Spotless Mind Discusses New Music and Their Future as a Band

I sat down with Jacob Bosch and Trent Smothermon of Spotless Mind to discuss their upcoming EP, Part-Time Burnout.

Part-Time Burnout is their second EP of the year, following their February release, A Matter of Opinion. The collection keeps with the tradition of five songs and will mark a change for the band. This is the first group of songs that the band wrote together- (if you check back to our first interview with Spotless Mind, you can read about their former songwriting tactics) – and it will be the last containing heavy pop punk influences.

Spotless Mind has been a self-described pop punk band for about four years now. They drew inspiration from the bands they had listened to as teenagers; bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and Weezer were their high school favorites, and it showed in their past records.

However, the band feels that it is time for an artistic shift.

The songs off of the EP aren’t new. One of them was even written back when the band first began, four years ago; all of them have just been stewing in their catalog, waiting for a chance to be released.

As Bosch revealed to me, “They just didn’t fit in the last two EPs.”

Since the band is looking to shift their style, this EP gives them the opportunity to let loose all of that old material and start with a completely blank slate. This new slate will apparently be infused with classic and New Age rock elements.

Some of these changes can be heard in Part-Time Burnout, but most of them won’t make an appearance until next year when their new material comes out (they already have a couple of singles lined up for 2020).

Moving back to the EP itself, both Bosch and Smothermon are pretty proud. They feel that this collection is more “fleshed out” and that, while the songs aren’t necessarily cohesive (meaning, the songs don’t follow a specific theme), their sound has improved.

The band has struggled some in the last year, and this EP does encapsulate those experiences. With a revolving slew of band mates and a small identity crisis stemming from their seemingly lack of a spot in the Tulsa music scene, the year has not been kind to Spotless Mind.

Instead of letting this negativity win, however, the band is working to overcome all of their issues – beginning with simply “borrowing” people for performances and focusing mainly on finding their new sound. They also have used this “lost year” as lyrical inspiration.

Spotless Mind’s latest EP, Part-Time Burnout, will be available everywhere on October 25. The band will not be hosting a release party but will be performing on October 26 at DixieFest. Check out Spotless Mind on all social media and music streaming sites, and be sure to listen to their new music.

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