I’m from the generation of music fans who relied on compilation albums to discover new artists. Digital music makes discovery and accessibility much easier than it used to be. Even so, I still have fond memories of the days of comp CDs. For the past two years, Ska Punk International has taken the idea of the comp and digital music and combined them into a series called Songs For Moms. The idea of the comp is to collect some of the best new, under the radar, and upcoming ska and ska adjacent groups together to cover classic tunes. Even cooler is that all of the proceeds going to charity.
On this year’s offering, one of the songs was a Bob Dylan cover by Lumpy. After hearing it, I knew I needed more Lumpy in my life. Thankfully, the wait wasn’t too long because the new album, Burn the Page, releases October 18th.
For the uninitiated, Lumpy is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Bryan Highhill.
Highhill is a one man band of sorts, but also handles his own recording, producing, and mastering. Musically, Lumpy doesn’t fit into one bucket. On any given track, you’ll hear emo, indie, punk, power pop, ska, reggae, or any combination of those genres. It’s a testament to Lumpy’s talent and craftsmanship that they’re able to make such a cohesive sound with so many inspirations. The closest thing I can think of to describe Lumpy is they sound like what They Might Be Giants would sound like if they were a ska band.
Leading up to the release of Lumpy’s new album next week, we have the honor and privilege of premiering the final single from the album. Before checking it out, take a read at our interview with Highhill so you can get to know Lumpy a bit more.
A little over a decade ago, you released Life, Man. Burn the Page comes out this month. How have you changed as a musician since then?
Since recording Life, Man I’ve had a lot of time to practice! So speaking about technical abilities, I like to think that I am at a much different place (hopefully better) on my instruments.
I think the biggest evolution has been my approach to songwriting. I’m at a place that feels more naturally expressive to who I am. The newer recordings and production also do a better job of complimenting and propelling that. However, I always hear plenty of room for improvement, so this will always be something that continues to change and evolve.
I used to have more grand ideas about how my songs “needed” to sound or what elements I had to have in there. I’m much better at not thinking that way and I’ve developed a process that feels more fluid, natural, and less creatively restrictive.
Your earlier work was recorded in New Mexico, while the new album was recorded in Minnesota. Does your current location influence your work in any way?
For me, it does. I tend to be very in tune with my surroundings and aware that I feel and think differently in different places. I’m inspired by different things, people, and experiences which all end up finding their way into my creative output one way or another.
You have such an eclectic, yet cohesive sound on the new album. What was the recording process like to keep everything so fluid?
Honestly, the process wasn’t too much different than my other albums. I wrote and recorded these songs over the course of two years. I tend to have a song idea – maybe some melodies, rhythms, or chords. I’ll record those ideas without a full song structure in mind. I’ll mess around and build a song around that, then I use the recording process as an extension of my songwriting. I’ll often end up with five different versions of a song or something that I can split up into different songs. I think the cohesiveness comes from the evolution of my approach that I talked about earlier as well as staying more consistent with the instrumentation on this album.
I hear everything from indie to power pop to ska on the album. What bands inspired you while you were working on the new album?
Different bands inspire me in different ways. I get most inspired by artists that you can hear are being their authentic selves and doing what they want to do. I love when the songwriting, performance, and production is a unique and original voice of that band or artist. Even better yet is being able to hear the humanness in the recordings.
My informative years I listened to everything ska, punk, and emo that I could get my hands on. There’s no doubt I still find inspiration in that. However, through the years I realized that I wasn’t obsessed with those genres, I just obsessed with music and making music. There aren’t any bands that specifically inspired this album. However, some of the bands and artists that have consistently inspired me over the years are The Weakerthans, The Slackers, Built To Spill, Tom Waits, Arturo Sandoval, Jimmy Cliff, Fishbone, Jenny Lewis, the Cat Empire, The Bug, Toots, No Use For A Name, Youth Lagoon, Augustus Pablo, Get Up Kids, The Unicorns, Jeff Rosenstock. So many more.
Tell me a little more about the new single. What’s is about?
I don’t really think of myself as a good story teller. It just never feels natural to me. A lot of my lyrics are not necessarily about a specific thing, person, or event, but more of a collection of introspective thoughts from a specific time.
“Back To The Earth” expresses the habit of fixating on anything but the present. Whether it’s the things that led up to where you currently are in life, things that have informed the person you are, or the act of working towards a bigger idea or life goal. These things always come back to the present whether you are aware of it or not. I think it’s extremely important to be aware of the past and to be goal-oriented, but it’s equally or maybe more important to keep that in check and be present in the moment as well.
Your new album is going to be released on Ska Punk International. What was it about them that hooked you?
As you alluded to earlier, my music is hard to categorize in terms of any genre. Clearly ska, punk, and emo were a large part of my informative music consumption years. I always felt that fans of those genres may relate to and enjoy my music.
Like most new music I come across these days, I found out about Ska Punk International through twitter. As I dove deeper into the label and their output I thought my music would be a unique, yet great fit. I also appreciate and relate to their DIY approach. I submitted my album with expectations of hearing nothing back, but I think I heard back within the week.
Outside of Lumpy, you have a pretty comprehensive musical resume. To date, what is your coolest experience that has happened to you because of music?
I was in a funk/r&b/soul group called Sonny Knight and the Lakers. We were lucky enough to have so many amazing gig opportunities. My favorite was touring through Spain, France, and Belgium. They were some of the most amazing shows and amazing places I’ve performed. There was so much consistent excitement and energy from crowd to crowd, which I had never really experienced on that level before. I would love to have an opportunity to do that kind of touring with Lumpy.
What newer bands are you really enjoying these days?
A positive thing to come out of the COVID craziness we’ve all experienced these past few years is that I’ve finally been able to tap into new music on a level I haven’t experienced since I was in high school. Most of this is due to twitter and spotify. Unfortunately, due to this digital music age, I find it much harder to remember and keep track of all these band names and songs I hear. However, there’s a ton of creative and inspiring stuff going on out there.
Cole Pulice has put out some amazingly beautiful and expressive music over the past few years. Pup kicks ass. Bad Operation and Catbite are doing some awesome things with ska and reggae. The SPI catalog of course!
I’m always looking for more suggestions
Any last words?
Thank you for this opportunity and for your support, I truly appreciate it!
If people would like to find out more about me and what I do, please check out www.lumpyrecordings.com
You can order the new album at www.skapunkinternational.com
I would love to hear from everyone! You can reach out to me at: