By Nicholas Jason Lopez
San Francisco-based post-hardcore/indie trio Down Again released their debut full-length ‘The Devil Is A Gentleman,’ produced and mixed by Nick Loiacono (Kingdom Of Giants, Wolf & Bear, Secret Band, Demon In Me) on June 12, 2020
Before the release, the outfit premiered the music video for the single “Actions & Their Consequences” via New Noise and also released “Actions” as a single on digital streaming platforms. Musically, they’ve been compared to early-mid 2000’s acts like Brand New, Balance And Composure, Thrice and Touché Amoré.
Down Again is vocalist/guitarist Lenny Costa, bassist Alex Wechter and vocalist/guitarist/drummer/keyboardist Lucas Garcia.
The Music Bugle recently had the chance to talk with Costa about the new album and more.
Music Bugle – What was it like putting your new album together? How do you feel it has been received?
Lenny Costa – Putting this album together was a long time coming and we started writing songs with no clear idea of what type of band we wanted to be. We wrote the songs that we wanted to hear and somehow ended up with a cohesive record. It has been received better than we could have ever imagined. We had a fan reach out and say our lyrics were helping them through some things and that really made it all worth it.
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide your band name?
Lenny Costa – We had already finished recording our album ‘The Devil Is A Gentleman’ with Nick Loiacono at Fang Studio and we hadn’t come up with a band name yet. After listening back to the album and throwing around a couple ideas, when Down Again was suggested, it just resonated with all of us. We really felt like it captured the emotion that we brought to our music.
Music Bugle – How would you describe San Francisco to someone who has never been there before?
Lenny Costa – San Francisco is really an awesome city. It’s a mesh of a bunch of different communities and people and there is never a shortage of things to do. There are so many great food spots, awesome music venues and it’s our favorite place to skate around all day.
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about post-hardcore music?
Lenny Costa – Post-hardcore music is exciting because it provides an outlet for certain emotions that typically wouldn’t be well-received by others and it actually provides a sense of solidarity in these emotions. There is catharsis in the feeling that you can put these struggles and pains on display and someone else can actually find comfort in knowing they are not alone. Another thing is the musical freedom it provides, being able to throw songs like “Fade With Regret” and “Sinking Ship” on the same album is very cool.
Music Bugle – If you had the chance to chat one-on-one with one of your musical influences, who would you choose?
Lenny Costa – It wasn’t easy to pick just one, but if we could chat with anyone, it would be Mike Hranica, vocalist for The Devil Wears Prada. Not only are they one of our favorite bands for over 10 years now, but Mike specifically is a big influence for us. His lyrics and the passion he brings to each song is incredible and the way he has evolved from ‘Dear Love’ to ‘The Act’ is really impressive.
Music Bugle – How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you?
Lenny Costa – Obviously with the COVID-19 pandemic, we haven’t been able to play shows, which has been a bummer, but we actually put our album out right in the middle of the pandemic. With the help of our awesome publicist Bob Bradley, we have been able to get our music out to some new listeners. It’s been a cool thing to be able to reach people during this difficult time, give them maybe one positive thing to hold on to.
Music Bugle – What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?
Lenny Costa – This year is a big unknown for us, but God willing, we would love to be able to tour in 2021, so right now, we are really focused on building a fan base through different online media. We would like to put out more music videos, some live performances and even some new music.
Music Bugle – What do you feel is the group’s most emotional song?
Lenny Costa – All three of us have a different answer for this one. All the songs on the album are so deeply personal and emotional for us, but for me, it is “Lighthouse At Sea,” a song I penned about my grandfather’s suicide. For Alex, it is “Fade With Regret,” which is about realizing all the unhappiness in your life is the result of your own decisions and the regret that comes with that. For Lucas, it is “Dead Rose,” a song about being loved by someone you feel you will never deserve.
Music Bugle – What’s something people should know about the band?
Lenny Costa – The biggest thing about Down Again is that no matter what level of success we do or don’t achieve, we will always continue making music no matter what. This music is our passion and if it never turns into a viable career, you can still expect new albums from us year after year. We aren’t going anywhere.
Music Bugle – Are you working on any new music at the moment?
Lenny Costa – By the time we got the final mixes back for ‘The Devil Is A Gentleman,’ we already had so many new songs written that we could record another full-length album. We are always writing new music and I think one of our biggest strengths is how fast we can pump new music out. We are very excited about the new songs and can’t wait to build on our first album.
