Though they took a break for almost two decades, I've technically been a fan of The Sons of Montana since 2005, so I'm pleased that their 2023 return is now continuing to yield new material in the form of a promising four-song EP. Out today on CD and digital via Braeburn Records, Full Goth churns forth a little over 10 minutes of the group's quirky brand of caustic metalcore with brilliantly smartass song titles—I mean, an instrumental called "Vocal Rest," it doesn't get much better, folks!
I'd generally prefer to let the music—and the band—do the talking, so peruse the new tunes below, alongside this informative little chat...
Going waaay back, pre-The Sons of Montana was The Unlucky Few, who I was a big fan of. It always frustrated me that that band didn't seem to get enough attention. What's the general story on how The Unlucky Few morphed into The Sons of Montana back in the early-2000s?
Matt: That was a fun time, but we struggled. We played out a lot, but rarely fit on most of those bills. In hindsight, it might have been more judicious for us to be a little more selective in the shows we accepted, but we were eager to play and took winning over crowds as a challenge. Sometimes it worked, and other times we'd leave with some stories. That experience did have some positives. We dug our heels into that sound and what we were playing, and we got really tight musically. At the time, three of the four members were living together and that presented some positives and negatives as well. Shortly after recording You Can Never Trust a Mailorder Bride, we disbanded when two of the members had decided to move—one to start pursuing a gig as an engineer in a studio in Oregon, and the other relocated to New York and ultimately started the Suckers.
Very quickly, Michael and I decided to push on and continue in some capacity. We reconnected with Jay, who we had played with in projects prior, and started hashing out the riffs. At the time, we had a practice space above a very suspect dentist's office. It was a filthy, dilapidated fire trap. Cramped, hot, loud, and there was always some type of drama happening in or around that building and we loved it. It was the perfect environment for us at the time. Constant chaos. There were ridiculous pranks, an attempted suicide in our shared bathroom, a neighbor across the hall hoarding potatoes, lasers (don't ask), and even a time where the landlord allegedly asked us to forge SoundScan documents for his band. We didn't, of course—but even if we had (which we didn't), we're pretty sure the statute of limitations would've expired by now.
During those first few practices, while we were hashing out riffs and trying to find a direction, we kept asking ourselves, "What is this? What do we want this to be?"
Mike: Yeah, we kept coming back to writing something "heavy and romantic."
Jay: We wanted to play what we wanted to hear.
Matt: Yes, totally, "heavy" and "romantic" have been the only mandates we've ever set as a band. That—and to not choke to death on a ham sandwich.
Jay: We wrote the first four or five songs really quick. We had booked time to record with Kurt [Ballou] and we didn't even have a bass player yet.
Matt: Luckily, our good buddy Brendan stepped in to help while he was home between tours. He only had time to make it to two practices before we headed to GodCity, but he's a pro, picked up the songs fast, and wrote all the bass parts. That weekend, we ended up recording three tracks—which became the Songs to Seduce Your Future Ex EP.
I believe The Sons of Montana was fairly short-lived after that EP back in 2005. I don't think we talked about it at the time, so I'd love to know what brought the band back almost two decades later!? It really blew my mind back in 2023 when I got emailed about a new EP from The Sons of Montana!
Mike: Yeah, we did that EP and played some shows and life sort of happened for a lot of us. Some of us went on to different bands. We came back together a couple times and jammed, but it wasn't really The Sons of Montana again. Timing wasn't right. Then, when COVID hit and everything came to a halt, that's when Jay called and asked if we wanted to give it another go—this time, for real. It was kind of a no-brainer—we all genuinely loved the project.
Jay: We missed hanging out with each other. We've hung out in different combinations, but not all four at once, and with that we fell into our normal habit of making obnoxious rock 'n' roll.
Matt: Being back in the room and jamming felt like no time had passed—like we hadn't missed a beat.
Mike: Once we all got in a room together, the three songs that became Subpar Lovers came together fast.
Here we are a little over two years later, and you're preparing to release another new EP, Full Goth, which continues to explore your individualized take on caustic metalcore that's not without subdued melodicisms, dashes of sarcasm, etc. Other than having heard the tracks, I don't know much information yet in terms of where it was recorded, ideas or experiences that may have fed into the material, etc. What can you share about the lead-up to Full Goth?
Jay: With Full Goth, we had some solid momentum—both writing in the practice space and playing shows again—so it made sense not to wait another 15 years to do something with it.
Mike: Yeah, we just set a date and we put ourselves under a little pressure to record. We went back to The Radar Studio again. We're lucky to have it close to home for all of us. They have top-notch gear, and it has a laid-back, comfortable setting.
This time, Will Benoit, who mastered our earlier stuff and plays in SOM, took on engineering and mixing duties.
Jay: Of the four songs, three of them we wrote fresh. "Grim Kardashian" was an older song that we never properly recorded.
Matt: This recording experience was by far the most relaxed and productive we've had. Will is great. He did his homework and had a solid understanding of what we wanted to achieve. He's patient, gives solid feedback, and ended up being like a sixth member while we recorded. Did I mention he's patient?
Mike: We spent the first day settling in—getting drum sounds dialed and locking in guitar tones. We recorded drums and guitars live. By the end of day two, we had the main tracks for all songs wrapped and most of the vocals down—just the bass and some odds and ends left to track.
Matt: Ian couldn't come to the studio the first weekend. He came back a week or so later to lay down his bass and vocal tracks. He made quick work of them.
We are super happy with how it came out. Stoked on how it sounds.
How did you hook up with Braeburn Records for the release? It's quite interesting that Braeburn had a similar trajectory in terms of taking a really long break of around 20 years before also resurfacing in 2023.
Matt: We got connected with Mhyk from the band Suicide Cages after we released Subpar Lovers, and we became Insta Buds. He's an awesome guy—and his band rips. Not long after, they signed with Braeburn Records, and we were impressed by how supportive the label was.
We hit it off right away with Derik, who runs Braeburn. We quickly bonded over favorite bands, shared aesthetics, and he genuinely appreciated the work we've been doing. It's also pretty ironic the similar timelines we share. It's funny how both of us stepped away from our creative endeavors and returned two decades later with a renewed sense of drive.
Jay: What really stood out to me is his artist-first mindset—he's all about giving us bands the space and support to grow and develop. He works hard. Always promoting.
Matt: Since coming back from their hiatus, Braeburn's been building something special. The current roster has 12 bands now, each one different—and all rule.
It seems The Sons of Montana will be keeping busy, with Braeburn planning some physical releases, shows in support of Full Goth, and apparently a new full-length titled Cheap Landscapes is also in the works!? Shed a little light on what's to come...
Matt: The plan is for Full Goth to come out May 2, and we'll be playing shows to support the release.
Jay: Later this summer, Braeburn plans to re-release Songs to Seduce... and Subpar Lovers on CD. Excited to have those get proper release treatment. And we're currently working on what will become a full-length, Cheap Landscapes, which is expected early next year.
Mike: Yes, we've been writing a bunch in between shows. We've got a few completed songs already, and a bunch of half-songs and riffs ready to work with.
Matt: Thanks so much for your time and kind words—and for all the support over the years. Your work has always been a go-to for us, and we really appreciate everything you do.
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Full Goth is available now on CD and digital through Braeburn Records. Find it on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, and so forth. Keep up with The Sons of Montana via Instagram.
