LA-based rock band Beauty School Dropout released their new album, Where Did All the Butterflies Go? Today, September 5th. This is the band’s first full-length studio album.
With their previous EPs, the band has been on an extensive tour of the US and Europe, including opening for Blink-182 and playing Warped Tour and Lollapalooza.
We had the opportunity to sit down with the band and talk with them about their recent shows, music videos, and what to expect from the new album.
Firstly, tell me about the album. The feelings, the vibes, what should people know?
Colie Hutzler: I think we’re excited. It’s a weird, nerve-wracking feeling because I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to succeed, let alone make this work. I think we’re at a point in our career where we’ve just really invested every single ounce of ourselves into this project and I just hope that that translates. I think even if it doesn’t, we’re still just proud of the work that we’ve done and what we’ve made. We’re excited for people to hear it for the first time and hopefully feel the same way that we do about it.
Do you have a favorite track that you’re excited for people to hear?
Brent Burdett: I think this album pulls out a softer, slower side that we’ve never fully delved into before, like the title track, “Where Did All the Butterflies Go?” is something we’ve never touched on sonically. “Adeline” is our first time doing a rock ballad. I want to move people more than we have emotionally, because there’s so much to digest in this album. There should be a full range of emotions to experience while listening.
Why did you choose “Where Did All the Butterflies Go?” as the title track for the album?
Colie Hutzler: There’s a lot of reasons, but ultimately, I think we kind of hit a wall where we were at a rock bottom as a group and just felt defeated by external pressures and industry stuff. Because of that, it created this feeling of almost numbness, which then prompted the question “Where Did All the Butterflies Go?”- like why is this thing that we’re so in love with and so addicted to working on not making any of us happy right now? There’s greater meaning within that analogy of romance, love, addiction, and all these other parts of life that can be seen the same way, but that’s the overall thesis of the album.
Is this your first full-length album?
Colie Hutzler: Technically, yeah. To us, it’s our first full-length album. Every other project has been 7-8 songs, which is just a consolidated project. I think this is the first time we’ve seen it through, been intentional and thoughtful front to back without leaving for touring or shows or doing anything that interrupts that process. We wanted to paint the painting until we’re done.
You’ve been doing so many massive things: touring with Blink-182, Warped Tour, and Lollapalooza. How has it been doing all of those things before you released your first full album?
Colie Hutzler: We’re honored and grateful for all of those opportunities. That was the most exciting part of what was going on. The album prior to this one didn’t connect like we had hoped, and I think that was the first time when we were like “maybe the trajectory isn’t just straight up”. It was a very paradoxical feeling when we’re in these types of situations, but then we’re figuring out how to make the digital footprint grow or the album numbers grow. We all just have high hopes and worked so hard on this thing that we were just shook.
Bardo Novotny: I think the previous projects are amazing songs, but it was the least amount of project thesis that we put into it compared to this. The last projects, we were finishing on the road: on tour. [We were] in the green room cutting vocals and hopping on a zoom call to finish a track while we’re in Germany. I think what we were craving with Where Did All the Butterflies Go? was a thesis that we could get behind. Like “this is the project”.
I think that’s also part of the name. Where did the love of creation and creativity [go]? We tap into that. We really found that love again.
Were all these shows big goals for you? Were these things that you knew you wanted to do?
Brent Burdett: All we want to do is play shows. That’s why we do this. The bigger the shows get and the more people resonate with what we’re doing, the cooler it is. It’s just super fun to go out and perform and meet everyone. We have the best fans in the world. They’re so kind and so passionate about not only the music, but each other too. And that’s what we’ve always wanted because we grew up in the same way. Having a community around the bands that you like is the coolest way to make friends, and we’ve just watched that expand. The more people at our shows, the bigger the community. And that’s everything to me.
Is there a song on the album you’re particularly excited about playing live?
Bardo Novotny: There’s a song called “Madonna,” which sonically and live is going to be really fun. Also “City Never Sleeps” is going to be really fun live. Playing them in rehearsal is scary and kind of a challenge. We’ve never really played these songs before outside of the studio, so it’s fun to [figure out] how are we going to do this live? What does it sound like? It’s like reinventing the whole thing.
Brent Burdett: Something cool about these songs compared to our old music is, when we went into the writing and recording process of the album, we were thinking so far ahead for the live show, so these songs have been easier to translate live than ever before.
Do you have a favorite show or city that you’ve played so far? What’s one you’re looking forward to?
Bardo Novotny: The Midwest is amazing. We love Ohio. They’re really stoked when we come through and deliver a fun show.
Brent Burdett: Special shoutout to New Jersey. We’ve never had a bad show there, and they go so hard.
I’ve also been reviewing your music videos and they’re so cool! Do you guys have a lot of creative direction in that? What’s been the process?
Colie Hutzler: I pretty much built the entire visual team. I come from photography and the visual world, so I have a lot of friends from home who are incorporated in that space. I brought Tanner Carney on, and he is the most insane producer. I did all the creative direction with Sam Fine. I think that’s a big part of this project as a whole is how hands-on we were with everything top-to-bottom. I think that’s what’s separating it from some of our past works. Everything is very intentional and thought-out by us.
Do you have any visual/cinematic inspirations?
Colie Hutzler: There was a lot of inspiration from A24 films, Euphoria was a big one, Petra Collins. Those combined with Sam Fine who is just all-things punk rock.
Looking at this era of your career, if you had to pick one proudest moment, what would it be?
Bardo Novotny: This album, for me.
Brent Burdett: And touring with Blink-182 is a huge one.
Colton Flurry: Warped Tour is pretty sick. I feel like that was a big one for me.
Where Did All the Butterflies Go? is out on all streaming platforms now, and the band is set to continue through the fall.
