The Arrivals are back and it’s a beautiful thing! The Arrivals are Paddy Costello (Bass), Issac Thotz (Vocals & Guitar), Ronnie DiCola (Drums), and Little Dave Merriman (Vocals & Guitar), and they’re happy to announce their first full-length record in 15 years called Payload. Today, the Chicago punk veterans are sharing the exclusive video premiere of “Drill Baby Drill,” which is the second single to be released from their new LP. Payload will be released on April 17th via Recess Records. I was also able to catch up with The Arrivals’ Isaac Thotz for a brief interview below.
Thanks for your time today! This upcoming album marks your first taste in new music in nearly 15 years, so the biggest question is: what made you want to release something new for your fans?
I do absolutely hope our fans love this record. But I don’t think that’s mainly what motivated us to make it. In terms of the question “why now” I think the moment came to us. We’d already been writing songs about inequality, the trappings of capitalism, exploitation, war, the lie of an American meritocracy, these sort of themes all through the 2000’s. At that time we probably seemed overly pessimistic about the state of our country because looking back we were winning the important issues and the good times were rolling. But since 2016, since Trump’s ascension, our side has been losing and things have been getting objectively worse for those of us who weren’t born into money and status and who don’t find comfort in a promise of a religious afterlife. “Drill Baby Drill” is really an example of what I’m talking about the moment coming to us. I actually wrote this song back in 2008 in response to the McCain/Palin rallying cry for their energy policy. Trump revived the slogan and gave it new meaning, and thus gave the song new relevance. I don’t take any pleasure in saying “we told you so” and want to get too high on our horse, but I think we felt like the kinds of songs we write in the Arrivals offer an important rebuttal to the political moment we’re now living in, and that desire to respond as much as anything motivated us to make Payload.
”Drill Baby Drill” has a pretty cool vibe and video treatment as well. How much creative control do you have over your art these days?
All of it. I made this video myself. From writing and producing our music, to graphic design to making music videos, everything we do as a band is done by someone in the band.
How would you describe a typical The Arrivals concert?
If you’re asking what it feels like to be in the crowd I don’t have a good sense because obviously I’m on the other side of that. Our band lives in Chicago, Minneapolis, and LA, so typically we’re very lucky if we can squeeze even one quick practice before a show. So when we play I’m always a bit nervous for being underrehearsed, while also being very appreciative because it’s a rare treat to get to play with The Arrivals. That mixture of anxious and excited energy always makes me feel a bit desperate. That’s a typical show from my perspective.
Your band has released two singles in anticipation of the new record that comes out on April 17th. How would you describe the overall musical direction of the new LP?
Maybe I’m biased, but I feel like this is very much the same old Arrivals, similar songwriting, similar sound, similar lyrical themes. I think that’s a good thing, because I’m very proud of everything we’ve done in the past, and I guess my hope is that Payload is as good as any of our other records and fits well into our bigger body of work.
