Between forming in 2007, hitting their commercial peak in 2013 with their sophomore album The Things We Think We’re Missing, and returning from an eight-year recording hiatus this fall with their fourth album With You in Spirit, Balance and Composure have kept true to their name in the way their music finds an equilibrium between soft and sensitive emo and abrasive post-hardcore. The band reminded us of their ability to maintain such a balance last summer when they performed their first live shows in nearly half a decade, with the upcoming With You in Spirit serving as further evidence that their 2019 breakup didn’t stick.
Yet the spectrum they’ve explored over the past decade and a half on record pales in comparison to the range of music each individual band member takes inspiration from, as they reveal with the playlist they created for us leading up to the new album’s release on October 4. With frontman Jon Simmons dipping his toes in the rap and alt-R&B arenas since B&C last put out an album, it may be no surprise that Freddie Gibbs’ name comes up when he discusses leaning into vulnerable lyricism, not to mention references to the melodies and pitched-up raps of 454 and Alex G’s “Immunity.” Elsewhere, his bandmates Matt Warner and Erik Petersen take influence from Kendrick’s backing percussion and the driving rhythms of Vegyn’s trip-hop project Headache, in addition to the guitar tones Fontaines D.C. established on 2022’s Skinty Fia.
With the release date just under a month out, get a taste for what With You in Spirit may have in store with the band’s influences playlist below. In the meantime, you can also pre-order the record via Will Yip’s Memory Music label here.
MATT WARNER
The Smile, “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings”
Radiohead has been an influence for Balance since day one, and The Smile is no exception. Every song they’ve put out so far has been great, but this song specifically caught my attention while writing WYIS. The driving bass and rhythmic drums are everything I want in song. It’s just a great groove that provides the perfect canvas for Thom Yorke’s vocals and atmospheric synths.
Kendrick Lamar, “Untitled 05”
This album. Incredible. The rhythms on this track are so influential in my writing style. Whenever I write I always start with a drum beat, and while looking for inspiration this record really stood out to me. “Cross to Bear” started as a drum part heavily influenced by this song with a single guitar riff that became the chorus of the song.
ERIK PETERSEN
Headache, “Mission Impossible III”
This project from Vegyn completely engulfed me while I was writing guitar parts for WYIS. I was really in a trance-inductive headspace while listening to this record, and this found its way into my writing—very linear and daze-like arpeggios, like what can be found in this specific track. Not to mention driving rhythm, as is most electronic music, is my favorite to write, too. There’s a lot of that on our album.
Fontaines D.C., “How Cold Love Is”
Fontaines took over the world, and I am no exception. The simple weightiness in the guitar work on the whole record is very admirable. I always gravitate to post-punk style guitars, and the tones Fontaines captured on Skinty Fia were a beacon for how I envisioned the guitar parts in WYIS to sound.
Nilüfer Yanya, “Chase Me”
I’ve long been a Nilüfer fan, and she adopted a more straightforward style of playing on PAINLESS and deviated from the jazzy undertones in her older stuff. I was completely amped on this shift, and the tonality of her voice with these rhythm guitar parts struck a nerve in me. I specifically sought out these rhythms, as opposed to the leads, for influence. Focus on playing and timbre to carry rhythm parts as opposed to overdrive.
PJ Harvey, “Meet ze Monsta”
My playing style has always slightly resembled PJ subconsciously, as I connect with it almost more than any other guitarist. It’s hypnotic, and that’s often a trait I like to live in when playing and writing—never super polished and purely authentic in every track. Her influence has been present in almost every Balance record, and this one is no exception. If you listen closely to PJ’s guitars and ours, I think you’d find a lot of similarities, and this is 100 percent by design. PJ forever.
JON SIMMONS
454, “Tales From the Hood”
Fell in love with 454’s music from the song “Andretti” and then dove deep into his catalog and found so many amazing songs. He thinks outside the box but still has such a great sense of melody. I love things that catch you off guard at first, but the more you listen you start to realize their beauty. Very inspirational music.
Alex G, “Immunity”
I love the piano part to this song more than I can even explain. This song really pops off at the “Accident in Kansas” part—I guess you could call it the second verse, but that whole flow is unreal.
Greg Mendez, “Best Behavior”
This song has a beautiful and simple vocal melody that I love to harmonize with when I sing along to it. Greg has amazing lyrics, too. I’m a huge fan, and I was listening to this a ton while making our album.
Westside Gunn feat. Freddie Gibbs & Roc Marciano, “$500 Ounces”
Freddie Gibbs steals the show in this song with his verse. The lyrics are extremely honest and blew me away when I first heard them—heartbreaking and braggadocious at the same time. From a lyrical standpoint, this verse really inspired me to be more open and honest with my words in my music. Plus, the beat is immaculate.
