“Don’t Let Anybody Influence You on How You Should Create Your Art”- an Interview with Internet Tears
Kenzie Gay - @kenzwrites
Connecticut, known for its history and quaint villages, also happens to be the origin place of indie pop group Internet Tears. The group is made up of lead singer/songwriter Daniel Louis (he/him), drummer Zack Apuzzo, guitarist Esteban Rivera, and bassist Mikey Feliciano. With an EP, several singles, and a killer band name under their belts, I had the honor of interviewing them with some borderline questions to get you, the readers, on team Internet Tears.
photos via Kyle Michael Kostenko
Can you describe your journey into indie pop music? What drew you to this genre?
Daniel: I think as I got older I’ve just appreciated more of a specific sound. It is something I do enjoy writing, and I seamlessly create music that I feel is very expressive towards how I feel and how I want to display the music.
Esteban: Like Daniel, we came from heavier music into more groove and pop. I think after a while you just branch out into other things and appreciate them for what they are, outside of the genres that we’re familiar with, and we want to dance and make people dance and bop and feel good! So it’s the vibe that we have inside and how it reflects across our instruments now. We still explore different textures, but it all comes back to pop because that’s the medium we choose to express ourselves in, and how we want to connect with others.
What’s the story behind your latest single, Feels Like Summer? What themes or messages are you exploring?
Daniel: “Feels Like Summer” is about that feeling that someone that you really care about might give you. I met someone around the summertime and they actually made me feel so good inside, so the song kind of wrote itself away. It really did feel like the summer, but some of the lyrics are more of about how I wanted to be that person’s mate, and they decided to choose somebody else, which is not something that I experienced specifically, but other members of the band can very much connect to the message of what I was writing about at that time.
How do you see the indie pop music scene evolving in the coming years?
Daniel: I feel like we’re headed in a direction where we might be looking for the next thing. Music is very unpredictable and I’m not sure what to expect. For me personally, what I do expect is to make music that I enjoy listening to and enjoy sharing.
If you could choose one venue or festival to perform at that best represents your music, where would it be and why?
Daniel: Honestly, I feel like headlining Warped Tour just because I grew up with it would be something really cool. Or something that resembles that atmosphere–being outside and having that dirt gravel ground with so many people around you and the sun setting, and you’ve had such a long day but then you finally see that headlining act. I’d really enjoy playing some kind of festival of that kind of magnitude for sure.
Mikey: I’ve always wanted to play Red Rocks! Unfortunately Warped Tour is no longer a thing, but my dream was to play my home state’s main stage in Hartford.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?
Daniel: Tyler Glenn, the singer of Neon Trees, is a huge inspiration for me. I love his style, I love his voice, and I really love singing his songs. I understand his art and his vocal style.
Zack: I always say that it started with Tré Cool from Green Day. He inspired me to pick up the drums. But almost a decade ago, I discovered the band Bad Suns, and their drummer, Miles Morris, changed the way I looked at playing. I started studying and listening to many more pop bands within the indie scene and still gravitate towards that today. Sonically speaking, The 1975, Roosevelt, The Midnight, Foster the People, and Argonaut and Wasp have all had huge influences on the kind of music I want to create. I also enjoy studying producers, whether they’re big names like Zedd or ones that operate behind the scenes like Mike Crossy and Paul Epworth. Sometimes how songs are made are more interesting to me than their writing. Spotify credits are my favorite new feature; I’m kind of obsessed with seeing who wrote and produced every song I listen to. I’ll finish this rant by mentioning Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater. So you can say I’m a bit all over the drumming spectrum.
Esteban: I have been around music since before I was born because my parents were really into music and had a great collection! And then through school and friends I found Metallica and Led Zeppelin and Blink 182, and then bands like American Football and Moving Mountains and Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver. I like to listen to a lot of different styles of music and I’m always finding new things, but one of my top 3 favorite albums of all time is “Paradise Valley” by John Mayer! I would also like to take the opportunity to say Justin Veatch was a huge influence on me growing up and you can find his story online. My sound is expressive, organic, gregarious, free willed, and boisterous. I wanna have fun!
