Pop punk is back baby, thanks to New Orleans based band Neutral Snap. The fun-loving four-piece have just unleashed their latest single "Danny ACOG" and it is a musical joyride complete with hard-hitting guitars, a shout-out loud chorus and dynamic drums. The song is shared alongside a music video showing the band's thrilling live performances, that are so sick even an old man wakes up and parties.
Neutral Snap is quickly making a name for themselves with their musical releases that are a perfect blend of sugar and snarl. We chatted with frontman Joshua Latham on everything from the new release to a funny tour story and dream lineup. The result is an amusing read and a look inside a creative mastermind.
Hi Joshua, congratulations on the new single and music video “Danny ACOG”. Can you tell our readers more about the song?
Thank you so much for having me! "Danny ACOG" is a refreshing modern take on a 2005 pop punk heartbreaker anthem. It talks about the push and pull of a situationship that’s drying up. The song is massive, poppy, and full of energy. I think that people are gonna really dig it!
You collaborated with Tom Denney from A Day To Remember. What was it like working with Tom and what did he bring to the song?
Omg amazing. The whole band listened to ADTR growing up so to be able to create with Tom was incredible! We went out to Ocala to his studio for a couple of days and ripped bangers and hung out with his cats. He’s so nice, and he was so receptive to our ideas and suggestions when we’re getting into the meat and potatoes of it all. We started with a rough structure that Tom put together and we all chipped away at it until "Danny ACOG" was born. It was a very “we made it” moment to be able to pump out a song with someone whose music has been so impactful to us. We were able to feel that feeling quite a bit with this whole EP!
How do you think “Danny ACOG” differs from your past releases?
"Danny ACOG" was actually one of the first songs that we wrote that was a start-to-finish collaboration with someone outside the band. We had written our first two albums (bangers) on our own, and it was such a cool and new experience to be able to write with other musicians in our scene. The production on "Danny ACOG" (and the rest of the EP) blows our old work out the water! Our producer Rob Freeman (Hidden in Plain View) made the single and record sound massive. I think "Danny ACOG" is the perfect bridge of what we’ve done to what we are about to do :)
Your band name is very unique, where did it come from?
Buckle up! So I’m an Eagle Scout (flex) and while I was at winter camp I took the automotive maintenance merit badge (hilarious because I still know nothing about cars). During the course my instructor said that when you rev a car up in neutral and shift into drive at 6-7000 rpm, the gear will break and it’s called a neutral snap. And I thought that was the sickest thing anyone has ever said, and it’s been our name ever since!
Fun fact: the term for that was actually a neutral DROP, my instructor misspoke. I guess I have him to thank for that!
Describe your band in three words?
2005 Gushers Commercial
You all hail from New Orleans, what is the music scene like?
New Orleans is the greatest city in the world! The music scene is getting there. There’s a lot of really amazing talent coming out of New Orleans; there always has been! As far as our genre goes, our scene is small but mighty. There has been an influx in really dope small rooms in the city that have housed incredible acts and are doing so much to preserve the community and scene out here (shout out No Dice).
Neutral Snap is on the road most of the year and has played so many gigs. Can you tell us a funny tour story?
Boy, can I! Neutral Snap wasn’t born on the road, but we sure as hell were raised on it. Whenever I get this question I actually immediately think back to one of our first tours ever. We played a fraternity party at this college (let’s call it College X) for one of our first big out-of-state runs. We didn’t have a hotel room booked or a place to stay, but we figured we would just go to the party and figure it out. After our set we were given an entire bottle of Rumplemintz and told to “go nuts.” We decided that we would figure out a place to stay when the bottle was empty. My two guitarists and I each took a shot, and that’s the last thing we remembered. Walker, one of our guitarists at the time, woke up the next morning underneath the stairs of a campus apartment complex. JP, our current and only guitarist, woke up on the tee box of hole 4 on College X’s golf course. I woke up in the front seat of a College X campus golf cart with the keys still in the ignition. I picked the boys up, got in our car, and we never played there again. We knew that it was only going to get crazier from there!
If you could share the stage with anyone dead or alive, who would that be and why?
Ugh, I hate that I have to choose. Okay. 4 band bill. 800 cap club. Neutral Snap is 1/4
2/4 would be Neck Deep. Gotta be. Seeing them live for the first time was unreal. I look up to them so much. Ben Barlow is one of the best vocalists in the scene and they all seem like genuine dudes. 3/4 would be Transit playing the entirety of Joyride front to back. That album altered my brain chemistry. Perfect from front to back. Nothing lasts forever. The headliner would probably be Sammy Rae and the Friends! I’ve caught her twice in New Orleans and she’s consistently been my favorite artist for years. She’s incredible. Such an inspiring singer and beautiful songwriter, I could talk about her all day!
What's next for Neutral Snap?
It’s about to be a snap summer!!!! We are set to release more music through the summer, and we have a ton of shows booked from now till the end of the year! I’m very much looking forward to continuing with this release rollout and showing everyone what we’ve been working on!
I love being in Neutral Snap, and I really think we are doing everything right. I can’t wait for y’all to see it! :)
Connect with Neutral Snap: INSTAGRAM
