure that a listener could relate to it as well. I mean, it's all extremely personally to me, but I make sure that I can connect with people, so when we play shows live and people sing the lyrics back to us, having that connection is just awesome. Some people say that "you guys write the happiest songs!" or "you guys write the saddest songs!" but in a way I think we let the listener paint the picture.
That's one of the best ways of approaching it honestly… Now that emo is experiencing a kind of renaissance right now, do you feel it's an appropriate term for the genre and a lot of the bands you guys play with?
I mean, it does make sense. You know, people have always given us that label, but we do connect with people's emotions. We don't really like to be stuck in a genre, we like to experiment and try different things and not feel like we're obligated to stay in a single area of what can and can't do. So I do get why people call us emo. It is what it is, I get it!
You guys came through here for a previous Pre-Fest in Tamp, did you have a chance to see any parts of the city, eat anywhere, drink any of the local beers?
Honestly, no, not really! We kind of pulled up to the venue and chugged some PBRs in the van and played the show. We really didn't have much time to walk around or do much.
So how can one learn to shotgun beers like you guys? Because you've become artists in your own right in that sense. What are some tips for being the best beer shotgunners?
JUST DO IT! You just gotta have a mindset like: "I'm just gonna chug this beer" and you just go for it. When you're feeling really bad after you do it, and you see everyone laughing and the vibes are right that kind of distracts you from how bad you're feeling from it, it evens it all out.
Yeah, that burning cold sensation in your chest starts to dissipate a bit. Gotta keep that in mind to help fight the pain next time.
Perfect!
This Couch Is Long and Full of Friendship has become really hard to find on vinyl, do you know if there's going to be a reprint? Additionally, are you guys into vinyl yourselves?
We collect vinyl, not like super a lot or anything. We kind of pick up the vinyl from the bands we go on tour with. We don't collect hundreds of records like a lot of people do. We definitely want to reprint Couch, I'm not to sure what the details are all about, or why it's not available right now, but we definitely want it out there for people to grab and to listen to.
What is the weirdest venue you guys have ever played? The one where you kind of have to step back and ask yourselves "Did I just step onto the set of a David Lynch film?"
In San Jose we played a porn shop with Modern Baseball! Years and years ago, it was unreal. Like we walked in and there were porno DVDs everywhere. And the owner of the place was so excited to have us play there, he was like "Oh yeah you guys can just go ahead and play out front" and it was 9 p.m. because that's when the business shut down, and right away there was a line forming outside to get in. And we were like "Wow, we're really playing a porn shop, in San Jose, California…with Modern Baseball. What is life right now?"
Sounds like pretty much one of the best shows of all time.
It was so much fun, there was a lot of laughing, it was great!
Did growing up in Minnesota influence your sound when you were starting out and were there any regional bands or local bands that kind of helped inspire you?
We were in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota, and the closest thing to a music scene was around two-and-a-half hours away in Minneapolis, so we were just kind of alone. There weren't that many bands around that area. We lived in a town that was around 3,000 people, and there was no scene at all. We really just kind of did it ourselves! The internet helped a lot. That's how we discovered a lot of bands like The Fall of Troy who really influenced us. If it weren't for the internet and that exposure we'd be a completely different band…We knew we had to buy a van, and just go!
If you could tour with any band on the planet, or music artist in history, living, dead, fictional, doesn't matter — who would pick and why?
Dude. Paramore would be awesome. We're just such big fans of that band, Hayley Williams' voice is incredible, the guitar work, everything they're just a great band! I would love to see them every night of my life. That would be awesome.
Are there any books, movies, TV shows that helps shape your music process?
Nothing really specific, I can definitely see for other bands how that can develop. Maybe it does influence me without me knowing it. We love Breaking Bad, and we love the writing of the show. It's just insanely detailed and we're reminded of the how all the little things matter. Like those little hints that get brought up in every season. So things like that can influence us, but there's nothing specific.
So you guys are on the road a lot, obviously, how do you stave off boredom in your van, stay chill and keep your heads about you?
There's not much you can do except be on your phone and download dumb apps and play games. We play Words with Friends a lot, so that's a pretty fun way to pass the time! We also listen to music, and we tend to listen to bad music on purpose. We'll listen to Florida Georgia Line, and country bro-rock, and we just jam out to it! We also started juggling recently. So one of us will be pumping gas and the rest of us will be juggling.
What city has the left the biggest impression?
Well, on this tour, we sold out the studio at Webster Hall in New York City and it's like a 400 cap room, and that was a milestone for us. And we've played there a handful of times and it was our first headliner show this time. That was a moment for us where we said: "Wow, we did it, that's crazy!"
Any area of America that was particularly unique or beautiful?
That's a good question. The Pacific Northwest wa beautiful. For all the places to drive through. Just all the beautiful scenery was pretty crazy. That was really just badass. Every time we head out to New York or Philadelphia, they're not weird or anything, but really just memorable shows in general. When we first started years ago doing basement shows we were playing a show and got robbed the next morning. It wasn't the best area, and I guess that was pretty weird, coming back out to the van and seeing the broken window.
So jumping back to Celebrate one last time, what would you sum up as its overlying theme?
I would say it's optimism. Kind of what I was just saying about being robbed. You can't think about it, you just have to move forward. There's a bunch of bumps in the road of life and you just have to keep moving forward. You have to stay positive and just keep moving on with life. Because, well, because life is fucking cool, dude.
This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2016.