Mikey: This is a long list…Starting with my dad and his love for music, his influence and wisdom have shaped me a lot. I was only a few weeks old when I went with my family to my first show in Montauk and was introduced to people like Paul Simon, James Taylor, and others who are “my dad’s friends.” Since then I’ve been surrounded with all types of music. I went to OzzFest in ‘08 or ‘09 and saw Ozzy! But his bassist “Blasko” is really what I took away from it. Blasko–this guy reeks of cool! Total badass! At that show, mind you, I got kneed in the face and broke my nose and I was able to see the whole set of Ozzy! I have many stories, but these are my favorites.
How do you prepare for live performances? Any pre-show rituals or routines?
Daniel: Honestly, I used to do a lot of preparation before shows and take it super seriously and all that, but nowadays I just make sure I’m fed and have enough energy for a show. That’s all I need. I’ll maybe do a little warm-up, if I remember. I took things way too seriously back in the day, but now I’m more relaxed. I just want to show everybody my art.
Zack: I joked in a recent interview that I tell everyone to leave me alone haha, but honestly, I get pretty worked up before a show, but more in an excitement and energy kind of way. The electronic sounds we have on most songs require me to bring and control a lot of gear. Drums are a pain in the ass! But we love it. I do A LOT of prep before the shows to make sure everything works the way it should and then I prepare backups and failsafes, usually getting kinks out at soundchecks. I program our whole live set, running backtracks and samples, our interstitial sounds and intros. It’s my favorite part of contributing to the band.
For pre-show rituals, I’m usually shoveling food and grabbing a Long Island iced tea. Basically my “one and done.” I also try to make a point to talk and mingle with as many people as possible. Check out the other bands, talk gear with the other drummers.
Esteban: I have my Helix and guitar and that’s plug in and rock! So I definitely like to get something in my tummy to fuel the fun! I wanna be as big-headed as I can be and give it all my energy. I also like having fun outfits. I’m not afraid to do something extraordinary for the show!
Mikey: First thing I do is set up my area of destruction. Set my amp, plug in my pedals and make sure my ears and wireless. Usually after sound check and we are all set for the show “just waiting for the storm,” I shoot the shit with the other bands, maybe get a drink, smoke a joint and make fun of Zack. I usually like to eat something from a hotdog cart after the show.
If you weren’t musicians, what career path do you think you would have chosen?
Daniel: If I could imagine, I would love to open my own restaurant. That would be pretty cool.
Zack: I have fever dreams of becoming a barber. I’m pretty into fashion and I started cutting my own hair during Covid. I’ve done a few different hair colors by myself in the last few years too. I do have a career already as an analytical chemist, though, which I’ve been doing for the last five years as well.
Esteban: I’m really interested in finances and real estate so definitely something where I can help people. Either that or a tennis instructor! I totally think I have the passion to be a tennis instructor! I truly love playing tennis; I just love guitar more!
Mikey: Jumping out of planes.
What’s the most unexpected place or situation where you’ve found inspiration for a song?
Daniel: I’ve been driving on the highway and saw something or thought of something. Sometimes just driving around and looking at your surroundings and seeing what kind of feelings it gives you while you’re also listening to music that’s inspiring could really create a situation that you might be very inspired by.
What’s the most recent album you’ve listened to that really impressed you?
Daniel: “Big Ideas” by Remi Wolf. I like her music a lot, and her album just came out around the time of this interview. I think it’s really good. I think it’s a good progression of who she was right now. Now it’s probably, I think, her third or fourth album, if I’m not mistaken, and in my opinion, it’s a great continuation of what she tries to represent as her own music. You wouldn’t be missing out if you just happen to come across her newest album and never heard her old stuff.
