“I want it all” – Bradley Walden on the Rebirth of Emarosa
Interview & Words by Bridjet Mendyuk
Photos by Sam Polonsky
Picture a guy from a soul, indie-rock band walking into an Emarosa practice and standing up to the mic, ready. Weird, right? That’s what singer Bradley Walden wanted: a new Emarosa, his Emarosa, which is exactly what he delivered when he joined the group in 2014. Forget everything you thought you knew about Emarosa. This is a new band, and Walden wants to set the record straight with their new album, 131.
“When I first started, there was such a big amount of uncertainty that I don’t think anybody knew how things were going to go,” Walden said. “The band had been writing so long without a singer that they were unsure about every decision. When we made the next step for this record, we knew each other. We knew what we wanted, the vibe was different, it was more comfortable and there was no pressure.”
Walden left indie-rock group Squid The Whale and joined Emarosa to sing on Versus, which was released in 2014. But he didn’t feel quite at home as the songs were not his own yet. Fans were still upset that Jonny Craig had left the group and Walden felt the pressure, the doubt. He said “they’re living in the past,” but until 131, Emarosa was in limbo between past and present. Since it’s release last week via Hopeless Records, 131 has garnered much deserved praise from just about everyone who’s gotten their hands on the record. Soulful, packed with melody and clean guitar breaks, the record shows a brand new Emarosa.
More importantly, a brand new Walden.
“You have to understand how much of an uphill battle Emarosa has been,” Walden said. “People held Emarosa in such high regard and being able to come in and have people love it again is so cool. I want to play the shows, I want people to hear the record, I want it all.”
Their single “Cloud 9” is self-reflective to Walden, telling a story about being in a “good place” and trying to get back there despite the hurdles on the way. “Hurt” is the first song on the record, which brings a certain tone to the album. Emarosa is known for iconic intros, and “Hurt” shows the band is exceeding expectations.
“Emarosa has a reputation for having iconic beginnings to their records. The way that the record starts [with ‘Hurt’]is my favorite way any record has ever started,” Walden explained. “I think it’s so cool. It sets the tone for the whole record. It tells the story of the whole record.”
The story behind 131 is an eerie sequence of numbers the band kept seeing pop up all over the place. From Walden’s birthday to getting change at a store to the address of the recording studio, the number was everywhere. It “surrounded the record and followed us wherever we went,” and in a way, “the record ended up naming itself,” Walden said. While the guys are on Warped Tour this summer, fans were able to get in on the “phenomenon” and snag the record early. Walden said their live shows have been better than ever, and he can’t wait to play the whole record during their upcoming tours. Finally, this is his band.
“[Last year’s Warped Tour] was good, it was still a transitional period,” Walden said. “Word of mouth has carried around, the reputation of our live show, the record. I’m established now, this is my band now. I really enjoy this year’s Warped Tour way more just because it feels like I don’t have anything to prove anymore. I can come out here and have fun.”
The record emits a force around Walden and the band– he fits. His rock-and-soul vibe influences as an artist mesh perfectly with the heavy, metal inspired music the rest of the band hold. He’s only been in the band a few short years, but 131 takes precedence over the catalog as it grows in popularity. Walden proves change is good, and without it the band might’ve made Relativity Part 2 instead of 131, which wouldn’t have been “the next chapter for the band.”
“It took us a long time to make [131], so I hope people enjoy it,” Walden said. “Some people might not like it, it’s not relative to [old Emarosa records], and I don’t give a fuck about those people. They’re living in the past. We’re making the music we want to make as a band. That’s important to me, not what some kid on the internet is saying because he misses Jonny [Craig].”
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