Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Eichlers about the formation of hyperska, the ska twitter community, their album “My Checkered Future”, NEW TONE, and so much more! Check out the interview below!
1. Hi (interview edition.) Thanks for being here! How are you doing?
Hi (im great and excited to talk to my friend Mustard edition)
2. Joseph Eichlers, who inspired your name, creates Mid-century and Modern homes. You created Hyperska. Would you say there are any parallels or correlation between the two? Did Hyperska happen naturally? Or did you have blueprints for it?
tbh I chose the name Eichlers without knowing anything about the dude. its a popular style of home in the neighborhood where I grew up. actually, I just recently found out that J Eichler was a big advocate for creating inclusive diverse communities, complete with resources like parks & community centers and actively pushed non-discrimination policies when it came to selling his homes. pretty cool guy! so i guess u could draw a parallel between the inclusivity of my values, the inclusivity of the NEW TONE scene, and our pal Joseph! A
s far as “blueprints” go, id say the genre was pretty distinctly pre-planned and built in a conscious, direct manner
3. “Hyperska” was coined by fellow Bad Time Records partner JER (Skatune Network.) Did you have another name in mind for the new genre? For those who may not know about Hyperska, could you describe its sound?
yeah, i was originally going to call it “trap rock steady” lol. im really glad that Jer called it HYPERSKA, cuz thats a way better name and has no association with stza. also cuz Jer rules & i rlly look up to them! i would describe HYPERSKA as a mix of hyperpop with twinkly emo guitars and 2 Tone / 3rd wave SKA sensibilities. think Lil Peep meets 100 Gecs meets Algernon Cadwallader meets The Specials.
4. Mustard has observed that the “Ska Twitter” community is really strong. Everyone supports each other and never tears anyone down. What could other communities (or fandoms) learn from this? Did the positivity within the scene surprise you at all? With news of Elon Musk buying Twitter, do you suspect the community will move to another platform?
I LOVE SKA TWITTER! the NEW TONE SKA scene is so cool because everyone is so excited about the genre and wants to help one another succeed. theres so much passion and energy in the community, its magnetic! once yr into one NEW TONE artist, yr compelled to check em all out bc theyre always hyping each other up! i think other scenes could learn a lot from the NEW TONE community’s emphasis on support and disregard for competition. everyone in the scene wants to c everyone else succeed. rising tide lifts all rudies, etc. this ALSO goes for supporting and being inclusive and sensitive to the issues of people of marginalized identities. there’s no tolerance for bigotry or hatred of any kind. as for elxn mxsk, idk about moving to another platform. there r already some v cool discords i have the privilege of being in and we r always looking to add new ppl who want to participate in the scene & SKAmmunity. shoutout Cool Crew SKA Chat!
5. You were introduced to ska by your parents. Could you share some of your first memories of the genre?
yee, i love that my parents had such GOOD taste in music when i was lil. i remember my dad buying the Ultimate Madness compilation CD for one of my childhood birthdays and BOOGIEING DOWN to “Embarrassment” in my bedroom for the rest of the month. i was hooked by the groove! thanks dad!
6. “Eat The Rich, Feed The Kids” has become a motif within the New Tone movement. For those who may disagree, or not understand, why is it important that we as a society follow through with this? What can the reader (or listener of your music) do to help put this into motion?
wealth inequality is a gigantic issue that seeps into all facets of our daily lives. Nobody needs or should have billions of dollars while so many struggle to make ends / meet basic needs. the phrase demands the redistribution of wealth, from the rich to the poor. it should b our basic function as people to b empathetic and help others out as much as possible. those who hoard their wealth r guilty of ignoring the needs of the people, they could fkn change lives and create a better world for everyone, but they choose not to. capitalism wont allow it. we need to dismantle capitalism to save our planet and ourselves, and raising awareness of wealth inequality is a small step in that direction.
7. Bad Time Records is doing a lot of incredible things at the moment. Could you share more about your relationship with them? Was it your goal to have “My Checkered Future” distributed through them?
Bad Time is the torch bearer of the NEW TONE scene, for sure. the first BTR band i heard was Grey Matter, and from there i dug deeper into the roster and found the amazing community of bands, artists, and fans. ive known Adam from OMNIGONE for over 10yr now and thru him i met Mike and began building a relationship of support and kindness. i became a part of the scene and when i finished MCF, i knew BTR needed to b involved! the cutting-edge SKA label bringing my NEW TONE SOUND to the world just made sense. im eternally grateful for Mike & the BTR family for their support & making my damn ass dreams come true!
8. The Ska revival of the last few years has been great to witness. Besides yourself, who would you recommend readers check out from the current scene? Who is inspiring you at the moment?
i love TAPE GIRL, WE ARE THE UNION, GREY MATTER, POINDEXTER, JER, BUENA SUERTE, KMOY, FLYING RACCOON SUIT, & THE BEST OF THE WORST to name a few. i have a curated NEW TONE SKA ‘22 playlist on spotify w my full list of fave current SKA bands!
9. In an interview with Metrosilliconvalley you mentioned that you make music exactly like you want to hear. Could you elaborate more on that?
yeh absolutely. my fave part of being a musician is that i am also a rabid music fan. im SKAnstantly looking for new music that excites me. when it comes to MAKING music, i want to write the kind of songs that would BLOW! MY! MIND! if i came across them as a casual fan. i think that if yr not excited abt the music yr making, u should rethink yr approach lol
10. You’ve recently been more active on TikTok. How has Tiktok (and other social media platforms) helped you as an artist?
tiktok & twitter & all the other social platforms rlly help expose my shit to a new audience. if someone shares a post / video /tweet of mine, maybe one of their followers will c it. & maybe that person likes SKA. and hyperpop. and emo. and maybe theyll click on my profile and hear my music and dig it! and just like that, ive made a new fan, ive made a new friend!
11.How have artists such as JUICEWRLD and BROCKHAMPTON helped influence your music? What song(s) of theirs made you want to incorporate more trap into ska?
BROCKHAMPTON is a top 5 artist for me. corny alert: they turned my perception of hip hop on its head. ive never heard any other artist that incorporates that kind of energy, pop hooks, lyricism, and artistic vision before or since. JUICE WRLD was big for me bc he was so melodic and EMO! real emo! he made it cool to write sad pop punk / emo songs w trap production. gone far too soon, big sad.
12. You just completed a west coast tour with Half Past Two and We Are The Union. Were these the first shows you performed tracks from “My Checkered Future” on? What can someone expect from an Eichlers show? Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to share?
the shows were so fun! i wasnt sure how well the MCF songs were going to go over live, but people really dug it. the title track was my favorite to play! its super easy to sing and is packed fulla hooks, the perfect live song. at an eichlers show, u can expect REAL! SKA! ENERGY! ima leave it at that, ya gotta get to a gig to c for yrself 😉 and heres yr shot: i will b hitting the road in mid July for a 2 wk tour with my pal DYNASTIC! were going from CA to IL & back. then im heading to FL to play FEST in October. im just getting started!
13. Where can readers (or listeners) find your music? Do you have a preferred way they listen?
buying MCF on vinyl thru Bad Time Records helps the most. we put a lotta work into the LP and owning the physical version will be much more rewarding than listening on the internet, i promise. u can stream my music on Spotify or Apple music, but i make the most money from bandcamp downloads!
Music Shelf With Mustard 