Aren't We Amphibians: San Diego Ballroom Emo
Aren't We Amphibians is a three-piece bringing math rock back into style. Describing themselves as "ballroom emo," Aren't We Amphibians is slowly but surely on the rise and on members of the DIY scene here in San Diego's radar. If you like bands like Hot Mulligan, Tiny Moving Parts, Good Sleepy, or Gulfer, you will fall in love with Aren't We Amphibians. So, Let's get to know the band!
Photo taken by @maybethingswouldbebetter on IG
TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR BAND NAME. HOW DID Y'ALL NAME YOURSELVES?
Josh: "Our name actually comes from the movie, 'Synecdoche, New York.' Real ones know."
HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?
Brandon: "Well, me and Tyler are brothers, so I guess I've known him my whole life."
Tyler: "Yeah, I met him at home."
Josh: "I met Brandon on the first day of 2nd grade, and we've been pretty much inseparable ever since. Tyler is his brother, so we always all hung out together when I'd go over to their house."
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO FORM A BAND TOGETHER?
Josh: "It was all kind of a coincidence. I started playing guitar and writing songs around the same time Brandon started playing drums. I was posting acoustic recordings of EP1 songs on SoundCloud."
Brandon: "Then I think I just randomly wrote drums to one of those SoundCloud songs when it came. I was like, 'hey, wanna get together and jam on this?' From then on, we were a two-piece for a while."
Tyler: "I'm just the bassist."
Josh: "Yeah, after a while, we were like, 'We need a bassist.' We asked Tyler, expecting him to say no, but he was down. Since then, we've been a three-piece."
Photo taken by @maybethingswouldbebetter on IG
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHOW MEMORY AND WHY?
Josh: "Personally, it was the first time seeing people crowd surf to us. It's an insane feeling."
Brandon: "Playing the House of Blues was crazy. I didn't think we would ever play there, and what's funny is it was like our 2nd show."
Tyler: "Yeah, that was a good one. Also, hearing people sing our songs back to us is cool."
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES?
Josh: "I'm super influenced by artists like Origami Angel, Sports, Two Knights, Carly Cosgrove, and Dryjacket."
Brandon: "In terms of specific artists, probably like Macseal, Fall Out Boy, Oso Oso, Pet Symmetry, and The Chariot. In terms of specific drummers, I took lessons from Macseal's drummer Frankie, and I'm a big fan of Sam Becht and Brian Chippendale."
Tyler: "I'd say for bass stuff, it'd be System of a Down, William Bonney, and Frail Body."
I NOTICED YOU PUT OUT AN EP IN AUGUST OF 2022. CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE RECORDING PROCESS?
Josh: "It was all recorded at home over the span of about six months. We really took our time with it to ensure it was all good. It was fun! I think our sound has definitely evolved since recording EP1, though."
Photo taken by @eliasjasna
WHAT IS YOUR CRAZIEST LIVE SHOW STORY?
Josh: "We played a homie's birthday party in El Centro in his backyard. It was super cool. They threw pinatas into the pit, and people were going ham on them."
Brandon: "Yeah, it was a dirt lot backyard, so people were rolling around in the dirt, and candy was getting all dusty. It was dope sauce."
Tyler: "Also, there was a cake, which was pretty nice too."
WHAT ARE SOME FUTURE ENDEAVORS WE CAN EXPECT FROM YOU GUYS?
Josh: "We have a couple of splits planned, a tour in October and EP2 later this year."
Photo taken by @nyladdy
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AREN'T WE AMPHIBIANS, CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW.
Photo taken by @eliasjasna
