Just before embarking on a UK tour supporting Pierce the Veil, I had a chance to catch up with Chrissy Costanza of Against the Current. ATC formed in 2011 in NY and has released two studio albums and five EP’s in that time. Their most recent single, “blindfolded”, marks their departure from Fueled By Ramen and went live on all streaming platforms today.
Music Scene Media: To start with, could you share a little bit about your musical background? How did you get your start, and was it something that you always knew that you wanted to pursue?
Chrissy Costanza: We all started from a very young age – I’ve been singing since before I could speak according to my parents. I don’t have any memory of a time before I started singing. Will plays virtually every instrument and was the one who prompted Dan to learn guitar when they were little so they could form a band together. After that, they’d been in a band ever since and I had been searching for one until I met them through a mutual friend.
MSM: What was the first concert that you ever attended? What else are you passionate about besides music?
CC: For me it was actually a Bon Jovi show when I was 10. I loved it. But the real game changer for me was when I saw a family friend who was a few years older perform with his band at a local venue to maybe 30 or so people. All of a sudden, I realized that being on stage was attainable, and I was fired up to have my own band.
Besides music, I love language, travel, and gaming. Animals as well.
MSM: I know that you’ve worked with League of Legends, and also play the game yourself. Do you have any other favorite video games?
CC:I love League of Legends, and I play pretty much every other game Riot has released – primarily Valorant and TFT. Dan plays a lot of games as well, right now he’s extremely into racing games like F1 and has a whole set up for it.
MSM: I actually learned of ATC through your song with my favorite artist, Guardin — “again&again” — and have been hooked ever since. What is your favorite part about collaborating with other artists? Is there anyone in particular that you’d love to create with one day?
CC: Collaboration really pushes you outside of your comfort zone. It can offer a different perspective and flavor on something that wouldn’t have existed without that collaboration. There’s lots of artists, but I think in general I’d love to work with one outside of the alt/rock world. Maybe something in kpop or edm. I’d love to work with Zedd.
MSM: When people recommend ATC to others, what song do you think would make a good introduction to your sound? Or do you have a personal favorite in particular?
CC: Either Wasteland or Weapon depending on the person. If they’re into alt rock already, then Weapon. If they like more melodic music, then Wasteland.
MSM: What do you attribute most to your success?
CC: It’s hard to pinpoint, there are loads of incredible musicians out there writing amazing music. I think starting young and establishing a known online presence helped us branch out globally very quickly. A lot of new artists get stuck as hometown heroes. I think TikTok has been great for up and coming artists today. It’s a lot easier to push out to a massive audience.
MSM: Your latest single, “Blindfolded”, will be released December 2nd, and that will be your first independent release since leaving Fueled By Ramen. What can you share about this upcoming era for ATC? Are you excited to have that freedom back?
CC:We’re beyond stoked to begin this independent era. It’s been a VERY long time, we signed when we were still just teenagers. But prior to being signed is when we really established ourselves as ATC. We were able to do things our way, authentic to us and us alone. Labels can be a fantastic resource, but they’re a partner and are entitled to an opinion. When our opinions clash, however, the artist usually has less footing because the label holds the key to releasing music etc. We worked with some wonderful people at FBR, and really enjoyed our time there. But we’re excited to have our band back in our own hands again.
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