Moses Charles and Calvin Gaynor make up the pop-punk duo Brook Davis (yes, named after Sophia Bush’s character from One Tree Hill). Although they’ve only just begun to make a name for themselves — having formed in the fall of 2018 — the pair has already decided to do things their own way, as evident by having recently “surprise dropped” their debut EP a few weeks back.
I got the chance to talk with Moses about their love of One Tree Hill, why they decided to drop their debut EP Serious Damage out of the blue, their goals as a duo, and so much more! Keep reading to see what he had to say!
For those who might not have ever heard of y’all, can you give us a brief history of the duo and how it culminated into what it is now?
Calvin and I met in high school; we’re in the same group of friends from back home. I’ve always written/recorded music on my own but never really did anything with it. Sometime last fall, we kinda decided to just get after it.
I know the duo is named after Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill, but what made you want to name it after her? Are you guys big One Tree Hill fans?
Honestly, I’m way more of a Brooke Davis fan than I am a fan of the show in general. [The] show is obviously a classic but I’m ready to argue why it’s also pretty terrible. Brooke was a great though. I mean, look at that character development. Unmatched.
I’m always genuinely curious about what artists want to convey to listeners with their music. You guys classify your sound as pop-punk, but if you had to describe it without using genre names, how would you describe it?
You know that feeling you get when you think you left your door unlocked or the sink water running? Yeah, I want people to feel like that when they listen to us.
Kind of going off of that, who are some of your musical influences?
Besides the obvious answers (All Time Low, State Champs, etc.), I would say a lot of pop musicians really inspire my writing, especially on this EP. Little Mix, The Vamps, One Direction to name a few. UK pop bands blow all of ours out of the water.
Let’s talk about your debut EP Serious Damage, which you guys surprisingly dropped a few weeks ago. What made you guys want to drop it out of the blue like that?
I think we just realized there was no reason or logic behind building hype around a band that didn’t exist yet. Release the EP then build hype around it seemed like the best game plan.
The new single from the EP is “I Can’t Keep This Up Anymore”. What inspired this song?
It’s about a weekend I went away with some friends and spent a good chunk of it intoxicated. [I] thought I fell in love but once the hangover passed, I was all good.
What was the songwriting process like for this song specifically?
Pretty long actually. I had the guitars demo’d maybe a year before I ever even had lyrics or a melody. I also probably rewrote the chorus melody about 3 times. [The] bridge maybe went through 5 sets of lyrics. Here’s to hoping the final cut was the best choice.
Do you guys tend to write solely by yourselves or do you like collaborating with other writers and artists in co-writes?
In the studio, our producer chimed in every now and then to help rewrite certain parts but he was pretty hands off for the most part. I’m not opposed to collaborating; [I] actually think some of the best songs usually have co-writes. If the opportunity ever presents itself, I’m very down. Looking at you, John Feldy.
Was there any major changes to “I Can’t Keep This Up Anymore” that happened once you guys got into the recording studio, whether it be in the lyrics or something sonically?
Besides maybe a few chord changes, the song actually came out exactly as it was written.
I know you also got to shoot a music video for this song. What was that experience like? Was that your first time shooting a music video?
Funny enough, although this was the first video we dropped, it was the second one we filmed for the EP. Shooting this was fun, though. We pretty much just did what we would usually do on a Saturday except someone filmed it all. Super laid back.
You guys are still relatively new to the music game. What are some music industry-related goals or benchmarks that you’re aiming to reach in the next couple of years?
I guess our main goal right now is to get our listens and follows up. It’s only been about a month so we’ve got a ways to go. Besides that? Book some shows. No big dreams yet; we’re still an infant band. [We] can’t even hold our own head up.
Lastly, we’re called Talk Nerdy With Us because we all have an inner nerd so what is something that you’re currently nerding out about?
I actually don’t have anything I’m “nerdy” about. I promise this isn’t a cop out either. It’s maybe my worst trait. Thinking I’m too cool to like anything nerdy. Does Harry Potter count? Is that even niche?
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