POP EVIL // Let Chaos Reign

Michigan rockers Pop Evil are, by all indicators, a hard-working unit. Formed almost 20 years ago, they’ve played around 1000 shows, recorded half a dozen albums, and according to the band’s official media release, accumulated over 600 million worldwide streams.

MORE: PARKWAY DRIVE: Triumph Of The Underdogs // ARTCORE: SPEEK EVIL – Portable Art Galleries For Connoisseurs Of Weird // KICK OUT THE JAMS With WAAX REVIEWS: VIOLENT SOHO: Everything Is A-OK // THE CHATS: High Risk Behaviour // ALL TIME LOW: Wake Up, Sunshine // ENTER SHIKARI: Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible // THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER: Verminous // TRIVIUM: What The Dead Men Say

They’re a regular on the US festival circuit and have toured with big names in rock and metal: Judas Priest, Drowning Pool, Papa Roach, 3 Doors Down, Puddle Of Mud to name but a few.

In 2019, thanks to their first Aussie show, local fans got their first live taste for Pop Evil’s brand rocking but melodic post-grunge, or whatever people like to call it these days (can we all just agree: it’s all rock music, ok?).

Late last year, the band readied for their next move and snuck to Los Angeles to record their next album. Then COVID-19 struck and, as with every artist in the business, the forthcoming year was characterised by uncertainty and mass cancellations.

Lesser bands might despair in such a situation. Not frontman Leigh Kakaty though. His band recently dropped fresh music in the form of two new singles and he’s been doing his bit to help out those who’ve been affected the most. He’s trying to make the most of the situation. Even if, as he says, rock bands are the “janitors” of the music business.

What could he possibly mean by that …?

Hysteria: How are you guys all holding up under the current situation?

Yeah, it’s a bummer. You know, if things were going as planned we’d be on tour right now, getting ready to launch this new music and then take over the world, so to speak. But instead we’re quarantined. I’m just trying to stay positive. I’m going to enjoy the fam, the friends, just kind of stay here. It’s been an unwilling but refreshing way to rest and refresh my body and voice.

You’ve got an as-yet unnamed album in the works. What can you tell us for sure about it?

I feel like this one’s going to be different, this one’s the statement album for Pop Evil. We just finished the five albums and I’ve started the next chapter. We really want to make a statement, remind people that we’re veterans, we’ve been here a long time and we want to let the music show that.

We’re not afraid to take risks and I think with this album, we definitely do that. We try to tie the link that binds us by making sure the guitars are heavy when it’s time to hit, the melodies are catchy, and the songs overall are anthemic. With this album, more than ever, the goal or the theme throughout is no filler, no filler man. That doesn’t mean every song’s a hit single, that’s not the point. It’s just we wanted every song to be one we could put in our set and take our live experience to a whole other level.

With any rock band compared to other genres, we are the janitors of the music business. We’re open on weekends. We gotta play holidays. We gotta play seven days a week. There’s no quitting for us.
[ Leigh Kakaty ]

On a scale of one to 10 then, how far from completion is the upcoming album then?

You know, maybe seven and a half? We’re close. But with this delay, who knows how long before that seven and a half could be 10? Our meat and potatoes are done so to speak, but we’ve still got to put that icing on the cake. We got kind of blindsided when this pandemic went and shut down Los Angeles. So, we bailed and got out of there as quick as possible, just so we could be with family and friends, be quarantined.

You used multiple producers on this one. That’s a bit of an unusual choice. Was that an intentional decision from the outset?

Yeah, I’ve been wanting to do that for a couple albums, now. When you record demos, that’s when true raw energy is captured. Maybe it’s the raw tone of the guitar, maybe it’s how my voice sounded. It’s because I’m excited to finally be off tour and making demos again.

So, it’s just such an interesting component that’s lost from the demo to the recording process. And I didn’t want that to be a factor in the way we recorded this album this time around. Sometimes when you record with one producer, I feel like things get flat. You have the record and it’s exciting. But it takes a lot of work, a lot of brain power is coming out of you. By the time you’re halfway through you’re like, OK, time is money, your money in the studio. We’ve got to finish it, but really, you almost feel like you need to take a month or three off just so you can get back and be fresh again. But no, you’ve got to finish this album. Everything goes against the natural process of the creativity.

I made sure this time around that we weren’t going to fall victims to those kind of traps. And the best way to do it is when we were demoing things with different producers. It was like, ‘let’s build on what we did over here. Ok, we’re over here now, let’s build on that’. And it gave us so much energy.

You’ve been doing press work for the two new singles, Work and Let The Chaos Reign. What’s the impression been so far?

