Flyover Festival is this weekend and I got the chance to speak with one of the bands performing on the first day of the festival, Friday November 17, Candy Apple. Flyover Fest is a three day long hardcore and punk festival that supports the Oklahomans For Equality (learn more here).
Candy Apple is a band from Denver, Colorado consisting of Tristan (guitar and vocals), Preston (drums), Quinn (bass), and Nick (guitar). They became a band from a group of friends that wanted to find a unique sound and stood out from the genre. Nick, Quinn, and Preston had previously worked together on other projects, but found a connection together with their passion to grow as musicians.
One of their recent releases is an EP titled World for Sale. I asked them about the project and what it means to them. Candy Apple said, “This was our first release after our LP Sweet Dreams of Violence that came out in 2021. That record was really noisy and raw but had this subtle melody underneath it all. With this EP, we wanted to capture that same raw noise and melody, but make it sound huge. We wanted to keep that aspect of aggression and grit while finding a level of polish that was missing from the LP. Our friend Jack Oberkirsch recorded it and Will Killingsworth mixed/mastered it. They both killed it, the production on the EP sounds insane. It’s like a chainsaw with melody interspersed. Lyrically, I was feeling distressed about the way we collectively contribute to the worsening of our society, and I wanted to express what I was seeing. Outside of evil people and institutions that are built to keep us down, even well-intentioned people manage to fuck things up royally and we all pay the price. The lyrics on the EP are an indictment of our collective failure to make things better. The only positive message I could reconcile is to tell everyone to fuck off and leave me out of it.”
Listen to Candy Apple’s song “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It” below.
Candy Apple is currently signed under Convulse Records. They gave us a little inside scoop on what it’s like working with their label. “It’s been really easy. Adam is a friend and great person who is doing great things for Denver hardcore and punk. He’s been very supportive and accommodating of what we want to do as a band. Everyone involved with Convulse is a good person doing good things for no other reason than a love for the music. It’s a cool thing to be involved with.”
They also told us about some of the other bands that are also on this label, “My favorite recent Convulse releases have been Discreet’s “This Is Mine” LP, SPINE’s “Raices” LP, and the new Alienator 7” “World of Hate.” That Nag record was cool too. Destiny Bond also leveled up on their new LP. There’s a lot of cool stuff coming out of the label, I’m probably forgetting some.”
While it may seem like it has been a little while since Candy Apple has released new music, they have been working behind the scenes on something major for the past two years. While they couldn’t give us many details, they did say it is their “most ambitious effort to date.”
Candy Apple is super stoked to get to play at Flyover Fest. “We’re looking forward to playing Tulsa for the first time and seeing some friends who are also playing. I think we’re a bit of a unique fit on the lineup, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out when we hit the stage. It will be fun. We’re excited to see our friends in SPINE, Restraining Order, Public Opinion, and Raw Breed (which shares some members with CA). I don’t know anything about Tulsa restaurants or shops but if there is something we should be seeing, bang our line.”
This last year has been a busy time for their band. “It’s been a fun year. We hit the West Coast with Ultras and we hit the East Coast for the first time with Restraining Order. That was my first time in NYC, so I’d say it was a high point for me personally. Playing SPINE’s record release show in Kansas City was a good one. We also did a Midwest run with Raw Breed which was a ton of fun. Just a great time with our best pals.”
Keep an eye out on their social media @candyapplenoise for upcoming shows, music, and announcements. They’ll be back in 2024 bigger and better than ever.
