Topline Addicts Q&A: The Whole Band

Q: Tell me, why the red suits?

Carter, Lead Singer: So there's like this 90’s Tom Hanks movie called That Thing You Do! The movie is about this fake 60s band that blows up and they're a one-hit-wonder. The movie was really cool, and I kind of wanted to dress up like the band. I think it's kind of cool to add a little more pageantry to a live show. I know a lot of indie bands show up in clothes that they would have worn to school or work which is cool too, but I kind of wanted to do something different. I wanted to not only give the audience something unique to look at, but also express that we take our group seriously and visually showcase cohesion.

Gavin, Guitarist: I also think part of it is that our suits visually show our group having a vintage style. We're really into 60s music and that's when it was popular for members to wear matching suits. Every band did that- The Beach Boys, Beatles, The Monkees. So it's just kind of like communicating that nostalgic vibe to the audience.

Q: Tell me the meaning behind your band name?

Carter: So the name is kind of an inside joke. The joke revolves around the idea that I'm a really bad lyric writer. A topline is your vocal melody. So if you go to a place like Nashville you’re bound to encounter different kinds of songwriters. Some specialize in writing catchy melodies but don’t write the lyrics. I’m kind of like that, or at least was like that when I first started. Whenever I would write a song, I would end up writing like the hook, the chorus, or the melody, and then I would just abandon it- I have a tendency to just move on. I didn't want to write words. I don't listen to the words so I don't really care what they are, so I would just move on and write something else. So it's really just a joke about me being bad at writing lyrics.

Q: How would you explain your writing process as a group? Is this a collaborative effort? Are you guys each writing your parts?

Carter: I wrote all of the songs that we currently have published. I'd written that batch before I really had a band together. I had a few loose ends with certain lyrics and even guitar parts, but the songs were pretty much already done before this version of the group came together. The materials that we are working on now are very collaborative. Usually, Percy or I will show up with like a skeleton of a song: a verse idea here or a chorus idea there. we present it and then everybody just kind of gets to stretch it in their own direction. Whoever kind of has the vision for the song will kind of direct us a little bit- that's kind of our process right now. We are getting ready to record more music in the next couple of months.

Q: Do you have a date in mind for a new single or an album?

Carter: Well, we're planning on consistently releasing singles. I don't want to make a promise I can't keep, so I’m hesitant to give you a date. I'm in the middle of moving right now and we record and practice at my house. I have to get everything set up so that we're able to record. We have some really strong singles for sure. I feel like when people are releasing singles, they can kind of get away with changing a lot of their sound from song to song. Although we're releasing songs as singles, we're always looking at it as, you know, how would this fit together on a playlist or in the context of like a record, what would that look like? We are trying to make sure each song fits the same vibe we are going for.

Q: Nathan, Percy, Gavin, how did you all meet Carter?

Percy, Bassist: I was originally going to audition as a guitar player for the band, but then I realized that I'm bad at guitar. I was actually about to drop out of the audition, but Carter had mentioned that they were looking for a bass player too. I ended up auditioning for the bass player spot.

Carter: So Percy, lied about being able to play bass what he meant was that he owned a bass. He just killed! He showed up and played better than anybody I've ever played with. I thought he'd been playing for a while.

Nathan, Drummer: I met Carter through the app BandMix. I was looking for people to just jam with because after I dropped out of college the hardest part was finding people to play with. I. just wanted to find people to hang out with, jam, and learn things from. I got a message from Carter a few months before I joined the band, trying to get me to audition, and I really wanted to, but I was super busy at the time. A month later, he actually texted me again. And he was like, “Hey, sorry to bother you. But you know, would you like to still come in and audition?” I was like, “Oh, definitely.” So I went to audition and met everyone, and it was just great. We played a few songs and it just felt right. we ended up preparing for a show together and from then on we just kept going.

Gavin: So I'm originally from Illinois. I didn't grow up in Texas. I'm actually here for college. I went back to Illinois, just to work through the summer living with my parents, but I was still kind of like looking for a band to join. I found Carter the same way that Nathan did through BandMix. I reached out and expressed how I loved their tunes and would love to play with them. Carter had told me that they already and a guitarist, but to send some audition tapes just in case they needed a fill. I ended up sending them and Carter had invited me to do an actual audition. I was so excited that I agreed to audition a week from the initial conversation. So I booked a hotel room and drove 11 hours down to Texas. I auditioned even though in my head they still had a guitarist. After I auditioned Carter had told me that their guitarist actually quit the day before like literally the day I came down. Carter had asked how long I was in Texas for- he had assumed I was back for something else. I had to tell him that I came to Texas for this audition and that i was going back home the next day. So yeah, I came down just for an audition for a band that already had a guitarist, but I ended up getting the job and then I moved down like a month early to play with them.

Q: Were you surprised by the popularity of your song “Loretta” or did you know it would be a hit?

Carter: For the five songs that we have out we recorded them all at the same time. I kind of wanted to release them from like “worst to best” because I wanted to lead with a song that was pretty good. The first few we released were okay, but I felt like they weren’t turning any heads. I knew I wanted to put out “Loretta” last because I felt it was the strongest. I figured if any of them had a shot then it would be the one that came out last. We figured the other songs would help us build a little bit of an audience that would actually be there for the release versus just finding us later. It has been really surprising that it has preformed better than any other song we have released which is really crazy. I didn't think it would do that. Personally, it’s my favorite.

Q: Do you guys have any upcoming shows?

Carter: We have two shows so far! One at the Howling Mutt on the 18th (February) and the other on March 2nd at Andy’s Bar. We are excited to share the stage with other great bands in the area! Hopefully we see some familiar faces.

Topline Addicts is a perfect blend of vintage style and catchy tunes. Their music is inspired by the sounds of the 60s, featuring retro melodies and upbeat rhythms. With their unique blend of rockabilly, surf rock, and jangle, they create a sound that is nostalgic with a modern twist.

-BlueGirlHours