The comments remind me of when our biggest song ever came out, which was Footsteps. When Footsteps was released it was a very experimental song. It was risqué, so to speak for the band at the time.

We want to make music for our fan base, but we’re still a growing band, we still want to make music that can entice new fans. And the way to do that is to be creative with your music.

We’re taking things from different genres that we love and we’re smothering them with guitar riffs and we’re smothering them with Pop Evil melody and we’re making them our own. That’s what we’ve been doing since the beginning.

It’s important that we try to be creative and experimental with music and show that duality that is Pop Evil, with a ying and yang. We’ll give you one song from this end of the spectrum, and, boom, the next one we give you the next. And just when you think we’re going to do something, we do the opposite. And then we come back, and well, what did you expect?

Pop Evil is, and always has been, the blend between rocking and metal. And also the blend between the secular pop mainstream world and melody.

The new single Work is a little different. It touches on an almost EDM sound but it’s got that heavy riff behind it. Does that sound like a fair description?

Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of that influence in there. And then again, we wanted it to be a blend. If you notice on a lot of the Pop Evil older catalogue, the choruses are very vocal-heavy. On Work, we wanted to be a little more, ‘let’s let the band do more of the talking’. The choruses, all the guitars riffing through it, it creates a vibe, passion, electricity. I mean, all I’m saying is ‘all I do is work’ and then, boom, the guitars just take it from there. The drops with the low sonic sound of the rhythm section, it’s infectious man.

Pop Evil is, and always has been, the blend between rocking and metal. And also the blend between the secular pop mainstream world and melody
[ Leigh Kakaty ]

Is there an anecdote or a specific story that contributed to the lyrics on Work?

Yeah, I had a lot of shitty jobs [laughs]. For me personally, it was written at a time where it seems like work was all I was doing. It was all about the next single, the next song, the next tour, the next show.

It seemed like all the people that mattered the most, family, loved ones. It’s like I was like, ‘yeah, just text me, I’m busy, I haven’t got time, I’m working, just text me’.

And then, when you really stop and think about it, you realise, wow, the people that are talking to you and the people that really matter are just on my phone. I don’t ever see them. They’re like invisible entities that I have some relationship with through a device. That came to me when we were writing the music.

After I wrote it, I remember listening to it and then I took 24 hours off. I remember in the booth how I wasn’t quite sure if it felt right. Then I listened to it with fresh ears, 24 hours later, and I thought, wow, this song is insane, there’s just something special about it.

All those special songs do this, they all kind of take on a life of their own, and they all kind of just get bigger and snowball into what they are.

As we got closer to finishing the record, everyone that heard it, our close friends and family, would remark, wow, what is that Work song, I’ve got to hear it.

And of course, who can’t relate to “All I do is work”? There are millions of people around the globe and it seems like they don’t have time for the little things. Especially now. You know, it’s funny, the song was written way before the pandemic and the same with Let The Chaos Reign and it’s crazy how both those songs now fit the time that we’re in more than ever.

We were among the first to be postponed and cancelled and now we’ll probably be among the last to come back. It’s very daunting, especially for most rock and roll bands. I do feel that, with any rock band compared to other genres, we are the janitors of the music business. We’re open on weekends. We gotta play holidays. We gotta play seven days a week. There’s no quitting for us. We work monthly to keep our lights on.

So this is definitely a very challenging time for most bands. And then who knows how many bands can survive it. It’s definitely going to be a challenge, the longer it goes, for many bands. So it’s important, now more than ever, to support and think of ways to be creative and work. And to think, ‘we can do this, we’ll get through this, everyone else is going through this as well.’ And we need to be positive and figure it out together. So it’s amazing how the song means even more to me now.

On that note, you’re supporting your stage and tech crew via your merch store (items marked “Benefits PE Crew”). Would you like to give them a plug?

Absolutely. You know, it’s funny you should mention that because today was actually the day we paid them from all the stuff we’ve sold. I’m very close with my crew guys. They don’t just come in for a tour. These guys have been with me every day in, day out. These are dudes that are loyal to me and the band, they’re family.

They rely on the touring, that’s how they make their living. So, [with COVI-19] they were devastated. They didn’t ask for anything ever, they never complain.

And I was like, ‘look, how about we make some T-shirts and some merch that we can sell exclusively, and get you something, even if it’s just $20’. We were able to give them all cheques. They were so, so appreciative. It was nice to just be in a position where we could give a little something to people that we love, and let them know that we’re so grateful for all the stuff they do behind the scenes so we could be rock stars. They’re the real rock stars to us because of all the little things they do behind the scenes.

Pop Evil’s upcoming album will be released later this year via eOne.