Broken Record keep chipping away. Despite their previous label home catching fire (literally), the Denver upstarts have built what was essentially frontwoman Lauren Beecher’s songwriting vehicle into a fleshed-out but no less scrappy rock band. Their third and weightiest album arrives tomorrow on October 14 via Power Goth Recordings, which Beecher manages alongside her husband-turned-bassist Corey Fruin and their writer friend Jay Papandreas. They’re still pumping out Stadium Emo™, but Routine is by no means just business as usual.
“We wanted the songs to be more straightforward,” Beecher says. “Not thoughtless, but more deliberate.”
On an emotional level, Routine feels like the logical next step for Broken Record. Beecher scrambles to pull out of a tailspin during “Drag,” the album’s turbulent opener. Even when drummer Nick Danes achieves escape velocity, the newly reassembled four-piece sound tighter than ever. But if the band’s previous long-player was paralyzed by steady insecurities, this one is anxious for a release, whether it’s from personal trappings or the grind of a 9-to-5. “There were times when I did and didn’t have a job,” Beecher recalls about the 14 months they spent writing. “That helped me realize the compromises I’ve made and figure out what it is I want.” While racing neck-and-neck with the non-stop demands set by our workaday existence, lead single “T-60” puts her needs first.
But Routine also breaks from how Broken Record assemble an album. The band continue to thread the needle between Sunny Day Real Estate’s grungier gloom and Title Fight’s splintering post-hardcore, but not only are their new songs faster, they’re heavier, too. “We wanted to get a little bit noisier,” explains Beecher. A sludgy groove stews on “Corner of the Room” before combusting into a fireball of nervous, fret-bending tension. “I can make myself go crazy just by overthinking. Even though I still took my parts super seriously, I was less precious and more willing to let go.”
Though an admitted micromanager, Beecher loosened her grip over Routine by asking Justin Pizzoferrato for a hand with the production. “Justin has a wide range of sounds that we’re into,” she says about her fellow Nutmegger, who’s worked with Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and California X. “He was a great fit for how we wanted to change our sound.” Her tender admissions ring loud and clear amidst the thickening haze of embarrassment that inevitably consumes “What Always Happens,” but she’s never come closer to outright yelling than on rager “Do It Yourself.”
“Across DIY, there are a lot of wonderful people who are working very hard, but once we got into the game properly, we learned more about the business model,” she says in response to what triggered her newfound anger. “A lot of bands think they need a label when really what they need is community.”
A year and change since opening for business, Power Goth remain a close-knit operation. When she’s not supporting Fruin’s post-punk leaning Replica City, Beecher drums for their other labelmate Flesh Tape, the fuzzier but equally buzzworthy invention of Larson Ross—who officially joined Broken Record after filling in during the band’s 2023 fall tour. “I love the way he plays guitar,” she says. “It’s all energy.” Like an electrical current, Ross gives Routine an added jolt. His distorted leads churn and pulse against the changing tide of “50% Sea,” though it’s his splash of melody that encourages her to take the plunge on “A Small Step”.
“Being more vulnerable was the hardest thing,” Beecher concludes before crediting advice taken from the podcast of Jimmy Eat World leader Jim Adkins for guiding her toward the album’s soft landing. “You should be a little afraid of the thing you’re writing. It means you’re pushing yourself.”
Beecher took time out of her busy schedule to discuss the changes Broken Record made on Routine, why they brought in an outside producer, what their new guitarist brings to the band, how Power Goth got started, and who they’re excited to see at this month’s Fest.
Routine comes out tomorrow, October 14, on Power Goth Recordings.
Routine marks your first time working with someone else on the overall production of Broken Record. What made you want to bring in Justin?
Corey and I are originally from Connecticut. Justin is originally from there, too, so we have friends in common. Some of our friends from back home are in a band called Dagwood. They recorded an album with Justin, and it sounds great.
When we were looking at the other albums Justin has worked on, he’s done a wide range of things we’re into and has a really natural sound. He was also excited to work with us. Not just like, “Yes, I’ll take your money.” Even over e-mail, we meshed really quickly. We didn’t have to explain to him what we wanted. He’s a gear nerd in the same way that we are. Corey and Larson are both really into Sonic Youth. Justin has Kim Gordon’s Snoopy bass and Corey got to use it when recording “What Always Happens”. He was so stoked.
The songs on Routine are faster but also heavier. Was that a conscious decision or just something that happened?
A little bit of both. My natural songwriting inclination goes to a punk place—or at least a power-pop place. But on some of our earlier stuff, I think I was a little more artsy-fartsy and deliberately trying to make something different, something that was a little bit weirder and more challenging.
Our songs usually start with me bringing something I wrote to the band. I might have input on the vibe, but typically, the other members write their own parts. Bless Nick’s heart, because I would not want to be my drummer. Every once in a while, I’ll be like, “Will you please do exactly this? I’m so sorry. Thank you.” But with Routine, I was trying to micromanage less. Before, I may have worried about being cheesy or sounding too much like this other song, but letting go of that made the process easier; that’s for sure.
I’ve never heard you come closer to screaming than “Do It Yourself.” Where did that come from?
The song is a pretty hyperbolic narrative about DIY record label dysfunction. I want to be clear: There are a lot of very good people that run good labels and are doing everything for the right reasons. But it quickly became obvious to me why so many labels just back away, like Homer Simpson into the bushes. It was frustrating to learn that some of them are expecting to make enough money to live off DIY bands.
I should maybe acknowledge that certain aspects of being a DIY band are a bit easier for Broken Record. For example, I’m a professional graphic designer, and not every band has that. But if you talk to your peers and plan stuff together, you can do a lot yourself, and it can be very rewarding.
Is that source of anger and frustration what led you to start Power Goth?
Absolutely. Corey and I have been playing in bands since we were teenagers. Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to make relationships with people who can help fill in our knowledge gaps.
Broken Record’s first LP, I Died Laughing, came out on the Denver label Snappy Little Numbers, which is run by a dude named Chuck (Coffey) who’s a total fucking sweetheart. We have learned a lot from him. I was working at a print shop when we put out the single version of our song “Weightless.” I texted Chuck and told him that I was going to do the design for the seven-inch and that my buddy was going to make the lathe cuts. And Chuck was like, “You realize you have everything you need to just do your own label, right?”
Now, did I want to do that? Absolutely not. At the time, I would’ve rather died. But he was right. As a joke, I put Power Goth Recordings on the seven-inch. I thought, “If we ever want to do something with this, here’s the dumbest name possible.” Then Larson told us that he was thinking of talking to labels about the first Flesh Tape album. That’s when we were like, “Hey, why don’t we try?”
Routine is also Broken Record’s first album since Larson joined the band. How did that come about?
We knew him from playing with his other band, The Red Scare, and he filled in on tour for us a few years ago. After our original guitarist left, Larson was an obvious fit. The way he plays guitar is so cool. He for sure has his own sound, and I think it complements Broken Record really well.
Was incorporating him into the songwriting challenging for you?
As a songwriter, it’s hard for me not to get carried away. I wrote every part of Broken Record’s first songs before Corey and I moved to Colorado. I thought it would be easier to find band members if I could show them exactly what the band was going to sound like.
I was hanging out the other day with our old guitarist, Matt (Dunne), who’s in Replica City with Corey. We were talking about how having a bit of creative difference in a band is really cool. I think it’s part of what makes a band sound like themselves and not too derivative of anyone else. I love the way Larson plays guitar, but he has not experienced his jangle period yet, whereas I love the Gin Blossoms. But both of us are open to trying out whatever the other comes up with.
I think he contributes to the noisiness that you were hoping to get out of Routine, especially on a song like “Corner of the Room.”
That’s the one song where Larson wrote almost all of the guitars.
At the same time, he also adds another layer to the melodies. I love the leads on “A Small Step.” How do you play off one another?
For that song, I had the rhythm guitars and the vocal melodies to start with. Larson came up with the leads for the intro and the chorus, which I think are sick. At the end, we kind of built this thing where we both play leads together that were based on some really cool back-and-forth stuff we came up with on the spot at practice.
If I had to single out just one, I’d pick “A Small Step” as my favorite song off Routine. I like how the melodies, riffs, and noise come together. It does a good job of getting to the root of the overall issues that we address over the course of this album.
Between the songs on Routine, there’s this tug of war between the constant demands of our everyday lives and wanting to stop and work on yourself. What led you to that point?
In a word, capitalism. If money wasn’t a thing, not having a job would be so sick. You could just do what you want whenever you want. But while I’ve found enough freelance work to pay my bills, when I haven’t had a job, I also haven’t had any money for purchases or activities. Having a job means I have money and can afford to do what I want, but I don’t have any time. That’s where my frustration comes in. Everything is about money. I think things would be better for everyone if we weren’t beholden to having to spend 40 hours a week working.
At the same time, you’re also putting more of yourself out there on this album. Was there a specific song that made you question whether or not to take that leap?
“50% Sea” was the hardest for me to write. It took a while to pin down the right vibe and lyrics, though for the band as a whole, both “Knife” and “Nervous Energy” have lots of different elements that took some trial and error before we figured out how to balance them all. Because of its punishingly steady fast beat, “Do It Yourself” was physically challenging in terms of the drums and vocals.
But “What Always Happens,” for sure. That was one of the first songs that we wrote as a band for the album. It came together pretty darn quickly, but I wasn’t sure about having it be just me at the beginning.
I’ve played guitar, drums and done harmonies in other bands, but I’ve never wanted to be the singer. I never wanted to write lyrics, either. I didn’t want to be the guy. During Broken Record’s first shows, I just stared at my feet the entire time. But I’m getting more comfortable in that role now. I’ve accepted my fate.
Broken Record is playing the 23rd edition of The Fest later this month. What other bands are you excited to see?
Gouge Away. I was listening to them a lot when we were making Routine. We’re also excited to see Dillinger Four, Dead to Me, our old tourmates Cape Crush and New Junk City (Dakota, their guitarist, prints our shirts) and our Colorado buds Spells and Elway.
Show Dates
October 26 – Gainesville, FL @ The Fest 23 [TICKETS]
November 15 – Denver, CO @ Skylark Lounge (Album Release Show) [TICKETS]
November 16 – Fort Collins, CO @ Surfside 7 (Album Release Show) [TICKETS]
Follow Broken Record
Website
Bandcamp
Instagram
Bluesky
Follow Power Goth Recordings
Photo by Chris Carraway
