Establishing themselves with a few solid years of prominent national touring in support of well-known acts, two nationally-distributed full-length releases, an ever-expanding fan base and even a van accident that's left a few permanent impressions, SAVES THE DAY have wound their audiences into an unprecedented mass of hype, all the while maturing in their own sound and perspective. Yet contrary to their new albums title, Stay What You Are, don't expect this quintet's third full-length and Vagrant debut to be a stagnant continuation of their previous efforts. It's anything but the same.
In order to help the band seek a fresh perspective, producer Rob Schnapf (ELLIOT SMITH, BECK, GUIDED BY VOICES) was brought on board to oversee the making of Stay What You Are.
"We knew we wanted to do something different, and we really liked the idea of finding someone who doesn't usually do bands like us." Drummer Bryan Newman says of Schnapf.
Case in point: The first song on Stay What You Are titled "At Your Funeral" is about imagining a friend or foe's death in the future, which is a far cry from songs about girls and love. SAVES THE DAY have grown older, become more serious and their new views are certainly reflected on their latest release. But there's still no question that this is still SAVES THE DAY release.
This is the band's first venture with a new production team, as their last two Equal Vision full-lengths Cant Slow Down (1997) and Through Being Cool (1999) utilized producer Steve Evetts (LIFETIME SEPULTURA). Known for their direct-hitting, pop-fuelled stylings, the eleven tracks of Stay What You Are also introduces a new angle with song arrangements, thanks in part to the band's willingness to let Schnapf bring his ideas to the table. Although known for performing with pop punk and hardcore acts, it's apparent that the band has been able to carve out a musical niche all it's own, fusing their wide array of influences into one finite unit.
Stay What You Are also showcases SAVES THE DAY's most varied material to date, which the band says might be challenging to some of their existing audience who discovered the band on their previous releases.
"It's not a record that people who love Through Being Cool are going to necessarily put on and love immediately," guitarist David Coloway says.
"One of the catchiest songs is about a friend of ours that has a heroin problem," Bryan says. "The content is dark but the melodies are still there."
Despite their decidedly more grave outlook, SAVES THE DAY still keep a light-hearted approach to their musical objectives. "We're not trying to save the world," David says. "We're just trying to make people have fun for an hour or so."
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