I recently spoke with Chris, guitarist of Bakersfield pop-punk band @In Balance, to talk about writing fast, technical punk, staying true to their sound, and the moments that make their live shows unforgettable. From hometown pride to happy studio accidents on their new single “Two Steps Behind,” Chris gives a candid look at what makes In Balance work so well.
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Kanan Nagel
A lot of bands in the scene have that The Story So Far or Knuckle Puck sound, which we can definitely hear in your music. How do you balance honoring those influences while keeping In Balance uniquely like you?
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Chris Balance
Great question. We don’t even really think about that stuff. We just write whatever we feel like. And no two of our own songs sound similar to the next, so I feel like we are all over the place musically. Three of our members don’t even like or listen to pop-punk. We don't listen to many modern bands or want to sound like them either. I was listening to Brenda Cay, the Eagles, and the new Dave Blunts album all last year. The vibe has always been fast, technical punk that we want to play live and let the chips fall where they do. I think it's easy to tell us from other bands after you hear a few of our songs. But that could be my bias.
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Kanan Nagel
Pop-punk has always carried the ethos of hating your hometown and wanting to break out. Coming from Bakersfield, did that mindset really resonate with you, and how has it influenced your music?
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Chris Balance
I totally know what you mean, but we actually love our hometown. We never have any kind of theme when writing. Marcel just writes about past experiences, really. We would obviously love to tour the world and experience more cultures, but we love where we are from and are grateful for Bakersfield and our friends and families here.
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Kanan Nagel
Your bio says your songs are meant to be screamed in packed rooms and blasted with the windows down. Was there a particular show or live music moment where you thought, “This is what I want my shows to feel like” with In Balance, and was there a moment where you felt like you achieved that?
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Chris Balance
Yeah, the very first show we ever had. It was at this little dive bar called Narduci’s (RIP), and it was packed, with everyone singing every word from start to finish. It was like, damn, I could do this every night for the rest of my life, no problem. We have had a lot of great moments since, but it was just a really special night, I think, for all of us and our friends.
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Kanan Nagel
You had mentioned some happy accidents were involved in the making of “Two Steps Behind.” Was there a moment in particular that pushed you to keep experimenting and refining the song, and how did you know when it was finally done?
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Chris Balance
Marcel and Zeke wrote that song, and it came together pretty quick. We added that snare sample in the middle during pre-production. It went pretty smoothly from what I remember. I don’t know if there was much experimenting or any turning point. It just flowed normally, like all of our other songs when we were doing them.
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Kanan Nagel
Inspiration fuels growth. Is there a song by another band that you wish you had written? And what elements from that song, in particular, do you let inspire or fuel your own songwriting?
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Chris Balance
I don't wish I wrote it, but the song that changed my life , and I always hope we write something as good one day, is “Crossroads” by Strung Out. The elements of that song that inspire our songwriting are the fresh intro and the fast, driving verse with a soaring, double-time chorus. If we ever did anything half that good, I’d die happy.
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Kanan Nagel
You've talked about the literal meaning of “Two Steps Behind,” but what do you hope fans take away from it? Do you hope they interpret it in their own way and maybe apply it to their own lives?
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Chris Balance
I think we want whoever listens to any of our songs to interpret them in any way they can relate to. Marcel writes about his own past experiences, and I think anyone who knows him knows what he's referencing in parts. But he likes everyone to get whatever they want to get out of the lyrics, whatever way helps them connect with the song.
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Kanan Nagel
You all share a love for the golden era of pop-punk. How do you all stay in sync creatively when writing songs or putting together an album? How do you make sure everyone's ideas come together and everyone is heard?
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Chris Balance
At first, it was strange because only I really knew what I wanted the band to sound like. But after a few years now, Zeke and Marcel, I think, not only understand the vibe but really have excelled and evolved it. Most bands just have one or two main songwriters, and then ideas after the demo is finished are sprinkled in by each member. We are no different.
The bare bones of the songs are always done mainly by Marcel, or by Zeke and me. Marcel will come up with the main demo, or Zeke or I will come up with a riff and just kind of build around it. Zeke has really taken to the pop-punk/fast skate-punk songwriting well over the last year. I didn’t see that happening because he hates pop-punk, but he's really stepped up over the last year, and I love everything he’s been doing with Marcel.
Stream In Balance’s new single “Two Steps Behind” streaming now, and catch them live at Gilmore Music Store in Long Beach, CA, on February 7th!
