Honest Men get honest with us as we breakdown their new release, “My Mind.”In August, Austin-based indie rock band Honest Men released their first original release in a year, “My Mind.” This track explores the innate tendencies we have to judge others who don’t think like us, and our need to move past these judgments we have and open our hearts and minds to others. In this divided world we live in today, this message is an important one for everyone to hear. With this track, along with its counterpart “Your Mind” the band explores a new path, away from the more pop sound they’ve played with in the past, and more towards their roots in rock. We had the opportunity to chat with the band to discuss “My Mind” and break it down with them. Read below to see what they had to say!//What was the inspiration behind “My Mind” and it’s counterpart, “Your Mind”?Musically, we really wanted to write a song in fast 6/8 time signature. We’d all been inspired by songs with that vibe like “MJ" by Now, Now and wanted to capture that sound in a new and original way. Lyrically, we wanted to explore the side of the mind that tends to judge people, that doesn't align with your personal beliefs, values, or opinions. Judgement gets us nowhere. Love moves things forward. "My Mind" / "Your Mind" explores the push and pull of feeling like you’re “better” than somebody just because they think differently. Who was involved in writing and producing this song?We write everything in-house, so Seth had the original idea/melody and Zach, Brooks, and Nate helped it come to life. We self-produced this song in Waco, TX, where we all met. What did the process behind developing this song look like?To be totally honest (pun intended), it was a major headache to develop this song. We recorded bass, drums, guitar, vocals, and synths in the studio one day, thinking that was all we needed. We then went back and added a LOT of extra programming that really muddied the song up. We disagreed on certain parts and instruments that got added, and it took a really long time to all get on the same page with where we wanted the song to land. The end result sounds basically exactly like the day we recorded it, with those original instruments. Bass, drums, guitar, vocals, and synths. No extra frills. The basics. How would you say this process compared to how some of your past releases came to be?This was our first song to self-produce. We spent an entire day focusing JUST on this one song. Previously we’d go into the studio with demos created before-hand and knock out 3-4 songs in a day. We didn’t have a demo for this song (besides an iPhone recording of Seth singing and playing the song on acoustic guitar), and we created it entirely from scratch the day of. It felt a lot more freeing to not be rushed to complete 3+ songs. We could really take our time, dial in sounds, and feel good about everything. It was more fun that way, too! Less stress. This is your first original release in over a year. How have you evolved as a band during this time?Man, a lot has changed. We’ve moved to Austin, each gotten married, started new jobs, and more. We started this band in college, but now it feels like we’re “real” adults (whatever that means). We’ve had life experiences that have really changed and shaped us as individuals and we feel more confident in who we are as a band sonically, visually, and personally.“My Mind” has been out for over a month now. What has been the response from listeners so far?People really love it. If you look at our numbers, it’s obvious a lot of our fans want more “rose” pop songs out of us, but that’s just not where we’re headed as a band. We’re being drawn back to our rock roots, and we think our fans are excited about that, too. We hope they are, at least! That’s not to say we’ll never write a more pop-influenced song again, though. On “My Mind,” you’ve started to show a grittier side than on most of your past releases. What can we expect from you in future?Rock and roll, baby. Drums, bass, guitars, synths, vocals. The basics. Good music. But really, who knows?!//If you haven’t had a chance yet, be sure to check out all their new music and follow Honest Men at their socials below!Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Soundcloud | Spotify | Apple Music

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