One step closer is a fairly new band that in the beginning of this year released an EP that is a big contender for record of the year. I would suggest you check that record out and in the meantime read what they have to say.

One step closer is a fairly young band. Can you introduce the band and its members?

One Step Closer consists of five members: Tommy on drums, Ross on rhythm guitar, Grady on lead guitar, BT on bass, and myself on vocals. Everyone is pretty young, Grady is 18, Ross and I are 19, Tommy is 21, and BT is 22

Here in Belgium we seem to have a scene filled with older people. Hardcore seems to have lost its appeal to young people. How did you get into hardcore? And what made you stick around?

I got into hardcore when I was 12 years old through some older kids that I used to skate with. At the time my parents weren’t completely about me going to shows since I was so young, so after two shows they said no more. I reconnected with hardcore when I started playing in bands when I was 15 and have been involved with the scene ever since. The Wilkes barres scene was just super sick at the time and had cool venues that made me want to keep going to shows. Plus a lot of younger kids started coming out at the same time I was, which made it even cooler.

After a demo and a promo you now released a 6 song record on Triple B records. How did you get on Triple B? Did you anticipate all the positive reaction before the record was actually released.

Triple B kinda just happened out of no where. I was sending the mixes of the record to my friend Ned for him to critique, and he during that process he told me that Sam from Triple B wanted to hear the record when it was done. Once I got the masters back of the record, I immediately sent them over to Sam. I waited a couple weeks and then got an email back saying that he was down to put out the record. We kind of made a small name for ourselves from playing and touring on our own, so I think that helped with signing. I truly didn’t know what to expect from the record. Everyone in the band including myself was super proud of the record though, so we were keeping high hopes that it would do well. I did not expect it to do as well as it did though, since we are a new band and doing a sound that isn’t very prominent in hardcore right now. It was a relief to see people posting about it and truly enjoying it. A big moment for all of us.

I hear a lot of later Turning point in your sound. What other bands (both musically and lyrically) have had an influence on One step Closer?

Turning point is definitely a huge inspiration on me and everyone else in the band. When our drummer Tommy and I started the band we both wanted to go for a Turning point vibe. They inspire me both musically and lyrically. Bands like Inside out, Flagman, Have heart, even Sunny day real estate also have a huge influence on both of us as well.

What do you feel are the biggest differences between the One step closer EP and the From me to you EP.

One thing for sure is the writing is just overall better. The music is more catchy and structured on From me to you and the lyrics are a lot more personal. We also were able to nail some cool tones for the guitars and create a more unique sound. I like the first EP, but our original drummer kind of ruined the recording process for us, so I think From me to you blows it out of the water.

Your lyrics seems to revolve around self-worth and self-empowerment. Do I get that right. Why do you opt for this kind of lyrics? Are you trying to convey a message, or is it more about getting feelings of your chest?

The lyrics for From me to you mainly revolve around some emotions that I had on my chest / things that I have gone through over the time of writing the record. I went through a rough spot in my life during that time, so the lyrics are pretty personal. Self empowerment and self worth are definitely part of the lyrics, but songs like Daydream also contain a message. I want people to connect with the lyrics and interpret them however they hear them. Hardcore is pure emotion to me and it always has been from there start, this emotion is just routed deeper and a little darker.

The artwork for both the promo and the new record are very refreshing in the hardcore scene. Who is the artist responsible for this? Why did you opt for this kind of artwork. Is there a deeper meaning behind this?

Our good friend Peter Maria did the artwork on both the promo and the record. Both covers portray the feeling of being lost and trapped. Lost within yourself, lost within your life, lost within your emotions. I felt like this artwork style fit this record perfectly and was different from a lot of other hardcore record covers. Peter really killed it on the artwork, he does art for a lot of bands so hit him up if you need anything.

You are from Wilkes Barres, for us Europeans only knows as the home of Cold world. How is living in that city? What other bands from your area should we keep an eye on? I know that some of you also play in Anxious. Any other bands with One step closer members for us to check out? 

Wilkes Barre is a small kind of run down city with one of the coolest hardcore scenes ever. Living here isn’t the best because there isn’t much to do, but the music scene is the one thing bringing life to this place. Bands like Title Fight, War Hungry, Dead End Path, Bad Seed, and like you said Cold World have all come out of this area. Some other bands you should definitely check out from here would be Choice to Make, Worn, and Ripped Away. I play in Choice to Make as well as our drummer Tommy and our guitar player Ross just started playing for Worn. Grady plays in Anxious and OSC, but in the near future I’ll also be joining Anxious on second guitar

What is the coolest thing you experienced due to hardcore?

The coolest thing to me is just how many people we have met and became friends with. Also traveling all the time just to play music, that is literally a dream come true. I think when we play the Have Heart reunion show, that might be the coolest thing I’ll ever experience in general.

And what is the thing that you dislike most in hardcore?

I dislike how people feel like they need to be tough or play tough music. It’s not cool if you act that way nor is it what hardcore is about. That’s one thing that always bothered me.

What is in the future for One step closer? Plans to come to Europe? 

This summer we are doing a big tour with Anxious around the Have Heart shows and Sound and Fury. We also have a run with Defeater coming up this week and doing a couple mid west shows after that. We are really hoping to make it to Europe either the end of this year of beginning of next. Stay tuned on that. We are also currently writing for an LP. Not sure on when that will be out, but it’s in the works.

Any final words?

I just want to thank you for asking me to be a part of this and I wanna shout out all my friends who supports OSC.

Triple B records

Picture by Spencer Chamberlain