Face the Truth

Heading back to Boise, Idaho for this interview, I was given the chance to speak with Rejection Pact. What a great experience from some really solid dudes. We discussed music, books, movies, and humanity in general.

The band released a record from Safe Inside Records titled Threats of the World. They’ve been on tour a little bit and have some plans coming down the pike- so keep your eyes and ears open.

Here’s a bit of what we talked about.

You recently released a new record, did you find the writing process difficult at all?

“Honestly, everything came together very quickly in terms of writing. We were writing 1-2 songs a practice. It helped that we had written almost 10 songs before the demo came out and we used a few for the record too. So, basically, the whole thing was pretty fun and painless. Ralph & Charlie have been playing music together for like 6 years so those two are dialed in which helps a ton.

The most difficult process was probably coming up with song titles or getting vocal patterns down, and even then, that wasn’t really difficult either.”

We discussed the band’s interests musically and what wells they drew from in order to write this record. To me the sound is true-to-form old-school hardcore, but with a modern and fresh twist of fun.

Your sound feels familiar, but fresh at the same time. How would describe your sound and what influences do you cite?

“I’d describe our sound as hardcore. I think it’s very traditional sounding in the most basic sense. It’s fast, the songs are short, the lyrics are pretty straight forward, and there’s some mosh parts.
To go deeper, I’d say it sounds like mid 2000’s hardcore that you’d find when looking at the earlier B9 roaster, Rivalry Records, or if you’re going a tad more current, REACT Records.

I mean we all have individual influences and often. After we’d write a song, the comparisons we make def vary from member to member, but as a whole, some major influences are bands like Go It Alone, American Nightmare, Allegiance, Paint it Black, Mindset, older Trash Talk & Ceremony.

There’s also a low key nod to Fat Wreck/Epitaph punk in there, but nothing too prominent.”

I found this to be an extremely apt acknowledgment of who the band finds influential. Each one of these bands can be heard distinctly in the sound. My favorite and immediate first thought was Ceremony. I also heard a bit of Better Than a Thousand, which was really cool.

Rejection Pact has done some pretty good touring as well, hitting the west coast. The band mentioned they may be trying to get a bit further out soon too.

This is what the band had to say specifically about touring.

You’ve already done some touring, what’s been the best parts of touring?

“Best parts are playing shows and seeing people interact with the music you wrote and any positive feedback or energy that is the result of something you created is very cool. Trying new food and hitting local spots in the area you’re playing is always rad; some members of the band are vegan and Boise isn’t the most vegan friendly area so getting lots of vegan food is a big tour highlight. Also, just being stuck in the van and going insane and listening to hours and hours of prank calls and talking shit to each other and sharing really stupid stories and crap is always fun.”

I find it really cool that bands such as this put on for locals too, not just their own area. Rejection Pact seems to be students of hardcore and it’s ethos. They’re not just individuals enamoured with the myth of what it meant.

Part of being in hardcore is uniting around the message of standing against a society that rejects decency, care, and recognizing differences are good. The guys in this band are much the same, and their message is too.

What message or goal do you have for your music as a band? What do you hope listeners to gain most from your lyrics and music?

“The only real goal we have for our music is for it to resonate with people, and hopefully it clicks, which can allow us to play cool shows and meet new people and play new areas…We hope listeners just challenge themselves as well as their surroundings. There’s a lot of awful things happening in the world, and the first thing we need to do is think.”

What is the central theme behind Threats of the World?

“People. They’re our greatest resource but also our greatest threat...there’s a couple introspective songs but even then [these songs] deal with yourself...you’re a human..there ya go.”

The band put out a release titled Threats of the World through Safe Inside Records. It’s a 10 song effort coming in at about 13 minutes. Each song is a fast paced, mosh and dance driven powerhouse. The guitar and bass lead the song through an onslaught of riffs and thrashy punk lines that can’t be ignored. This is coupled with a traditional punk beat, fast and loud. The vocals are harsh and in your face, shouting a message of anger, frustration, and change that just can’t be ignored. Overall, each element of this record is fun and purely enjoyable. I firmly enjoyed listening to it, and honestly, when the album was finished, I spun it again. I recommend anyone and everyone give this a listen. It’s a positive and enjoyable throwback to early hardcore, but gives sufficient nods to modern and mid-2000’s hardcore and punk as well. 5/5.

The band recommends that people listen, read, and watch the following as well:

What books, movies, music, or documentaries have you recently enjoyed that you think people should check out?

Musically, everyone should check out:

• Webbed Wing “Bike Ride Across the Moon”
• Sect “Blood of the Beasts”
• Lurk “Electro-Shock” 
• RJC “Institution” 
• Result of Choice “Place of My Dreams”
• Shallow End “Urban Decay”
• Some new Idaho hc releases like the State of Suffering summer promo, the Stalemate demo, and the new Ingrown single 
• Some new demos that rules are Love & Trust, Headcount, and Outnumbered 

Charlie’s been reading some books like Confessions of an Eco-Warrior by Dave Foreman. He watched a pretty interesting documentary the other day about people who are in romantic relationships with their automobiles, that was something. Movie wise, Ad Astra kicked ass, Little Woods is def worth a watch, The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Art of Self Defense, and Joker rocked.

Follow the Band on Social Media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RejectionPact

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rejectionpact/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RejectionPact?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Give them a listen on bandcamp
https://safeinsiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/rejection-pact-threats-of-the-world