Photo Credit: Todd Pollock

“I wanted to make our Everything Sucks,” H2O lead singer Toby Morse said when describing the process of making their latest album, Nothing To Prove (Bridge Nine Records). While nearly ten years passed between those Descendents records, comparing the two makes sense. Seven years have passed since their last record, the much-discussed major label debut, GO. Think about that for a second. By music industry standards, that’s like being gone for a century.

Personally, I graduated high school and college in that time frame. All the bands that were banging out that mall-rocking pop punk back in 2001 have traded in their Dickies for dayglo hoodies and flat-brimmed baseball hats. Hell, the whole music industry is a different machine now. Ultimately though, through it all, H2O are still, as Morse describes, the “same old dudes” and their message will never change. Nothing To Prove is their testimony to that.

It’s been seven years since GO. Obviously, a lot has happened with you personally and the band along the way. That being said, what do you want the overall message of Nothing To Prove to be?

Toby: We’ve changed as people as far as getting older and having more responsibilities [but] we haven’t changed as people who still believe in the music that we were playing seven years ago. All the albums, the message and how we grew up into this music, it’s still instilled in us. We’ve done the indies and we’ve done the majors. We definitely paid our dues. It was a no pressure and fun record to make.
We all have other forms of incomes. Before it was a full time thing and now it’s not. We did the record in two and a half weeks. What do we have to lose at this point? We definitely wanted to make our best album. When the Descendents disappeared for a long time, they came back with Everything Sucks and that record was amazing. I wanted to make our Everything Sucks. A record that when you heard it, you’d be like ‘oh shit, these dudes still got it.’ It’s the most personal record [but] it’s just as raw and in your face as the first couple records. The last record we had a lot of money and a lot of time to make it. I wish we would have done it this way.

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Was there a point after the whole MCA thing that you felt pressure to put a new record out immediately?

Toby: We kind of [felt] burnt. On the GO tours, we talked about taking a break. Also, I found out my wife was pregnant. So, I had a baby and moved out to California. It actually helped us not doing another H2O record after that because I did Hazen St. [and] my brother did Juliette and the Licks. Everybody did their own thing. I think we’re appreciating doing it again. It’s been a long time but we did play shows. We stayed visible but didn’t break up. We feel like we’re reborn with this record.

Was there a point where you felt like there wasn’t going to be another record?

Toby: Yeah but I always kept it in the back of my mind. We always said we had to make one more record and just go out and kill it. We talked about it five years ago and it just kept going. I appreciate the fact that kids are physced and stayed with us. Kids are still getting H2O tattoos. I think that bands oversaturate themselves and we did that. We were playing so much. To come back now, so much has changed with music. When we first came out, everything was so hard in New York. Now, we come back and everything is screamo and emo. Everything sounds the same. The sound that we play, not many people are doing that now. Everything just seems more image conscious.

I think fans see the value in a band that takes a hiatus and comes back at their own pace.

Toby: Becoming a dad is a full-time thing. When you come off tour, that’s a crazy reality. Being on tour is a fantasy world. You come off that and look for a job but your a tattooed freak [and] your trying to be all domestic. I’m glad that I went through all of that. Now, I’m in a place where I can do both. Towards the end of our touring cycle with our last record, we had our manager, business manager, major label and a booking agent. Sometimes, it becomes more business than music. That’s what bummed us out and we were like ‘we are taking a break from this.’ Now, this is just pure H2O, like it was when we started. I think that definitely shows on the album. This is the record we should have had after F.T.T.W. There are definitely going to be naysayers and haters [but] so far, it’s been real positive.

I always thought that GO had great songs that just weren’t recorded in the proper environment.

Toby: Not to diss Matt Wallace; his stuff is awesome. He did The Replacements and we picked him. We played “Role Model” recently and the songs still hold up live. The record just lacked the energy and the rawness of the early stuff. I wish it wasn’t so polished but it is what it is. That’s definitely not the producer’s fault. I blame it on us being less involved. It’s funny now with the new record, people are like, ‘I actually liked GO.’ It was almost like you had to hate it because it was on a major label. Back then people gave a shit what label it was on. Now days, kids don’t give a shit. All the genres have crossed.

I feel like that mentality will never go away though. It’s that uber-punk rock mentality where if somebody tries something different they are accused of selling out. What label you’re on, to me, doesn’t really matter anymore.

Toby: We were tired of preaching to the converted. That’s why the major label thing was awesome. We got to play to different audiences and infiltrate. When we did Conan O’Brien, I repped a Madball shirt and Rusty [Pistachio, guitarist] wore a Skarhead shirt. The only thing we ever cared about was repping our friends. We never forgot any of that shit. People pick and chose their battles and why they want to hate you. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised. A lot of people thought we were over.

I think it’s funny that Paramore are saying they wanted their new record to sound like H2O. That’s gotta blow your mind a little bit.

Toby: She [Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore] wore an H2O sweatshirt on TRL.

(Laughing) Maybe she’ll cover one of your songs in concert.

Toby: People are still finding out about us. It’s like when I was younger. It was like ‘you have to get this Ramones record.’ Then it was ‘you have to get Rancid’s Out Come The Wolves.’ I feel like some kids are just getting into the New York stuff.

If some band like that will wear a hoodie and some kid watching will do their research into that band, it has some value.

Toby: They are schooling people. We always try to wear bands shirts. When we came out with Thicker Than Water and the Marginal Man cover song, people thought it was our song. Then people get into that and check out [their] record.

Adam [Blake, bassist] has said this is the first time he saw you “need to write lyrics.’ Is it something that you put a lot of effort into now?

Toby: My scene now is my house with my wife and kid running around. The song “Sunday” I wrote about my dad and my son. My dad died on a Sunday and Max was born on a Sunday. The day I found out my wife was pregnant was a Sunday. It’s pretty crazy. That song is really personal.

I know its a well-worn subject but you’ve gone through the indie to major to indie route. What do you think is going to happen with punk bands and record labels? For example, Epitaph, you’re former home, just had two of it’s biggest bands commit to online releases, with the Bouncing Souls planning it and Pennywise releasing their new album on Myspace first.

Toby: I think CDs are going to be obsolete in like 2010. You really can’t control it. I always want to buy the CD because of the artwork and the lyrics. Bands like the Bouncing Souls have been established for many years and they can do that. What about bands that are getting started and getting signed? They’ve gotta get their name out there. The Internet will just take control of it. Can you imagine when there are no CDs in stores? It’s scary.

People still want records though. A younger crop of music fans are finding vinyl. Labels that are including the digital download in the package are smart.

Toby: It’s going to effect the majors because they are such dinosaurs. The DIY and indepedent labels; they are the ones that are going to reign supreme. They’ve started grassroots and they know what it’s like to hussle, sell CDs and promote.

Thanks To Toby for the interview and be sure to check out the new album. It’s the album H2O fans have been waiting for.

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