Zack: “Kyoryu” by Last Dinosaurs. I’ve been playing this album front to back nonstop since it came out early this year. It’s a loose concept album that features themes of AI, dystopia, paranoia, conspiracy, mental state, and of course, love and pain. Sounds dark, but musically it’s such a fun-sounding album and touches on all fronts, from upbeat indie pop to a somber psychedelic piano ballad. The guitar work on it is incredible, with tons of jazz-rooted chords and progressions, but also simple funky riffs that get stuck in your head. The album is also complete with three different vocalists, two of which are brothers in the band. My favorite part, though, is that nearly every single song flows into the next, with numerous skits and transitions which harken back to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” The album also takes commercial risks for the sake of artistic intent. “N.P.D” - a 5 ½ minute track, is really a 4-minute pop jam that ends with a massive harmony infused a capella a la Beach Boys. The lyrics then transition into the next song and repeat, but this time in a completely different upbeat indie pop style. It’s so cool, and not something you see too much in the age of single releases and streaming.
Esteban: Pangea World Beat just came out with a new record and every second of it is perfect! I think it deserves an award. It’s like Santana and his band and Vulfpeck had babies scattered across the galaxy and they banded together. That album is what such babies would sound like in LP format. Check it out!
Mikey: The new The Electric Mayhem album slaps.
If you could play any instrument that you don’t currently play, what would it be and why?
Daniel: Absolutely saxophone because it’s sexy and I think that having saxophone in any type of music really is great. I love seeing saxophone players live, and I love seeing saxophone in bands.
Zack: If you count singing as an instrument, I sure wish I could. But, I would also go with piano/keys. I can fiddle with them; I own many synths and know how to play it, but I can't just sit down and start ripping chords and doing right hand/left hand stuff. Synths are just too cool and fun to mess around with. But I also feel like music, at its core, all goes back to and begins with the piano. You can really play anything you want on it.
Esteban: I regret not playing piano. I play bass and drums but never spent enough time on a piano. I understand theory and can defend myself on a piano, but I don’t have the dexterity with my hands above the keys. I’m used to my left hand under a guitar neck!
Mikey: I’m happy with playing bass.
How do you discover new music now, and has this influenced your approach to creating your own music?
Daniel: Spotify and/or Apple Music have really helped me find new artists, but just being on the internet nowadays, I just sort of feel like you stumble across things that might be your new favorite thing. Somehow I end up finding, and falling in love with, brand new artists, and I’m really happy to be a fan of some up-and-coming artists because of that.
What’s one thing you wish you had known earlier in your career that you think would benefit aspiring musicians today?
Daniel: if you have a vision and you’re really passionate about it and it’s a make it or break it situation for you, don’t let anybody influence you on how you should create your art. That’s one of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned. Nothing is fun when someone else starts becoming a boss and controlling something you feel passionate about and created yourself, so it just depends. If you’re looking to create art with other people and have more of a team effort and a collaborative sounding art, then I think that things that way would work out, but for me specifically, I create my own music, and I have a very specific vision for it a lot of the time, so even finding people that understand that and are willing to collaborate with that I think is really great. I am fortunate to be in that situation now.
Zack: Record more. Use your phone’s voice memos, single mic, or make your own studio. Anything in between. Just get YOUR music out, even if it's for yourself. It’ll help you remember and look back. My biggest regret with my old high school band was not recording more of our songs because honestly, they were really good, and they all still play in my head, but I can't share that with anyone. Secondly, you can do more for yourself than you think. You don’t have to go to a big music studio to get a decent project going. With today's technical accessibility, free tutorials, and affordable software, you can do more than you think.
Esteban: The pentatonic scale is underrated and you can use target notes from other scales to add flavor, and the dominant V chord is a portal to another key. Sprinkle a non diatonic dominant 5 chord anywhere and resolve it to its relative I chord to escape from the same 7 chords. If I knew those two things earlier I’d get out of the box way earlier.
Mikey: Start playing with everyone!
