Precious Sounds

Rozwell Kid does everything right. They’ve released four full-length albums since 2011, a slew of EPs and splits, and have toured with heavy-hitters like the Menzingers, PUP and Jeff Rosenstock. With their latest album, “Precious Art,” Rozwell Kid proves that double guitar solos have always been cool and that sometimes you just need to take a deep breath, eat a taco or six and watch Weird Al’s 1989 cinematic masterpiece “UHF.”

Courtesy

Rozwell Kid headlines at Mac’s Bar Friday while on tour supporting “Precious Art.” City Pulse gave frontman Jordan Hudkins a call to talk about funny songs, why “Wish Man” isn’t an interlude and the sweatiest he’s ever been.

A few days ago, you tweeted a beautiful quote from the Australian-themed chain restaurant, Outback Steakhouse, “no rules, just right.” Does that sentiment in any way sum up your new album, “Precious Art?”

You know what, yeah, I would agree. I remember I went through a spell of “writer’s block” and I remember finding solace and inspiration, I’m not joking, real solace and inspiration in the Outback slogan, which I did not expect. It kind of came out of left field, but I was like, “hey, you know what, they’ve got a point.”

“Precious Art” is your full-length follow up to 2014’s “Too Shabby.” How did you want “Precious Art” to move forward from your last album?

We spent a little bit of time thinking about what we wanted to hear in this next record. One thing that we all came to a consensus on was that we wanted to make an album, a listening experience. From beginning to end it feels like a piece of work, it doesn’t just sound like ten songs, boom, there you go. And I knew that I wanted to take a little bit more time with the sounds we were getting and push what we did before just a little bit further, but not too far to the point where it doesn’t feel genuine or like us anymore.

There are a few really short songs on the album. It seems like a lot of bands are afraid to write short, but you guys obviously aren’t. What appeals to you about short songs?

I’ll be honest, the piano song, “South By,” it was seriously just a vocal exercise that I put on a demo. I sent it to the guys, and I was like, “hey, check this out” and they were like, “we should put that on the record” and thought “why not?” Personally, I think it turned out beautifully and I’m happy that it’s on the record, it kind of fed into that idea of a whole listening experience. People are calling it an interlude, but people are also calling “Wish Man” an interlude and I don’t agree with that.

What appeals to me about “Wish Man” is it tells an entire story in fifty seconds, beginning, middle and end. The song doesn’t need to be any longer. I thought about trying to flesh it out with another verse and I was like “what else am I going to say?” It’s over, it’s done.

Some of the songs on “Precious Art” are really humorous, why do you include that sense of humor in your writing?

I’m just making it through this so-called life on this big blue marble, you know what I mean? I’ve just always had a sense of humor and have been a fan of artists who have humor in their work, but I don’t want to cross that line. Believe me, we’ve had the discussion, especially when I send the guys a demo like “Booger.” I don’t want to cross the line, I don’t want to be a comedy act and I don’t want to make a comedy record. But I like injecting humor into the lyrics just because I think it’s fun, that’s what I like, that’s what I like to hear. And I think it makes me want to listen back to it. You should write what you want to hear.

Rozwell Kid sounds like a Thin Lizzy/Weezer love child but you guys often get slated as pop-punk, do you think that’s fair?

I like that! I understand the pop punk element, I definitely listened to a healthy bit of pop-punk growing up and I’m sure it’s worked its way into aspects of the songwriting. When someone asks me what Rozwell Kid sounds like I don’t say pop-punk, I usually tell people we’re rock ‘n’ roll. That’s how I feel, I feel like we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band.

You’re on tour supporting your new album, has anything terrible happened on this tour?

We did a house show for our release and the only thing I can say about that is it was the sweatiest and hottest I’ve ever been in my life. It was disgusting in that room when we were done because a bunch of people showed up to support our new album — and that was awesome —so I can’t complain.