Spawning from the New York Capital region, the 4-piece Flatwounds and their amalgamation of hard rock genres undoubtedly bring a sound that’s unique to the northeastern hardcore scenes. There’s vocalist Colin O’Hare and guitarist Matt Degnan, who began the group in Albany. They soon pulled in bassist David Coonrad and drummer Wade Coonrad. While much of their early music was released themselves, the band signed to Blue Grape Music last year and has dropped a few singles and their latest EP through them.
I stumbled across Flatwounds last December having had the lucky experience of walking into a benefit show at Unruly Collective and finding myself in front of one of the first New York bands I’ve truly resonated with. Still fresh from my hometown DIY scene in Seattle, the sometimes grunge-y nature of the hardstyle rock band was a refreshing yet familiar sound, contrasting the more formal hardcore groups I’d been hearing throughout city. And there was something electric about the performance—even in that cozy house basement, vocalist O’Hare’s persistence in fueling an energetic atmosphere made way for an especially active crowd.
A couple weeks later I realized I was still thinking about that show and suddenly found myself listening to all their music: the rolling drums in “case logic,” hypnotizing guitar solos of “Rabbit Hole” and the satisfyingly rhythmic vocals that permeate all their music. Then, their most recent single “Emulator” evoked an impatient excitement for their recent EP, Chain of Command, and their following tour with Lip Critic, Theft Destiny. The group plays gigs consistently throughout the northeast and recently held a show on March 5th at Secret Door Tattoo in Brooklyn. Before their set with Flatliner and Infinite Loss, we sat in the slightly chilly alleyway outside the door and talked.
Image by Laura Kim // This interview has been condensed for clarity.
I first want to ask you guys about your upcoming tour with Lip Critic, Theft Destiny. How did that happen?
Colin: We’re pretty good friends with them. Actually, their drummer is playing this show tonight.
Oh, cool, with the first opener, Flatliner?
Colin: We’re all friends, and it just worked out well with our schedules lining up and projects, our EP Chain of Command and their album dropping at the same time.
You’re going cross country right? Have you done that before, played throughout the West Coast, or maybe Denver or Austin?
Colin: No, no, this will be our first time going cross country like this. The furthest was Minneapolis.
Are you excited to play anywhere specific?
Colin: LA
Matt: Texas
Wade: Denver
David: Vancouver
Colin: All of Canada we’re excited for. All the cities.
What’s it like translating your sound from smaller, DIY venues like here at Secret Door Tattoo to larger stages and even auditoriums?
Colin: At least for me, I like to set up on the floor a lot of the time,.When I can’t do that, I do feel a little more vulnerable.I kind of have to change what I’m doing to keep the energy the same.I can’t speak for these guys, though. I’m sure it’s different for everyone.
Matt: Yeah, it’s definitely different. Being farther away, you feel really exposed.
Wade: Oh, like from the crowd.
David: Honestly, it just makes me more nervous because it makes me remember it’s more of a show. Stuff like this is more like, connected with people.
Colin: It’s cool, though. I still do really enjoy playing the big rooms because most of the time I can hear myself.
Wade: Better sound systems.
David: Yeah, the sound is a huge enjoyment.
How do you think your music will be received in different cities? Is there buzz online, people in other places already listening?
Colin: Well, we hope for the best, haha. We noticed a pretty big increase in our listeners lately, and we’ve gotten some comments of people saying,“Oh my god, they’re finally coming to this city,” and stuff like that. We’re definitely hoping that people come out to see us. We’ve got word that there’s some cities that are already close to sold out which is insane to hear.
You also have your EP Chain of Command coming out in 2 weeks, right?
Colin: Yes, yes! March 20th, Chain of Command is dropping!
Have you guys been working on that for a while?
Matt: For a long time, for a long time.
Colin: I feel like working on it—the process of making it—was not that hard.
Matt: It was, like, four days.
Colin: We tracked it in four days, and the mix was back in a month or two.Now, it’s just waiting. The hardest part has been getting everything ready for it, waiting, and being patient. At least for me, anyway.
Compared to your previous music, would you say it’s diving into new territory?
Colin: Definitely.
Wade: It’s an evolution of everything we have done.
Colin: But better, like Flatwounds plus.
Are there any artists or genres that influenced it specifically?
Colin: I’m gonna give a quick shout out to Trapped Under Ice, my favorite band for a while now. That’s probably my biggest inspiration on the record and moving forward.
I remember listening to their released single, “Emulator,” and noticing some vocal sampling and dialogue bits. Will we see that in the album?
Colin: Yeah. There’s samples throughout it.
This is your fourth EP. Do you think you’ll keep doing EPs, or is an album something that could be in the works?
Colin: We cannot say. Undisclosed!
Would you consider this the project you are most proud of, or is there something else that still holds that higher ground?
Colin: I’m most proud of this.
Matt: This is definitely the best stuff that we’ve made.
Colin: That should be the case, though—if something else was better, I’d be like, “Damn.”
Wade: We’re always striving to evolve and be better.
All of you are from Albany. Tell me about the culture there.
Colin: It’s small. There’s definitely a really, really good DIY community. That scene is the reason we are the way we are—how our sound is shaped. There’s a strong hardcore scene, and it’s such a smaller city that everyone knows everyone in the community. It definitely has a different vibe.
Is the small community aspect something you miss when you play in a big metropolis like here in New York?
Colin: It has its ups and downs like anything else. It’s hard to compare different scenes.
Wade: Our hometown scene is our hometown scene. I’m sure every place we go to has their own scene, and we’re only tapped in from gigs. We make friends along the way and become a part of that network.
Do you have any other favorite cities on the East Coast to play in?
Colin: Providence, Rhode Island. There’s some spots in Connecticut too that are really sick.
Matt: They’re kind of connected too. One big scene.
Colin: The biggest is Brooklyn, though. The whole city.
What’s your favorite venue here?
Colin: Gold Sounds or TV Eye.
Wade: Gold Sounds is where we’ve played the most often.
In terms of crowd culture, have they been mostly optimal?
Colin: Yes, definitely.
Wade: If they’re into it and if they’re moving, that’s all we can ask for.
Colin: I’ve also noticed that there’s a lot of kids that pull up to our shows, which is so sick. I love that. I think it’s so dope that there’s all these kids that have dyed hair and aren’t afraid to express themselves. When I was a kid, I felt like I was limited in how I could express myself and was too scared to go to shows. It’s really cool that they are going to show up and see us, and, hopefully, we give them an outlet.
I’ve also noticed your music has a somewhat grungier sound than much of the hardcore scene. Does that come from Albany or some of your music preferences?
Wade: It’s definitely the music we like. It’s all just kind of rock music to us. We definitely wear our influences on our sleeves. Our music sounds like a mix of all of our favorite music. In the past, I could see that comparison to grunge. Now, I can hear some nu-metal or alt rock even in the music.
Colin: I wouldn’t even consider us a hardcore band, just a rock band.
Matt: That really likes hardcore music.
I guess being pretty into that scene makes it so the comparison gets made.
Colin: That’s what I was saying earlier, too. I love hardcore, and I’m very active in the Albany hardcore scene so a lot of the bands in that scene have inspired us.
What are some of those bands?
Colin: Sunbloc, Halo Bite, Take Steps, Noir, and Senior Living’s. Bands like those.
Do you all have anything else you want to add?
Colin: Listen to the EP when it comes out! March 20th.