Having utilized Pure Noise Records groups like Four Year Strong and Senses Fail as a blueprint when forming their band nearly a decade ago, it makes sense that the Berkeley label would eventually snatch up the Chicago five-piece Action/Adventure. Today the band and their new label are making it official, with A/A revealing a new EP via the label in a big way with their new single “Poser.” The track will appear on Pulling Focus, the band’s first official release via PN, which arrives April 30.
Meanwhile, “Poser” lands with a bang today with a colorful visual riffing on rap videos—an idea that came to the band after being confused for a hip-hop group one too many times. This frustrating mix up also led the group to start the #PopPunkInColor tag on TikTok, hoping to increase visibility for people of color in punk circles. Seems like a deal with Pure Noise is a more than decent start.
You can watch that video below, and read on for a brief Q&A with the band covering everything from their Pure Noise favs to the video’s all-too-familiar opening wherein they play a show to an audience of two.
What inspired the concept for the video?
The “Rap Parody” video has always been something we’ve wanted to do as a band. The discussions came about from the numerous times we’ve been mistaken for rappers while on tour. We’ve always poked fun at it by saying things like, “Maybe if we were rappers people would take us more seriously.” With that in mind the ideas started to form as the band along with director JoVaughn Trammell brainstormed a way to execute a video that was fun yet stayed true to the band. The shoot was a blast and a fun juxtaposition from the usual sad vibes of our past videos. It felt like playing dress up with your best friends.
Have you ever actually played a show to two people?
We’ve definitely played shows to basically no one. Usually, at a show with a low turnout, you’ll at least play to the other bands on the bill, but there have totally been a couple of times when there haven’t really been any fans or audience members there.
Who are you most excited to be labelmate with on Pure Noise?
Now, this is a tough one. There are so many great artists on the Pure Noise roster. Three of us, Adrian, Brompton, and Oren, have been playing in bands together for the past 16 years and actually started out playing as a Senses Fail cover band, so that’s one. We also all really love The Story So Far and Seaway, not to mention all the bands that we grew up listening to like Less Than Jake and Hawthorne Heights. It’s surreal to think that we’re in league with these artists that literally inspired us to start playing music.
We’re also good friends with Sharptooth, who came up in our local scene with the homies in Belmont. We’ve literally played garages with them. That being said, the one that probably stands out the most if we had to choose would be Four Year Strong. We’re all massive fans, so to say it’s exciting to be label mates would be an understatement.
Having played together for nearly a decade, how has your sound changed over time?
Since we started Action/Adventure we’ve definitely grown up a lot and had tons of life experiences that really shaped who we are as people. When it comes to our music, all of those experiences have allowed us to kind of hone our sound. One thing I can say is that we’re much more concise than we were before. We used to write super long songs that were just a bunch of separate parts that transitioned into each other. We’re much better at trimming the fat and writing with more intention now.
What are your hopes for introducing the #PopPunkInColor tag on TikTok?
We really want to show people that there are others out there who look like you and have had similar life experiences to you wherever you go. We want to show that music is and should always be inclusive; just because you look a certain way or come from a certain place doesn’t mean that you don’t belong. Having grown up in the pop punk and alternative music scene, the feeling of being out of place or not 100 percent fitting in was something we all dealt with on a regular basis. Every time we’d go to a show or watch a music video there weren’t really many other people who looked like us. With #PopPunkInColor, we just want to help everyone—no matter who they are or where they come from—know that this is a place for them too.
