Knuckle Puck talk ’20/20′, Donald Trump and positivity

In a parallel universe, naming an album 20/20 that is due to be released in the year 2020 would seem like an amusing coincidence. Given the year that we’ve had that needs no further mention, however, its meaning has undoubtedly changed. It isn’t hard to imagine the mention of that number and its newfound connotations becoming something of a taboo in years to come, something that is laughed at uncomfortably, darkly.

With all that considered, does Knuckle Puck guitarist and vocalist Nick Casasanto regret naming his band’s third album a number with such negative associations? His answer is “No”. The reasons why encompass everything that he hopes the album will represent, both for his band and for their fans.

“At first I thought that maybe I would regret [the choice of name],” he admits, “but I’m actually glad that we called the record 20/20 in spite of the year that the world ended up having. It is a positive record, and for some people that really like the record, hopefully it will be a bit of a silver lining for their year. If it was not the best year for you, which most likely it wasn’t, hopefully when you hear ‘2020’ there’s a small chance that you’ll be reminded of a record that you like instead of a year you hated.”

The songs that make up 20/20 were pieced together a little while before the year it shares its name with began, in a time where there was no such thing as coronavirus that we might in hindsight consider blissful in its ordinariness. Two songs, lead single ‘Tune You Out’ and ‘Breathe’, featuring Mayday Parade frontman Derek Sanders, were even recorded a year and a half before Knuckle Puck had their first 20/20 studio session. The Illinois five piece had no idea how much the positivity of what they were making would be needed when it was released in September, eight months after the studio sessions were wrapped up. Positivity, however, was something they still needed for themselves.

Eleven tracks of carefree and fun pop punk that asks for nothing but your smile

“I think the last couple [of] records that we put out [2015’s debut Copacetic and 2017’s Shapeshifter] were really introspective and almost to a fault,” Nick says. “I’m very proud of those records but after playing those songs for several years and just growing myself and feeling good and confident [made us want] to put something positive back into the world. There was still a lot of lingering frustrations and negativity in our music and there are certain songs that aren’t the most fun to perform live because of the lyrical content.”

Equally, Nick and his bandmates had an eye on the world around them, one with “everybody constantly having negative news, and constantly being reminded of what a weird place the world is right now.” Taken out of context, it would be easy to think he was talking about the pandemic that by that point hadn’t even happened. That said, the world was perhaps still a deeply negative place, now gripped in a state of climate crisis related hyperawareness, with Donald Trump still a year off the prospect of being voted out of the White House. “We just didn’t want to add to that,” says Nick. “All of those things were calling for a positive record.”

The band has truly fulfilled that ambition on 20/20. Imagine a record that would high five you in the street and pull you in for a warm hug, and that’s pretty much what Knuckle Puck is offering. There’s a pleasant, refreshing simplicity to it – eleven tracks of carefree and fun pop punk that asks for nothing but your smile. Indeed, the band had as much fun making it as fans new and old will have listening.

“The record that we did before [20/20, sophomore effort Shapeshifter] was a little tumultuous in the creation of it. There was a lot of unnecessary stress, a lot of unnecessary expectation and with 20/20 it was easier because we went into it with no expectations other than ‘Let’s just make a good record’. I think we just really wanted to get back to our roots and just do something fun and positive.” That environment was Crown Point, Indiana, with long-time collaborator Seth Henderson at the helm. “Recording with Seth was really fun,” he reflects. “It’s always a good time with [him].”

Musically, the goal for Knuckle Puck was not a departure from the sound they had honed on their previous records, but simplicity and concision. Nick, however, is already “craving” some sort of musical change in a post 20/20 future. “Our next music will take a new turn now that we’ve sort of gotten back to our roots. I feel like now’s the time where we can turn it on its head a little bit.”

There is so much that any listener can get out of 20/20, whatever mood they find themselves

This itch for a change has perhaps already been hinted at on late single and album highlight ‘Earthquake’, which Nick names as the song on the record that he is proudest of. It is not only the most distinct song 20/20 has to offer, balancing energetic pop punk with a throwback vibe, but perhaps also one of their most unique songs ever.

“I really like making music like that, music that just puts a smile on your face and just has a good feeling. I think we’ll make more music like [‘Earthquake’]. I also think that there’s going to be a lot of music in Knuckle Puck’s future that is on the opposite end of the spectrum. At the end of the day we are an aggressive band and I do think that there will be more of that to come as well. That’s some good news for some people who were maybe surprised to hear those poppy vibes from our band.”

Before that comes, there is the 20/20 touring cycle still to unfold for the band, or at least, as close to playing conventional gigs as they can manage in the pandemic. A record release show was played to an empty Lincoln Hall in Illinois, which Nick says “felt a bit like a dream.”

“It was a little bit strange [at first] but once it got going it wasn’t that strange. I feel like I’m kind of desensitised to Zoom calls and things being streamed. It wasn’t as weird as I thought it was going to be in that setting.”

By the time you read this, the band will have also tried their hand at playing a drive through show. Nick recounts going to one himself, watching Third Eye Blind in California from his car back in the summer. “It was the most connected I’d felt to people in a long time,” he says. “I’m excited to play one and see what it’s all about.”

Now the band will have had the chance to inspire those longed-for connections that are so often forged at a gig in a Covid-friendly manner, bringing the positivity captured permanently on their record into a live setting. We might have to wait our turn for that, but in the meantime, there is so much that any listener can get out of 20/20, whatever mood they find themselves in during the potential tumult of the next few months. This is the beauty of music – that, as well as Knuckle Puck themselves, we are lucky to have.