Los Angeles – Baltimore, MD based guitar pop quartet Diamond Youth released their debut LP, Nothing Matters, this week on Topshelf Records. The album follows a string of solid EPs and finds the band expanding on the dynamics of their sound while sticking to the melodic yet aggressive style fans have grown accustomed to. Best New Bands had a phone conversation with lead singer and guitarist Justin Gilman to talk about how the band got started, the Baltimore music scene, and recording their debut at a skate company’s headquarters.
How did you get in contact with [guitarist] Sam [Trapkin]; how did Diamond Youth get started?
Justin Gilman: Sam and I went to the Maryland Institute College of Art together; we were both graphic design majors and actually had an internship together too. But he was doing Trapped Under Ice and I was doing an indie band in Baltimore. We just became friends and decided to make a band that combined our 90’s influences and other influences from growing up — and write some rock music.
Is it tough being on either side of the coast?
Justin: Actually, it’s been that way since day one, so it’s kind of just what we’ve done since the very beginning. I moved to Chicago basically after we started the band, and we’ve just shared files and written individually, made it work from different cities for the four years we’ve been together.
Being in Baltimore, are you a part of the music scene out there? There are a lot of bands coming out of the area these days.
Justin: Yeah I mean there are a lot of great punk bands; there are a lot of great indie bands. The music scene is actually fantastic. I try to go to a lot of shows, whether that’s at Charm City Art Space or something bigger like Rams Head or Ottobar, something like that. It’s actually a great city for music, I don’t know if people realize that.
I think people are starting to realize it more, you are seeing more and more bands (from Baltimore) getting national exposure.
Justin: Yeah, you’ve got like Turnstile and Angel Du$t who are DIY, and in the indie world you’ve got like Dan Deacon, Beach House, Future Islands. It’s a creative city for sure. The design industry is great too.
Did you guys do the artwork for your upcoming album?
Justin: Yes we did, Topshelf Records, May 19th, and our tour starts May 15th with Superheaven and Rozwell Kid. So that should be cool.
Are those bands from Baltimore friends you’ve met along the way?
Justin: Yeah, just friends we’ve met. We’ve played with Superheaven; we’ve never actually played with Rozwell Kid though, but their music is sick and if you haven’t seen their music videos you should check them out, they’re wild. But it is such a perfect lineup.
Where does that tour get started?
Justin: May 15th in New York.
So is the plan to go East Coast to West Coast?
Justin: Yeah we sort of just do the big loop, full US. We end up back on the East Coast and we’ll hit Florida, and Cali, and you know, everything in between.
So this is your first full-length release?
Justin: Yes, it’s our debut full-length; we’ve put out a handful of EPs and a demo. We have had releases pretty much once a year and now this is the big full-length. We are excited to finally release it.
Were those released on Topshelf Records or a variety of labels?
Justin: We did Orange and Shake with Topshelf.
What about the new album has you most excited for fans of your band to hear? Is there a favorite song or anything like that?
Justin: I actually don’t have a favorite song. Each song is pretty different. There’s a healthy variety of vibes on the record. We like to write a lot of different styles within the genre; you know, there’s like a couple bangers and a couple grungy ones, some ballads, and I think it is a nice showcase of the kind of music we like to write.
I agree; it definitely was hard to pin down one genre for you guys. Because it’s kind of like all within the same realm but kind of jumping around all over.
Justin: Yeah, exactly. We made a point to keep that in mind in the studio as opposed to just laying out each instrument like an assembly line style process. We experimented with tones and pedals, there’s organ and piano and that stuff on there. So we took it song by song which I think helped the overall aesthetic of the record.
And you recorded at Hurley Studios? How was that experience?
Justin: Yeah it was at their headquarters. It’s an amazing space, right in their headquarters in Costa Mesa. I mean we just went there for a month in the sunshine — there’s people skateboarding to meetings, you know their staff is just sort of like cruising around with clipboards and there’s a skate park right next door to the studio. It’s sort of in this like warehouse style structure. And just the whole vibe was absolutely perfect for the record. Hurley is a fantastic company.
You can really kind of hear that vibe on Nothing Matters.
Justin: Yeah, I think that’s a huge thing to consider. If we were in ice-cold New York City in the winter, it probably would have affected the aesthetic.
Nothing Matters is available now on Topshelf Records. Check Diamond Youth’s Facebook page for more information on tour dates on their United States tour.
Matt Matasci
Latest posts by Matt Matasci (see all)
- The Shelters Perfects Rock and Roll at Bardot - June 30, 2016
- Featured Artist: The Shelters - June 8, 2016
- Andrew Bird Charms Los Angeles with Fiona Apple - May 18, 2016
