2*Sweet finds niche in hardcore metal and pop punk
The differences between 2*Sweet's 2-year-old EP and their forthcoming full-length, "Sleep without Dreams," due out May 20, are so vast and profoundly influential to the band's musical purpose that new listeners will no doubt fail to recognize that the two offerings came from the same group. Judging by 2*Sweet's extensive spring tour schedule and upcoming Metro show with June, that's very positive feedback indeed.
Truth be told, it took a five-member resume of metal side projects and pop-punk guilty pleasures for 2*Sweet to reach the pop/hardcore equilibrium they needed to stand out among other power-chord punk bands dominating the entry-level indie empire. And when they ultimately discovered their shadowy, hooky niche last year, it happened so fast and so gradually that they didn't even know what to call it.
"It doesn't really even sound like pop-punk anymore," singer Justin Pence says. "I think it's moved past that." After much discussion and undoubtedly volumes of "very unserious" potential descriptors, the band (drummer Dan Polak, guitarist Andy Nelson, guitarist Pete Grossmann and bassist Dave Cronina) semi-settled on a made-up genre that manages to nail Pence's growling vocals and 2*Sweet's collective, metal-influenced pop riffs quite well: "Doom-pop."
Keep in mind that when 2*Sweet formed four years, mostly ago out of the ashes and general boredom of various suburban bands (2*Sweet hails from Downers Grove, Westchester and Chicago), they started as a power-pop band. In fact, "pop punk" was their genre of choice as recently as two years ago, back when the band agreed to take a break from college to tour full time.
It wasn't until they headed into Vudu Studios in Long Island, NY, that their "Sleep without Dreams" producer Mike Watts (Tall As Lions), nudged them -- Pence, in particular -- to capitalize on the metal-core techniques they've used in the past and were already comfortable using. Pence says he was just fooling around with some deep-throated grumblings at the mic during a recording break one day when Watts told him to sing like that for real.
"He's like, 'Yo, you sound good doing that, so let's try it,'" Pence says. "He kind of brought it out of me."
That doesn't mean 2*Sweet didn't keep many of the poppy hooks that landed them a fan base in the first place.
The sugar-coated hooks and candy-laced harmonies make Pence's deep-throated vocals and the rest of the band's instinctive, Dillinger Escape Plan-esque metal breaks all the more catchy. It's not a surprise they draw fans from both sides of the hardcore/dance-pop equation.
If only it were that easy to convey to a mass audience. The thing is, Pence and 2*Sweet aren't as eager to jump onto the record-label bandwagon as many of their suburban-scene contemporaries.
Though it took nearly a year of "pocket-scraping," not to mention constant touring on their own dime and reams of e-mails unabashedly self-promoting themselves to MySpace fans, they paid for "Sleep without Dreams" themselves. It's not that they're anti-label. They just don't want to succumb to a receding music industry just yet.
"It's very oversaturated," Pence says of the Web rock culture that's forcing record labels to change their course of business. "I think it's good for bands to step outside the box, and the more they do it, the healthier they become."
So it's with mixed emotions that they play June's final show Saturday on one of Chicago's most coveted stages. Watching the Victory Records-signed group disband after like-minded acts like Spitalfield and the Junior Varsity broke up under similar circumstances is disheartening for up-and-coming artists like 2*Sweet. "It's kind of a bummer," Pence says. "They're such great musicians. I mean, I'm sure they're going to do another band -- I think."
Two years ago, when 2*Sweet recorded their EP, something told them to commit themselves to the band fulltime. They played an EP release show for their friends at MoJoe's, a now-defunct suburban record store, and the crowd's response essentially sent the bandout on tour. They bid farewell to school and started writing. So far, it's proven successful.
"I've basically just been playing guitar and answering e-mails all day," Pence laughs.
"And watching Law & Order!" he says. "I've seen all the episodes like five times."
That'll change come Saturday when 2*Sweet begins their monthlong, cross-country tour in preparation of releasing "Sleep without Dreams."
They plan to tour through April, stopping only once in Illinois for a show in Creve Coeur, just outside of Peoria.
Then it's off to the west coast and a California tour with San Francisco-based punk band Set Your Goals. Pence says they set it up so they'll finish their tour just in time to drive straight from California to their Subterranean CD release party on May 25.
"It'll give everyone their real first impression (of the band)," he says.
Last weekend they recorded a video for "Rested Eyes Tell No Lies" with the help of their friend Alex Gvojic, who produced some of 2*Sweet's earlier videos, and a slew of fans. Pence didn't disclose any specifics, but he said that "it'll just be really, really ridiculous. Pure hilariousness, which is what videos should be for bands like us."
"We want to take things as far as we possibly can," he says. "As long as there are people that are really enjoying our music, we're going to keep playing."
Upcoming Show
April 12: June farewell show, Metro, Chicago. 6 p.m., $16 at the door; www.metrochicago.com
2*Sweet = Dillinger Escape Plan + Fall Out Boy