Interrogation by Monk
Widely regarded as pioneers of the late 90s/early 2000s emo scene, Bay Area indie popsters Time Spent Driving released their first album in nine years, ‘Estrangers’, this past November.
Formed in Santa Cruz in 1999, the quartet released their debut EP, ‘Walls Between Us’, the following year, followed by their full-length ‘Just Enough Bright’ in 2002 (Produced by J Robbins). The band gained a loyal following by touring the ÜS and Europe relentlessly, and being featured on Xbox video games ‘Amp’d Snowboarding’ and ‘Transworld Surf’ soundtracks, before suddenly going on an untimely haitus in 2003. After briefly reconvening in 2005 to release ‘I’m Your Stab In The Back”, a collection of seven new songs plus bonus tracks, they reformed in 2012 and put out a new full-length album, ‘Passed And Presence’ in 2015.
With the release of their third album still fresh on many playlists, including that at ÜRHQ, I took the opportunity to hook up with frontman Jon Cattivera to find out a bit more about it, some of the deeply personal songs, and generally shoot the breeze about the band’s past, present and future… With 2024 marking their 25th anniversary as a band, I started by asking John if, when first got together did you ever envisage or imagine that they would still be doing this half a lifetime later?
Wow, 25 years…. Hadn’t really thought about that. That being said, we were broken up and inactive a good portion of that time. Definitely didn’t think I’d still be playing with this band, but I’ve always wanted to keep playing music as long as I could. If it wasn’t with this band, I’m sure I’d have something else going.
As I mentioned in my intro, you’re regarded, to quote your press collateral, as “pioneers of the emo scene”, with “emo” of course being shorthand for “emotional”. As music is supposed to come from the heart and soul, to be personal and therefore “emotional”, do you feel that is an unnecessary epithet?
Yeah, it’s not really necessary, but it’s undeniable that there’s a specific genre that encompasses us and other similar bands, and all genres have names. For better or worse, that’s what we’re stuck with. It’s not out of nowhere though—the bands that emerged from the original era(s) definitely stuck out as more raw, emotional, and personal than a lot of music of the time when it came to the sound and a lot of the lyrics. They were also the antithesis of tough guys most of the time.
This is your first album in nine years. What took so long to get this thing out there or are you a band who just believe in taking yoru time?
Working myself to death, babies, a few bass player changes, Covid, schedules, studio time, logistics…. Man, pretty much everything!
Can you explain the album title? Putting it into the context of the album as a whole, I sort of get the vibe about being “emotional strangers” or a relationship based around electronic communication rather than personal interaction: sort of taking the actual “e” out of emotion…
I tend to like plays on words or phrases and stuff that’s out of the ordinary or causes you to think for a minute. I thought of the word one day that mixed “estranged” and “strangers”. Turns out it is an actual word, but not widely used. Across most of the songs, there’s an estrangement from myself in many ways, and from others. I lost people that were important in my life, and often just felt like a shell of myself. But yeah, for some reason, it just stuck out to me, and I thought it looked and sounded interesting.
Following on, I can really identify with a lot of the sentiments expressed on the album, especially on the likes of ‘Deep Blue’, the opening line of which just grabbed me and screamed “that’s us”. When you’re writing songs such as this it’s obviously very much a personal catharsis, but how aware are you of how the listener will react to what you’re singing?
Weirdly enough, I decided to change some of those lyrics from what I had originally when it came time to record it. I don’t usually do that, because I feel like there’s something special about capturing what is coming out lyrically when you are first creating the song. But I felt like it was maybe a little too direct, that I wouldn’t have wanted to be taken in the wrong way, so I intentionally censored myself to give it the chance for a broader meaning. I think that may have helped it resonate more with listeners just like it did for you. I had some people make very similar comments, which is cool.
One track that really intrigues me and speaks to me on a personal level is the album closer, ‘Not Just Ink’, which strikes me on a lot of levels. I’ve read that it’s about tattoos serving as a reminder of someone you’ve lost, in whatever way, but it strikes me as a lot more than that. I don’t have any tattoos, but my wife is heavily inked, and every piece means something to her. Some of it means a lot to me (she has the word “survivor” on her neck to signify beating cancer four times). But even in these supposedly enlightened times, she suffers a lot of prejudice because of her ink, so I feel that the song is not only about remembrance but also about looking beyond the ink, the skin, the prejudice and to the person and what it means to them… would that be a fair assessment?
Rad. I’m glad you dug it. My wife is covered quite a bit too. At the time I wrote it, I felt like it was easily one of the best songs I’ve ever written, but maybe that’s partially because of how meaningful it is to me personally. It’s also, I think, the slowest song I’ve ever written, so I liked that about it.
But yeah, I only have one tattoo. I’m not a tattoo guy, so it’s pretty out of character to me, but I guess that shows the importance, and I relate to what you’re saying too.
Your debut EP was called ‘Walls Between Us’. ‘Estrangers’ strikes me as a statement that, 25 years later, you’re trying to break those walls down. That you’ve never given up trying to do so?
That’s a cool correlation—I hadn’t thought of that. I probably could have used that title for any of our records, and it would have still been a good fit! It’s true though—I don’t like to surrender. I don’t give up easily, and I have a problem with caring too much about things at times. I found out that some walls aren’t worth losing sleep over. Unfortunately, some walls prove themselves impenetrable, and it can be hard to accept, but sometimes you are powerless.
So, what are your plans for the rest of 2024? Obviously promoting the album must be fairly high on the agenda… Any plans to visit the ÜK?
Yeah, going to continue to promote the album, and we’re putting out the vinyl in the very near future. Going to line up some shows, probably do another video or two, etc.
We’re also in the process of recording a brand new record, and I’m on a mission to have that done this year. Also recording some extra goodies and have a few things bubbling I’m excited to share when the time comes.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this is your 25th anniversary, so looking back is there any advice you would give to your younger selves just starting out?
Oh man—a lot of stuff. Learning how to properly record and mix my/our own stuff from the get-go would have been a big one. That would have allowed for so much more productivity. But not taking things so seriously, pushing so hard, or letting your ego get the best of you.
Any regrets? Unfulfilled dreams/promises?
I think people who say they have no regrets are being disingenuous. We all make mistakes. In my case, I’m notorious for putting my foot in my mouth, and a few times, I downright choked myself doing it. It’s made me pause, think, and take notice at the very least. I’ve wrestled with some super gnarly demons that are completely out of my control, which I guess can make for some good songs, but I wouldn’t wish on anyone. That being said, I am humbled and very fortunate in life at this point, so I’m hoping to hold onto that as long as I can. I’ve got plenty of motivation and energy still as well, so I feel like I’m just getting started.
And the final – and most deadly, earth-shattering question of them all: should you put pineapple on pizza (asks I as I peel little pieces of yellow fruit off a reheated Domino’s Hawaiian special)?
Great question. YES — definitely. Pepperoni and pineapple are my go-to, and they are also good with some jalapenos. This is coming from an Italian, so naturally, I’m 100 per cent right on this! I don’t live by the rules, and you shouldn’t cook by the rules, or you’re selling yourself short.
- ‘Estrangers‘ is out now.
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