Where many struggle to fit in all of life’s ever-multiplying commitments, there must be something in Chicago’s water that has to opposite effect. Tens is the latest in a series of bands in which members Mike Petruccelli, Kyle Manning and Ryan Smith find themselves playing, another addition to their roster of commendable music. Between them they already serve in the likes of Rapids, Fuck You Idiot, City Mouse Costanza, Two Houses and the exceptionally named (we won’t take any arguements here) Texas Chainstore Manager.
“All of us really enjoy playing live music and that is certainly true of a lot of our other friends as well,” explains bassist and vocalist Ryan Smith, although clearly keen to point out this isn’t just the case in Chicago. “I do think that a lot of people find themselves playing in multiple projects as a way of nurturing different musical interests. All the bands I’m playing with right now are ‘rock’ or ‘punk’ for lack of a better term, but I get a different experience out of all of them. For me, if I’m not working or hanging out with friends, I’d rather be playing a show at some capacity. Having more than one band makes that really easy.”
Tens came together in 2013 when drummer Kyle Manning approached Ryan about a possible side project featuring local vocalist and guitarist Mike Petruccelli. “We wrote three songs instantly in one or two rehearsals and it became clear that we didn’t want this to be just a ‘side project’,” Ryan recalls.
“We started writing pop punk the way we thought it should be with no compromises. Gruff, straight forward, catchy songs all for the sake of fun. I’m not saying the lyrics aren’t serious. We just didn’t throw out a bunch of over-determined ideas. Do you like it? Is it catchy and fun to play? Criteria met. Cool. So we went at it for awhile with that ethos in mind, played some shows around the Midwest, put out a split CD with our friends Dog & Wolf, and then we recorded this record which essentially brings us to now.”
The now in question sees the trio on the verge of releasing their self-titled debut full-length, featuring eleven songs which take influence from their combined endeavours. In among the new songs, the record features two reworked solo tracks by Mike and two from the band’s first demo. ‘Acid Reflux Redux’, the latest to emerge, is their angriest yet.
“When we wrote ‘Acid Reflux Redux’, a good friend of mine was moving away and I was going through a break up so it’s definitely resentful,” Ryan offers. “It’s a lot more driving and dynamic than the other songs on this record because of it’s slower tempo and quiet/loud arrangement.”
“I was reacting to what I was going through at the time and the song definitely reflects that. I didn’t set out to write a ‘break up song’ and I don’t think it has to be interpreted as one either. I try to leave some ambiguity so the listener can attribute their own meaning or find it relatable to what they’re going through at the time.”
Tens’ self-titled debut will be available from the 6th June 2016. Stream new track ‘Acid Reflux Redux’ exclusively below: