Louisville, KY-based White Reaper had been on a seemingly endless tour since the release of their self-titled EP in 2014 via Polyvinyl, writing, recording, touring, repeatedly. Then came the global pandemic that shut down the world.
“It was the longest time we had ever been off of the road, and the longest time we had ever spent apart from each other,” says Tony Esposito, vocalist and guitarist for the five-piece. “I was still trying to grasp the implications and consequences of the pandemic, and Louisville itself was dealing with its own heartbreak after what had happened to Breonna Taylor, so I wasn’t immediately concerned with the band or making music.”
They lost momentum but so did the rest of the world, regardless of occupation.
That break did, however, give the band plenty of time to work on Asking For a Ride, their fourth LP and second effort with Elektra Records. The album comes out January 27. Esposito spoke with New Noise Magazine recently about the new record and tour that follows it.
You guys had a huge year in 2019, signing to Elektra, releasing You Deserve Love, TV appearances, and joining some massive tours. Do you think you lost momentum when COVID shut everything down?
I think the entire world lost a ton of momentum, so I never really think of it as something bad that happened to us specifically. In a sort of morbid way, we were a bit grateful to step away because we really needed a break at that time for lots of different reasons. We just didn’t realize how long we’d be waiting.
What did everyone in the band do once you were forced off the road? Did you start writing for the next record right away?
We took a long break at first. We didn’t officially get started until October of 2020 when we all met at this super bizarre air bnb somewhere in Arkansas, and even then, it was hard to be productive because we were all just excited to see each other again. We always try to make each other laugh first and foremost, and I think we were all just boiling over after being apart for so long.
Why did you decide to self-produce this new album?
In the beginning, we had a really hard time finding a producer that we all liked, and then it was a scheduling thing, and then it was just one strange coincidence after another that kept pushing the album further and further away from us. We ended up in a studio situation that wasn’t ideal for us, and we honestly felt cursed for a long time. We finally decided that it would be best if we just finished the record ourselves.
You brought in Jeremy Ferguson as engineer. Have you worked with him before?
Yes! Jeremy recorded our cover of “Sad But True” for Metallica’s Blacklist (tribute record) and we just really enjoyed his workflow and his sense of humor. We were super excited to get to work with him again.
What can you tell me about the music on Asking For a Ride? Is it in a similar vein to the last two albums?
Asking For a Ride is easily our most unique record. The songs were written in so many different places over so many months or maybe even years. There was no real formula for actually writing the songs so a lot of them happened in wildly different ways. It feels like it sort of touches on each of our older records while completely ignoring them at the same time.
Considering how much attention the last record got, did you feel additional pressure working on this one?
I think the biggest pressure I felt was just getting back into the mindset of being a creative person after just sitting around doing nothing for the bulk of the pandemic. It was hard for me to create without traveling or playing shows and that was scary for a while, but everything evened out in the end.
The band has been together for a decade now. What are some of the biggest ways you have seen a change in the band?
We started when we were like 17 or 18 or something, so I’m sure we’ve changed in more ways than I can notice, as someone who’s been on the ride the whole time. The last 10 years have gone by really fast, that’s all I can say for certain.
You have a tour planned around this record. How long has it been since you have been out on the road?
The last tour we did was opening for Pearl Jam in Europe over the summer, but that doesn’t really count because it was this massive legendary tour and we were just happy to be there. I honestly can’t remember the last time we did a real USDA certified Reaper tour, but I’m very excited for this next one. I really like all of the bands that are coming with us and I’ve never felt more ready.
What else is next for the band?
We’re gonna go out and play a ton of shows, then probably write some new music afterwards. There’s also a ton of stuff that didn’t make it onto this record so maybe we can reassess some of that junk as well.
Image courtesy of White Reaper
