Interviews About Albums: Protect Your Heart - [Re]introduction (2022)

In this new interview, we sat down with the American Pop Punk/Easycore band Protect Your Heart to ask some questions about their new album "[Re]introduction". 

1. What can you say about this new EP/CD?

This record is about 4 years in the making. We wrote, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered every single song on this album, so we are obviously very proud of it and it is extremely meaningful to us, both as individuals and as a group. There's so much we could say about it, so many stories we could tell, and so many ups and downs throughout that long process, but we'd rather let the music do the talking. We hope it resonates with anybody and everybody who listens to it, one way or another.

2. What is the meaning of the EP/CD name?

We named and stylized the title of this album as [re]introduction for a few reasons. First, the word introduction. This album is an introduction of this project to the world, our debut body of work as Protect Your Heart, and we feel as though it's the quintessential representation of who we are as a band, who we were when we were creating it, and ultimately who we are as people. Second is the [re] part. We all started our music journeys in the punk and metal scenes growing up. That's where we learned to play instruments, learned to write songs, and where our interest in music truly took shape beyond being casual fans or hobbyists. As we got older, we all stepped out of those scenes and pursued other styles and genres throughout different stages of our lives. Now, we've come full circle and returned to the sounds that started our musical journeys in the first place. This album serves as an introduction to Protect Your Heart for new listeners, but also as our collective return to the genres and sounds that sparked our musical careers.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD/EP?

This album was 100% a team effort all the way around. Each of us had a hand in every stage of its creation. Every note, every lyric, every sonic millisecond, every minuscule detail was written, recorded, and produced by the four of us. When we started PYH, our goal was to do absolutely everything we possibly could in-house, by ourselves; from the production of the songs to branding to music videos, we've done it all and we're very proud of that. Being DIY has always been our north star as a band, and being able to pull off this body of work in that way is part of why it means so much to us.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

Impossible. We wrote over 50 demos for this album, and picking 13 for the album was hard enough. Our favorite song changes by the person, by the day, and sometimes by the hour. At the moment, we probably all agree that Closer To The Grave is our favorite to play live though.

5. Is there a special message in this EP/CD? If there is what it is?

Because we wrote so many songs for this record, there's not really an overarching theme lyrically or conceptually. Each song was intended to be its own concept, its own idea, and carry its own message and vibe. If there was one thing we hope people take away from this record it's that you can do anything that you put your mind to, that you're passionate about, no matter how hard it is or how long it takes. Doing something by yourself and for yourself is truly one of the most rewarding feelings you can get. When you devote so much time to something and finally achieve it, knowing that you did it all on your own, nothing beats that feeling.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

Another tall order. If there was one line that pretty much sums up our band and our outlook on life at the moment, it would probably be from Close To The Grave: "this is all we've got, don't be afraid to make your magic." Live your life, live in the now, and make the moment you're living in count. That's the idea.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

Musically and visually speaking, there were a ton of influences on this album. Too many to list here. Overall, this record is pretty much a summation and reinterpretation of all of our collective influences and inspirations. Conceptually speaking, at the time we started writing these songs, we were all just inspired to try something new and something that felt exciting. We left dance music behind in pursuit of something that felt more creatively fulfilling. After a decade of making dance music and hip-hop, abandoning formulaic song structures and trying new sounds and ideas was just really freeing creatively. When we started writing PYH demos, we all just longed for something fresh and fun, and we kind of just backtracked to making the styles we grew up on. As we collaborated and wrote more demos, it became pretty clear that PYH was the platform that we all individually, and collectively, craved.

8. Something to add?

We'd just like to say thank you for the opportunity to share our work with you and for checking out our band. PYH and this album in particular have truly been a labor of love and we hope that people can see and hear that, and that Protect Your Heart resonates with people in a positive way.