Matt Breen, lead singer of Emanuel, is going back to his roots.
That might sound odd when you consider Breen and his band mates are in their early 20s, but something happens when a band formed by high school students tours almost nonstop for three years.
“I?m only 23, but I?ve been doing this since I was 14,” Breen said. “At the end of last year, we were just feeling jaded, really bummed out.”
But that weariness led to something positive ? a creative period for Breen and his band mates that resulted in a writing spurt. The result is “Black Eye Tiger,” their sophomore release, due out Aug. 28 from Vagrant Records.
The 11-track album, produced by Terry Date, who has worked with Pantera, Screaming Trees and dredg, has a ?90s rock vibe that Breen likens to “somewhere in between Alice in Chains and Sunny Day Real Estate.”
The music has pushed the band?s music toward maturation and a darker, heavier sound. Still, the sound is all Emanuel, which is just what Breen wants.
“We made a lot of decisions when we were approached by bigger labels and bigger management firms,” he said. “But we made the choice that we want to stay an indie rock band.”
Of course, that comes with some sacrifices that might not be made if other options were chosen.
“We?re back to sleeping on floors, we?re so in debt from making music,” he said. “But this is more fun than before. We have broken out of our routine. Our goals always change, but it?s always been to just make music.”
On this latest tour, the band plays three or four songs from the new album, which gives the show a deeper vibe, he said.
“The tour?s going great,” tour manager Kelly Rogers said. “We?ve been out with other bands and just had a couple days off to go home and see friends. But this has been really good.”
While some might chalk up a reasonably balanced schedule and camaraderie with other bands as fuel that reignites creative enthusiasm, Breen said it always comes down to one thing ? the fans.
“When you look down and see someone singing the words to one of your songs ? that?s what it?s all about,” he said.
If you go
Emanuel with Boys Night Out, June, Olympia and The Second Sunrise
» Venue: Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore
» When: 7 p.m. Thursday
» Tickets: $12 advance/$14 door
