Death Lens have come a long way from an instrumental surf-rock parody trio to becoming a serious post-hardcore quintet with passionate and highly relevant lyrics. On the new Death Lens album, Cold World, out May 3 on Epitaph Records, the band now find themselves committed to social justice and addressing real-world issues, all with a slick post-hardcore sound that’s made unique by the band’s use of synthesizers. It promises that this is a band you haven’t heard the last of, as Death Lens are certainly on the rise and about to accomplish big things.
Death Lens took a moment to sit down with us and discuss their new album and their history as a band.
Your new album Cold World comes out on May 3, and I’ve been listening to it. I love this album. How does this stand out from the from your previous records? What’s different about this one?
Jhon Reyes: Well, this is the first album we actually used a producer. And it’s just been a big jump from our old sound. It’s our first time trying to mature ourselves into a different genre and trying to branch out to more listeners out there, trying to get out of the LA scene.
Bryan Torres: Yeah, 100%. I think the last stuff was a little more DIY. I think with this one, we decided to go a little broader. We just been writing for a wider audience for this new record.
And I saw in your press materials that you weren’t sure about working with a producer at first. How did how did that experience turn out for you?
JR: It was actually a really scary experience to begin with because before we went to New Jersey to meet (producer) Brett (Romnes), we only had like 70% of the songs finished. We never met the guy, so we were not entirely sure of what to expect. But just from the moment we got there in Jersey, The Barber Shop (Studios), he was super, super nice. He told us that he doesn’t want to dictate us; he just wants to inspire us. And just having someone there, sitting down and trying to help us create the song and try to let us know, “Oh, this shouldn’t be here. This should be here.” He was just a really amazing producer. He was really good at helping us create the songs that we wanted to make.
BT: My perspective, I love the guy. But I’m hard headed; he’s hard headed. He was kind of a bully and I fucking loved it. I did. So we would go at it every day. I’d be, “No I don’t like this. No, I don’t like this.” But, at the end of it all, it was just a friendship that made sense to us.I think that’s what made this album so good because we both decided to put our full efforts into what we both wanted for this record. So that’s fun. I had a good time.
JR: It was the best. Yeah, absolutely.
Besides working with the producer, was there anything else that you did different in the way you approached writing and recording this album?
BT: Yes, I think my vocals from the past up (were) a little more staccato. I’ve been trying to work more on being a little more flow when it comes to singing. No more party songs. I’m getting older; we’re getting older. I feel like we’re here to put a positive message into what we write or just talking about what’s going on in life. At the end, that relates to the audience that we play for. And then, the guys have gotten a lot more intricate on their parts, hitting different genres. To be honest, we were listening to different music these past years, and I think we try to keep up with what’s going on but just make it our own. And I think that’s what happened on Cold World.
It’s also your first album on Epitaph Records, which is just absolutely legendary. What has your experience been with them?
BT: Oh, man, they’re family from day one. They come to almost all the shows that we have. At least one or two people from Epitaph come by. We befriended the PR people. We befriended Brett. We befriended everyone that comes by. It’s just good times; they treat us like we’re part of the family. And I think that’s the part we were looking for on a label is to feel connected, to feel like we’re a part of something. And that’s what Epitaph feels like to me, to the whole band. They’ve been doing a great job keeping us promoted, setting us up on playlists, making sure our music’s getting out there.
JR: And just reminding us that they just genuinely like the music.
BT: Yeah, they genuinely liked the band, which is my biggest thing because I never wanted to be on a level where they would make us feel like we’re just there for a money grab.
JR: Yeah, they just believe in the story, the cause, and it just feels good.
I love the videos for the singles you’ve released, especially the one for the title track. Where did the idea for that video come from?
BT: I had a bit of a different idea for that video. But I think what brought it together was (director) James (Baby) made his own version. But the idea for the first “Cold World” video, (I) wanted it to be something where it was what’s going on in the world right now. So it’d be like scenes and flashes of the war in Gaza. But he decided it’d be more meaningful to put it into perspective as in a nightmare. So the whole thing is like, you’re living this nightmare in your life, and then you wake up, but it’s still happening in real life. That was symbolism for what’s going on in this world right now.
JR: It took a little more of an art form. That was a beautiful video. And it was honestly really cold out there. So we were there for how long?
BT: Oh, man. Eight hours?
JR: Yeah, it was all in one day. But yeah, it was just so cold. So that was definitely a “Cold World” themed video.
BT: At the beginning, the assassination of the press, it’s like me trying to put my word out there, and you’re trying your hardest, and sometimes that’s not enough. I guess that was the main meaning that me and James got together and put into perspective. At the end, it’s like, death is watching over you no matter what’s what’s happening.
