WHY NOT "EP" - REVIEW — Melodic Noise

From the moment the isolated guitar intro of “Ready 4 the World” kicks in I was hooked on “EP,” the latest offering from Why Not. Crunchy, distorted guitar, energetic bass, and thrashing drums make this EP a force. The first track “Ready 4 the World” takes the biggest advantage of the loud-quiet-loud format on the EP, with moments of front and center vocals singing about being awkward, and then buried and shouting from a distance and almost impossible to understand. Initially my favorite song “Your Moind” is the easiest track to grasp the concept of, loving someone with a mental illness and wanting to do more to make things easier for them, but doing it in the right way that respects them and yourself. That then leads us into “Thud. Dead.,” a much heavier song than I initially realized. Disguised in the semi-cheery instrumentals are the lyrics referencing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, in which 146 workers died from the fire or while jumping from the upper floors of the building to escape. I love when artists use their platforms to tackle complex issues and do so using catchy riffs, which is why “Thud. Dead.” became my favorite track from the EP. Lastly, no dive into “EP” can be complete without at least briefly mentioning the epic ten and a half minute closer “Eighth Year.” The final track is nearly as long as the rest of the EP, building, falling a way, then coming back, and the journey of a song stands out as a unique track in the genre. From beginning to end, “EP” is a catchy and exciting ride, and absolutely worth checking out.

Why Not:
Isaac Dell – guitar
Henry Breen – bass and vocals
Joshua MacGregor – drums

(Melodic Noise) How's your day going?
(Why Not) Our day is goin great! At this current all of us are at our schools doing the learning thing. Getting that education!

(MN) How do you define your genre?
(WN) Loud

(MN) How did Why Not form?
(WN) Well the very beginning of the Why Not history was when Isaac and Henry were doing their own project with each other. Eventually, the three of us started being better friends as a group and started making music together! We started out wanting to make like progressive rock but we heavily drifted away from that

(MN) Do you have a label?
(WN) No label. DIY at the current moment

(MN) What’s the latest project called?
(WN) Our latest release is titled “EP”. The reason it is titled like that is to give it sort of a self titled vibe. We thought that would fit because we believe this release to be the landmark release from us at the current moment. EP is super defining for us at the moment

(MN) Lyrically what stands out on the album?
(WN) I’d say lyrically, this EP deals with a lot of different things, but one main thing is being conscious of yourself and others. You can find that throughout the whole EP in every song.

(MN) Who are your influences and Minnesota influences?
(WN) Definitely The Happy Children. They really STARTED the scene we are in right now. Back when they started playing house shows, we really saw that boost right before our eyes. The scene really boosted and influenced sooooo many other people to start playing music and start being in bands.

(MN) Who are your favorite current Twin Cities artists?
(WN) The Clean Tramps, Sapphire, Torquemada, Dreams We’ve Had, The Happy Children, Heart to Gold, niiice. just to name a few

(MN) What is your favorite venue to play & see shows at in Twin Cities?
(WN) Favorite venues are definitely Honey MPLS, 7th Street, and just house venues in general. We always have a TON of fun at those places. In terms of venues to see shows at I think we can all agree that First Avenue and The Palace are amazing to see shows at.

(MN) What can fans expect when they come to a Why Not show?
(WN) They can expect a lot of movement from the crowd, REALLY loud music, and overall just an extremely fun and energetic show. Nothing short of that. And more importantly than all of that they can expect to be in a safe environment where everyone loves everyone.

(MN) Do you have a favorite memory of playing a show?
(WN) Man there are so many cool shows we’ve played. Some that come to mind are when we played The Meatlocker in New Jersey when we were on tour with The Happy Children. That place was so cool, dank, and just gross. It was awesome. It also flooded like the day beforehand so it was EXTRA gross. Other than that, it was fun playing with The Happy Children at Honey MPLS last Summer. The Happy Children got kicked off stage by the venue because they were playing too long, then proceeded to almost play a show outside of the venue in the parking lot. It was crazy.

(MN) What was the inspiration behind the album?
(WN) Everything. Music. People. Friends. Love. Also just wanting to make something very cool and unique for the scene that we are in!

(MN) What do you hope people take away from the album?
(WN) I hope people love it as much as we do and appreciate all the little stuff added to it. But above all else, we just want people to find meaning in it. We want it to be meaningful for others and help them through tough situations.

(MN) Who are your dream tourmates?
(WN) Hippo Campus, Remo Drive, The Story So Far, Tera Melos... Ariana Grande....

(MN) What do you like about living in the Twin Cities?
(WN) Everything is so great and diverse! Though we have a long way to go still, there are lots of different people here sharing the things they love. Overall just a very loving place to live :)

(MN) Favorite places to grab food or drink in the Twin Cities?
(WN) Pizza Luce, iPho, McDonalds, and Taco Bell

(MN) Day jobs?
(WN) Henry works at Nelson Cheese and Deli in Como, and I (Josh) work at Bruegger’s Bagels

(MN) What are the Why Not's plans for the future?
(WN) Make more music! Tour! Make more music! Tour! Make friends

You can listen to Why Not’s “EP” here and check out the dates below to see where you can catch them live.

April 8th at The Drop In with GYMSHORTS, Casual, and Harper’s Jar
April 12th at Jibba with Heart to Gold, The Clean Tramps, Sapphire, and Mister Wes
April 18th at Rowhouse with niiice., War Prayer, and Optimal Crime
April 19th at Buddy Basement in Madison, Wisconsin with niiice., and Parsing
April 20th at CThouse in Chicago, Illinois with niiice., Harvey Fox, and Mt Pocono
April 28th at Honey MPLS with Marmalade and Doggy

Review and Interview by: Andrew Perrizo