To cop from a Stephen King story title, “Here There Be Tygers.” Don’t recoil; I’m not referring to the ones that tear off the faces of human beings, but rather to Tigers Jaw and the journey the band takes into unexplored territory on their seventh studio effort, Lost on You. “The only thing we want to steer clear of is making the exact same record twice,” insists Brianna Collins of the record, which was released back in March. “We always want to be improving and expanding our sound and performances in some way.”
Indeed, after forming 20 years ago in Eastern Pennsylvania, Tigers Jaw have once again stepped out of their comfort zone, as much to the satisfaction of the musicians themselves as to their fans. Ahead of the band’s North American tour in support of the new record, which kicks off next week, we checked in with Collins to pick her brain about Lost on You, how having ADHD affects the creation of a new release, and why she chalks up band chemistry as possibly the most critical factor that made the new album Tigers Jaws’ best effort to date, according to Collins.
Check out our brief Q&A below, and find tickets to the band’s upcoming dates here.
The subject of escapism factors heavily into Lost on You. Does the single “Breezer” posit that adults are looking to escape from reality more than ever before, given the cataclysmically dire state of the “real world”?
In my experience, childhood was the time where I wasn’t really escaping—it was probably the most present time of my life, the most carefree, before I had an understanding of or felt the “weight of the world.” For me, escapism happens both voluntarily and as a coping mechanism, but I do think that we’re in a period of romanticism as a response to the state of the world. “Breezer” is kind of about the catch that escapism isn’t reality, and no matter what there’s a cycle between the two—like a call and response.
In creating Lost on You, what tasks came easiest and which took perhaps longer than expected?
Working together musically on all of the songs was the easiest part for me. Everyone brought ideas to the table, and we made a point to get together and jam and demo before we even got to the pre-production stage of the record. We’re so locked in when we play live together, and it was really fun and natural to do the same when working on the record. What was also not surprising whatsoever were the lyrics that I wrote. I went into the writing process with the intention of having the lyrics finished and ready to go by the time we started recording. But I have ADHD. No matter how strong my intentions are, I always seem to end up down-to-the-wire as though my brain can’t accomplish the task without the stress of it being last-minute with no choice other than to do or fail. Writing the lyrics for “Anxious Blade” was a particularly meta experience because I was writing lyrics about the anxiety and stress of being down-to-the-wire writing lyrics while also experiencing the anxiety and stress of being down-to-the-wire writing lyrics.
Which of the band’s strengths does Lost on You showcase more so than on your previous albums?
I really believe this record showcases and translates how locked in we are as a band—that, I think, is palpable when we perform onstage together. It’s the most collaborative work we’ve ever done, and the best part was that it was natural and fun to get to do a record with the five of us.
You've said this new album is a continuation from your last LP, 2021’s I Won’t Care How You Remember Me. To what extent did you want to revisit any sounds, themes, and ideas from your previous record—and from what did you want to steer clear?
Ultimately I think we wanted to keep pushing things forward and exploring new sounds. The last record was a collaborative process, and this record was even more so. In terms of theme, we didn’t explicitly revisit any previous themes. We wrote from the heart and explored what was weighing on our minds throughout the writing and recording process. The only thing we want to steer clear of is making the exact same record twice. We always want to be improving in some way, and expanding in some way.
Which of these three bands is best: Jawbox, Glassware, or Jawbreaker?
I’m going to go Jawbreaker. Dear You is one of my favorite records of all time, and when they played Riot Fest in 2017, we were in the middle of a tour, and I flew on our day off to Chicago just to see Jawbreaker play. It was worth it!
