Girl at the Rock Shows

Lenny Costa of Down Again has reached out to me a couple of times with some music from this San Francisco based band. Every time I hear a song, I fall deeper and deeper in love with them. There’s something so raw about the delivery of their sound yet something so polished and perfected. It’s a perfect balance and leads to an addicting song that will both make you feel everything while making you forget everything at the same time. Long story short, Down Again is perfection and when I was offered a chance to ask vocalist Lenny Costa some questions, I jumped on the opportunity.

We’re going to start off with a two-parter-
Pick between It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office, or Parks & Rec

I could really pick any of those, all three are so good! But I’m gonna go with It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia as my favorite.

Now that you’ve picked, please assign each band member as a character from said show

So Lucas is definitely Charlie, he is honestly just like him haha crazy energy and crazy ideas, ambitious and creative. Alex (bass) is Dennis, we are always getting on his nerves but he loves us anyways. I (Lenny) would have to be Mac, because he is my favorite and I want to be him. And Alex (drums) is Deandra, both blonde and too good to be hanging with the rest of us haha

How would you describe your music to your parents?

To my parents I would describe our music as emo. For a long time it freaked them out with all the screaming, but they are getting used to hearing it now. It’s definitely not their cup of tea though.

What’s your favorite video game and why?

My favorite video game of all time was Spider-Man 2, for the PlayStation 2. I had never played anything like it before and I could play that game all day.

What was the first concert you ever went to?

My first concert was actually Parkway Drive, who was my favorite band at the time and still top 5 all time for me. It was a life changing experience and really fanned the flame for my musical passion.

Favorite lyrics of all time?

My all time favorite lyric is a fairly recent one, last year Gatherers put out the song “Twelve Omaha Solemn Certainty” and really the entire song is my favorite lyrics. But specifically the first verse hit me hard:

“How do you swallow the feeling of impending doom?

Like a pool too shallow to drown in

Yet you insist to try

Try and try

It’s time to go

A wave goodbye”

They put to words a feeling that I have so often felt alone in.

If you were to rob a bank, what would be the song playing in the getaway car as you escape?   

If I were to rob a bank the getaway car would probably be playing “Talk Shit, Get Shot” by Body Count. It’s one of my favorite songs and always gets me hyped up and in the mood to do something stupid haha

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

The best concert I have ever been to was the Underoath rebirth tour, when they got back together and played “They’re Only Chasing Safety” and “Define The Great Line” front to back. Those albums shaped me, and I never got to see them live before they broke up, so hearing them both was a religious experience. They are also one of the best live bands I’ve seen and the crowd was insane.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside?

Skateboarding is my other passion in life. If I wasn’t in a band I would dedicate 100% of my free time to it. I could skate all day every day and it would still never be enough.

What’s your favorite frozen pizza?

Favorite frozen pizza has to be a Freschetta Supreme pizza, I always have one of those on deck.

If you could compare yourself to an animal, what would it be and why?

The animal I would compare myself to is probably a dog, I’m stubborn, loyal, willing to work hard, and always ready to get into trouble.

Have you ever been able to finish a Rubik’s Cube?

I haven’t, but I know Lucas has done it. No idea how haha

What’s the worst concert you’ve ever been to and why?

I hate to really say anything negative about other bands specifically, but my biggest pet peeve at shows is when the vocalist talks a lot of the screaming parts rather than scream them. Sadly I have seen that from quite a few bands that really bummed me out.

What’s an old-school fad that you wish would come back?

For me I would love to see scene hair come back haha I always thought it was so sick.

What’s one thing I should know before listening to “Take It Back”?

This song is very personal, it’s about losing loved ones to dementia, and specifically during the pandemic when we weren’t able to visit our loved ones who were dying and say goodbye. So it’s a song that weighs very heavy on our hearts.

Out of the entire song, what ten second clip is your favorite and why?

My favorite 10 seconds is when the “outro” of the song comes in at 3:05, that part gives me the chills hearing it back. I always crave intensity in music and I feel like you can really feel it in that moment.

There’s so much freaking power in this song, how badly did your voice hurt after recording this one?

Recording the song wasn’t bad at all! There is so much time spent before hitting the studio building up my voice to be ready, so it wasn’t an issue. It was a huge point of emphasis to bring that power to the vocals though and we are very proud of that.

I like that there’s a sense of darkness in this song and then the video is all black and white– who decided on that and who chose the clips that are in the video?

I worked very closely with Matt (bird sounds), our video editor, to create the video for this song. I wanted the visuals to be black and white and portray the pain that dementia causes. A lot of the shots in the video are meant to be flashbacks for the old man you see in the video, but they are scattered and he can’t make sense of them, and the fog is another metaphor for that as well. I couldn’t be happier with how the video turned out and feel like it really takes the song to the next level.

If you had to replace the vocals with an instrument typically found in a classical orchestra, what instrument would it be?

This is probably cheating a little bit but I would choose the full orchestra, I feel like you would really need the percussion to capture the screaming parts, while the strings would be necessary for the melodies.

How amazing was it working with Austin McAuley of LIMBS?

I can’t say enough good things about working with Austin McAuley, the song was finished aside from his feature when we sent it to him and we gave him creative control over his guest spot. The lyrics that he wrote blew me away. They add so much to the song and both his singing and screaming is flawless as always.

Austin of LIMBS on the track, Connie Sgarbossa from SeeYouSpaceCowboy did the album artwork– how did you connect with so many amazing people?

We actually reached out to both of them by direct messaging on Instagram, so it was really amazing that it worked out. They both were so great to work with and artists that I very much look up to.

I know this is a follow up to your 2021 EP ‘Bury The Bones’ but, come on, stop teasing us– is there going to be a new EP or album soon?! 

It’s no secret we are due for another full length album, so I would keep your eyes peeled for more singles and an album announcement this year. We won’t make you wait too long!

What’s the one thing you want to tell up and coming bands?

There are so many things, but some of the most important in my opinion are to find other people with the same goal as you. If you have band members who aren’t as passionate or dedicated as you they will end up holding you back. And don’t have a backup plan. If you want to make music your life, go after it relentlessly. Any effort you put towards a backup plan is only going to make it easier to give up.

Adorable, right?! Okay, that’s maybe not the right word but, much like Down Again’s music, I felt something genuine in every single one of Lenny’s answers. It’s no surprise that his answer about what to know about “Take It Back” before listening is that it’s super personal. You get that from the song itself but I think hearing Lenny explain exactly how personal it is adds another staggering sense of depth to the track.

There’s a lot of great songs out there from Down Again so, if you like “Take It Back”, spend some time with their other material and brace yourselves for what is sure to be an amazing upcoming full-length album!

Down Again Youtube

Down Again Instagram

Down Again Twitter

Down Again Spotify

Down Again Apple Music

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist with this track and a bunch of other amazing tracks HERE!