I noticed in all of the press materials I received, they are always referring to you as being a Latino band. Do you like having that categorization out there and being known that way?
BT: I do. (The) reason why is because, when I first started Death Lens, it was just a predominantly white garage rock scene. (There) wasn’t really (many) of us out there doing what we’re doing. I think what’s beautiful now is that we’re seeing more and more (people of color) start bands because they feel like they have a voice now. So we use this platform to push this forward. It’s a Latino band, multicultural band, because obviously (Jhon’s) Filipino. But it makes sense to me because I grew up as an immigrant not knowing what I was going to do. So when I started playing music, I was watching these bands, but every single band was a white band. And I felt like maybe I could be the first band to be out there doing my thing, pushing the garage scene. I think that’s we push that so much.
JR: It also inspires other minorities trying to express themselves in the same dominant culture. We want to inspire all those who are also going through the same thing who started from the bottom (and) came from nothing. As long as you work hard and hustle, it’s possible. Anything’s possible.
Jumping off what you said about how it was a predominantly white scene, did you have any kind of pushback being a minority band?
BT: I think with surf rock music, when I first started, it was kind of rare to see brown kids watch us play, actually. We started with a lot of bands like The Frights. We went to go see bands like The Osees or Bicycle, and it was the majority white-ruled as far as the audience. So when we started playing, I think we started seeing more and more brown people coming to shows. I thought it was cool. I like seeing my own people watch me; it’s always beautiful to see.
In your materials, you talked about your dedication to social justice issues. Why is that important to you as a band?
BT: Oh man. I personally wasn’t really a political guy for the longest time. And I know this is going to start some debates, but after the whole Trump era back in ’16, I really started jumping into that (after) seeing the way things are going. Obviously, the Black Lives Matter movement became a big deal. All the stuff in between just started making sense to me. Personally, I was like, if we can advocate for minorities, we can advocate for the things that are happening at the moment, and we can advocate for rights groups and all this stuff, why not? We have the platform to use it. That became our thing, using the platform, writing lyrics that lived in that moment. That’s how it happened.
JR: Yeah, it just stems from anger.
BT: Yeah, a lot of anger.
JR: Everyone’s going through their own shit. Also, during that time, being a minority in the scene just makes you angry, seeing all that stuff happened to people. (We) want to stand up for those who are going through it. I feel like it’s good to use our platform for that.
You started out as an instrumental band. Right?
BT: Oh yeah.
What made you want to change that?
BT: We didn’t really start a band to start a band back when we started. The band started just because we were bored. It was just three of us. I played the guitar; my buddy played bass; we had a drummer. We kind of ridiculed surf rock, but our own way, as a joke. But then I had the urge to start singing. My old drummer thought it was a bad idea until we tried it. And then, slowly, we went from a surf rock band that was just instrumental to having some sort of lyrics. Through different eras of Death Lens, we started making different types of music. I think, like, every five years we change our sound.
Probably a good idea, just to keep things fresh. What’s next for the band after the album comes out?
BT: Tour, tour, tour. A lot of lot of dates coming up. We have Europe, we have the U.K. We’re finishing up right now, California, the U.S. We’re about to enter into Canada tomorrow, or today, hopefully. And then we have three months off. We’re going to focus on starting to write new music. We’re going to focus on practicing all the new stuff. We’re going to focus on getting more chemistry with each other because we have a new drummer now. The boys are trying to get him more in tune with each other. And then touring again. We’re back on the road next fall in September to November.
JR: Yeah, we’re doing the Teen Mortgage tour right now. And then, after that, we’re gonna do a Together Pangea tour, and then Europe. Then, after Europe, we have that break. And then a couple of release shows, or just a little mini tour after Europe. And then we go on to with Four Year Strong after that to end the year. That’s it.
That’s all I wanted to cover. Is there anything in particular you want to plug or go over that I didn’t talk about?
BT: Yeah, that’s pretty much everything I can think of right now. Just a new album coming out.
JR: Listen to Chico. That’s our friend’s Tony’s band. So definitely bless them. And listen to Sex Beast. Also a good band.
BT: Yeah, we’re living our life right now. The van life.
JR: Everyone living in a van make sure that you stay hydrated and don’t eat too much crappy food. Try your best to just eat sandwiches and be nice to each other. Keep spirits high. That’s it. If you want to do something, just make sure you just keep on hustling for it.
Cold World by Death Lens is out today, and you can order it from Epitaph Records. Follow Death Lens on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Robert Nuñez
