The latest pop-punk band to take the world by storm is Chicago’s When The Sun Sets. With their latest single, a cover of Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” they are taking this hit song to the next level.
The band shared:
We wanted to really challenge ourselves musically on this cover and we believe that we gave this song a whole new life in pop-punk form. A Billboard topping single was a major task, but I think what kept us going was the thought of this being our 'Pop Goes Punk' version, trying to keep what didn't need to be changed but make it our own in a unique way. Our producer, Roye Robley, has helped us so much throughout our career with piecing together the puzzles that create songs and this cover provided our entire team the opportunity to attack something completely new for us. We are looking forward to sharing this one with the world and showing people a little piece of what our band is if they are new to our stuff!
I recently had the chance to chat with vocalist Zack Baumgartner about why they chose this song in particular to cover, their overall goal as a band, the Chicago music scene, and more! Now is the perfect time to get into these guys before they blow up, and say that you knew them way back when!
MSM: Hi guys! Thanks for being open to chatting with us! First of all, what inspired you to choose “I Had Some Help” to cover? Does the song have a particular meaning for you guys?
ZACK: We just started dabbling into the world of releasing covers because every band has had to play them to fill space, and it is the music that shapes us. For this song, we wanted to challenge ourselves with something outside of the genre and a song that has charted on Billboard to see if we could still put some originality on it. This one was the perfect fit!
Do you have any plans to do any other “Pop Goes Punk” covers? A whole EP or something could be fun! You did great on this one!
The response on this cover has been absolutely overwhelming to say the least, and we have definitely talked about dropping an entire EP, if the demand is there. I know we have all at least agreed on one cover a year at the very least because of how fun this process was.
What made you choose When The Sun Sets as an artist name, and how do you feel it represents you?
My (Zack) initial idea for the band name was ‘As The Sun Sets’ and a friend of mine was helping me try to get everything I needed setup to start my own band. We did some research and it was taken so we went with When The Sun Sets. It wasn’t truly until our first single dropped that I knew what it meant to us. When The Sun Sets being night time is where some of the worst most intrusive thoughts hit us, and being a band that is centered around breaking the stigma around mental health we felt it was meant to be.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they helped to shape your sound?
Some of our biggest influences come from both classic and modern pop-punk bands like State Champs, New Found Glory, A Day To Remember, and Fall Out Boy. These bands truly gave us the baseline to our question “what is pop-punk to us?” and continue to inspire us every day with their creativity, drive, and longevity as amazing bands.
What are your goals for your music career, and where do you hope to see yourself in the next few years?
We are all really hoping to transition into music as a full time job in the next few years because we can’t get enough of this. Most of us spend all day waiting to get off of work and work on something creative within the band whether it is videos, new songs, or booking shows. We have found a love for meeting so many new people out on the road and hearing their stories so we are hoping to be touring far more to meet you all.
Can you share any interesting or surprising facts about the band or any of the individual members?
-If you haven’t dug in to us too deeply, we work with a Hope For The Day out of Chicago, which is a mental health awareness/suicide prevention organization that is helping people every single day to realize It’s Ok Not To Be Ok.
-We have a mascot named ‘Dunker’ who is a cute running donut
-An individual interesting fact about us is that Zack started When The Sun Sets when he was 17 years old in high school.
What is the Chicago music scene like? Are there any other rising bands you’d like to give a shoutout to?
The Chicago music scene is running WILD with amazing artists right now and we truly think it is one of the best times in the scene in awhile. We’ve got a ton we want to shout out but we will keep it semi-limited for time’s sake: Four Stars, Fluorescents, Exit 122, Risk, and Wilmette are just a few of our favorites in the local scene right now.
What artists have you had on repeat lately?
Knox has been on repeat for a couple of years now for us and we love everything that he has been up to. Lately, we’ve also been listening to a lot of up and coming bands like FRND CRCL, 5ever, and Lake Drive.
What’s your motto or some good advice that you live by?
We all live by the motto that you never know what somebody else might be going through. Lend the helping hand when you have it.
Lastly, for anyone reading who may not be familiar with your music, why should they check you out? Hype yourselves up!
We’ve been working hard to craft our sound for the last six years and more than that, we’ve grown the mission. Our goal as a band is to help people shatter the stigma of mental health and show them that they are NEVER alone. Music is healing, and we aim to provide songs for every mood. Through singalong bridges or catchy choruses, we hope you join us in the movement!
It has always been a dream of ours to pack our schedule with shows across the country and hit new cities. We are so honored to finally be able to hit some new cities at the end of Spring into the beginning of this summer. Some new cities are Baltimore and Toledo plus another few that we are so excited to share our energy, music, and message with everyone. We hope to see you at a show soon!
