Interview with The New Schematics

Published: April 20, 2018

Nashville alt-pop duo The New Schematics are picking up speed in the midst of their self-imposed “Year of the Single,” so we thought it’d be a great time to chat with them for our newest NoiseTrade One-on-One. Read on to find out what birthed their year-long, singles-only project, what inspired their newest entry “Prove Me Wrong,” why they think there is so much pop music coming out of Nashville, and much more!

NoiseTrade: Before we dive in to your new single “Prove Me Wrong,” can you give our audience a quick primer on the singles-driven output you’ve got planned for this year?

Cory Bishop: Yeah, totally. Toward the middle of last year, we decided 2018 would be “The Year of the Single” for us. The goal is to put out five to six singles throughout the year, along with videos, merch, and shows to go with each. We kind of want to keep things fresh for everyone and for ourselves. We want to really include everyone in what’s happening every step of the way.

NT: You just released your newest single “Prove Me Wrong” in early March. What can you tell us about the writing and recording of the song?

Bishop: All of it happened really fast. I wrote it a week before I got married and it started to form while I was on the road for 3 weeks just before my wedding. It’s a long time to be apart from someone, especially right before you get married, so it was hard on both of us! The night I got home from that tour, I couldn’t sleep and wrote the song all at once. I brought it to the band and had a vision of keeping it simple with a kind of drum machine thing. I thought Pat Kiloran would be the perfect producer for it and he came over one night to knock it out with Michael and I, all in just 4 hours. It was kind of refreshing to do it so fast.

NT: In the last couple years there’s been a big surge in the pop scene coming out of Nashville. What do you think gets the credit for that and who are some of the other groups and artists that you feel are along with you in the charge?

Bishop: Yeah, it’s been awesome. After 11 years here, it’s exiting to me that Nashville is getting a reputation as more than just a country music scene. The first band I remember really pushing it were my Belmont friends Kopecky. Since then, we’ve had COIN, Judah & The Lion, Nightly, Chris Jobe, Kid Politics… the list goes on. I hope it keeps growing. I think the city growing with so many transplants so quickly has been responsible for it. It’s always been a collaborative city and now it has a new genre to work toward growing together.

NT: Can you describe the sonic shift in your new material versus some of your earlier releases and what are some of the inspirational ingredients that have contributed to your current sound?

Bishop: : I think we’ve been adapting. After a couple years on the road and putting out releases, we started to realize things needed to shift in what we were doing. Part of that came from noticing that the music we were listening to and the music we were playing didn’t quite match-up. A lot of our older songs were ones I had written before the band began, back when I was a folk/Americana artist. As we began listening to more music together, the songwriting needed to shift focus. Now I think the songs retain the same honesty they’ve all had but are a bit easier to digest.

NT: Finally, you recorded some cool music videos for “Who Do You Think You Are” and “Prove Me Wrong” recently. What can you tell us about the idea behind both videos? Also, if you could reshoot any classic MTV music video with you as the star, which one would it be and why?

Bishop: They were both really fun. I spent some time last year exploring the color wheel and decided I wanted to really be intentional with color this year. We’re a low-budget indie band, so both videos began with the question “What can we do for cheap?” This got me thinking about simple, clean backdrops. I enlisted my wife to be the visual to the song about herself. I thought if we show her reacting, then people can follow her cues in a way. Plus, a single shot is super candid and vulnerable. With “Prove Me Wrong,” I took the idea a step further by adding some more colors and cuts, while keeping it all simple. Wait until you see the next video…

I would definitely want to be Tom Petty in “Free Falling.” Just a classic. I would want to be Tom Petty in anything really.

Music Blogs
follow us on Twitter      Contact      Privacy Policy      Terms of Service
Copyright © BANDMINE // All Right Reserved
Return to top