Left to right: Brian Pittman (bass), Matthew Thiessen (vocals, guitar), David Douglas (drums), Matthew Hoopes (guitar)

With sharp tongues of wit, driving spurts of punk/pop energy, and unwavering enthusiasm, Relient K has been inciting hysterics on young audiences since its debut performance on New Year's Day 1998. Over that span, these once irreverent teen musicians have matured into young adults, developing a sound beyond the formulaic pop/punk mentality in favor of a blend of hooks and harmonies. This growth is best evidenced in their third CD, Two Lefts Don't Make a Right … But Three Do. We chatted with Matt Thiessen, the group's whimsical songwriter and front man, about growing up … and other stuff.

How has your writing grown since the last record?

Matt: The problem with our band is that every time we record all the songs we've written, the CD doesn't get released for another eight or nine months. And when you're our age, you grow up a lot in that span. Our first record [2000's self-titled debut] is the worst example of that: We wrote the songs when we were 15 or 16, but were 19 by the time the album came out. Then [2001's The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek] was done in January and didn't come out until that August, so that was another eight months of sitting on it. On this new record the goal is to kind of cover where we are right now and where we've been for the last year and a half. Even so, there are still a few outdated things on the new album.

For example?

Matt: It's the little things and the self-critic in me that says, "Man, I wish I hadn't written that lyric," or, "I should have changed that," or, "I wouldn't have put that drum loop in there; that was cheesy." When you start playing those songs live in a way that's so much cooler, you think, Man, why didn't I put that on the record? But still, Two Lefts is the happiest we've ever been with a record once it's come out. It's the best representation of who we are.

One thing I love about your songwriting is how you intertwine pop culture references, all this wit and humor, and then make something spiritual out of it. Which inspires the other?

Matt: I've tried to avoid pop culture and wit and stupid puns but I just can't do it. I'll be writing this serious song, trying to write something normal, but I think about the lyrics too much and put a double meaning on everything. I can't be straightforward; there's always a pun or two hidden in a lyric. I guess my theory is that if I just write what I think immediately, then anybody could write that.

I noticed more variety on this record beyond the standard punk/pop lines and sounds. Was that intentional?

Matt: It's kind of been the direction of the band. Anatomy even had a little bit of that. I'm glad you noticed that because I just read two reviews that said we sound like a typical pop/punk band throughout the whole record, and that's what we're trying to avoid. That was a little disheartening.

How have fans reacted to the new CD?

Matt: I know from personal experience that it takes some listens. You have to listen to it maybe ten times before you start to get it as a whole—not that it's too deep or anything, just that it's different. When we finished it, I listened to it and thought, This isn't going to work. But after a while I was cool with it. If people listen to it enough and give it a fair shot, they're going to dig it. But if you just listen once for a quick review, you're gonna think we're trying to be New Found Glory or something like that.

How do you feel about the current pop/punk cookie-cutter scene?

Matt: We're fans of Sum 41, Blink 182, The Starting Line. We listen to them all the time.

Is there anything redeeming about Sum 41's stylistic approach? In my opinion, there's no art in their music.

Matt: I think they write cool riffs and occasionally a cool lyric or two. His vocal is the perfect mix for me between a Blink 182 vocal and NOFX. Listening to records like that is almost a work study for me because I want to make a record that sounds that good without spending half a million dollars to produce it. Sum 41 is cool, but their new record is really one-dimensional. I don't like criticizing other bands, but I was kind of discouraged by their lyrics.

Is it offensive to be categorized with a group like that?

Matt: My favorite band is the Beach Boys, and my second favorite album is that Ben Folds solo album. That kind of encompasses what I love, mixed with pop/punk, of course. We once got compared to Blink 182 meets the Beach Boys, and that was cool. We would also love to tour with Good Charlotte or New Found Glory.

Do bands like that have longevity? Two years from now when their listeners are all grown up, where does that leave the band?

Matt: Well, pop/punk bands aren't supposed to stick around forever. That's why you gotta kind of stretch and not just make the New Found Glory record over and over again. But one of my pet peeves is when a band completely changes. The fan likes a band for a reason. My prime example is the new Get Up Kids record or The Promise Ring, because they totally changed. Both of those records bummed me out, and I didn't buy them. Total departures are too extreme, but some change is necessary.

What will allow you to continue and stick around?

Matt: We may not. The whole culture's gonna get sick of it, and that means the guys in the band are gonna get sick of it. We love what we do right now, and I'm all about doing this when we're thirty years old because that punk rock instinct keeps you young. But we may break up in four or five years or even two years, but I've got plenty of side projects I'd love to explore.

Are you guys interested in taking a mainstream crossover approach?

Matt: Our mentality is that we never in our wildest dreams expected to get where we are right now, and we're not expecting anything else beyond this. We're very happy with what happened. But we're not just gonna sit on our hands, so if something happens in that direction, we'll go after it.

Two years ago, you said you were pretty excited about being in a band and enjoying life on the road. Is the enthusiasm still as high?

Matt: When I get off the road for a week and a half, I want to be on again. But if I'm on the road for three months without a break, it's tough: "Man, I don't even want to play a show today." I've said that maybe three or four times in the last year, and I never used to say that. When you've done everything a couple of times, the enthusiasm isn't always there, but we're definitely not jaded. The enthusiasm is still high. We see each other on the road and we hang out at home, but if we get sick of each other, we give each other space. We may whine and complain sometimes, but we see the demise of other artists and where they went wrong and we try to avoid that.

Catch Relient K on their fall 2003 tour with Anberlin and Number One Gun. You can learn more about the band at our artist page, where you will also find album reviews, including one for Two Lefts Don't Make a Right … But Three Do. You can listen to song clips and purchase Relient K's music at Musicforce.com.

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