By Alissa Arunarsirakul // December 4, 2020
We the Commas is here to teach us to NEVER judge a book by its cover, which can entirely hinder your close-minded perspective of the world. Comprised of Cam, Jordy, and Lenny, this San Diego brother trio refuses to be bound by genres, expectations, and basically everything else. To reinforce this logic, we invite you to bask in We the Commas’ mesmerizing debut EP, SARB.
On SARB, We the Commas reflected,
“This first project is really vulnerable, and we’re really excited to share our story with everyone and have them connect to our experiences. We’ll sit in studio sessions and we’re in awe of each other’s work. It’s insane to see how connected we are. We can be separated for a week, but when we get back into the studio, we take notes of what’s been going on in our lives and what we experienced. This cohesive story just comes together.”
To celebrate the release of their new music, we recently chatted with We the Commas about adulthood, Black Lives Matter, and of course, SARB.
HH: For those that haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe your eclectic sound in five words?
WTC: Soulful, reverbed, vibey, acoustic, and electric. We call our sound Surf Alternative R&B, or SARB for short!
HH: Ever since you first hopped onto the scene this year, we’ve been completely obsessed with your wholesome discography. How do you feel now that SARB is out in the world?!
WTC: We are really happy and excited to finally show people who We the Commas are. We wanted to let people get to know us through our lyrics and our sound; it seems to be working. The messages we’ve been receiving in our DM’s on Instagram and the messages we’ve received on YouTube have been really inspiring. We try and respond as much as we can between sessions. We hope to continue to connect with people through our music.
HH: From the soaring guitars in “Pissed Off” to the dazzling charms in “All the Best,” SARB offers the very best of We the Commas. Were there any tracks that didn’t make the cut? Can you tell us about them?
WTC: When making this EP, we made a plan and followed through with it. No songs were cut because the EP ended up being exactly as we wanted it. Our first album, which we are finishing up now, has been the exact same process. We know what we want on it and we’re looking forward to sharing those songs as well. We write all of our songs with the intention of releasing them one day, so we have albums planned out already.
HH: What’s the overall message of SARB?
WTC: Overall, our debut SARB tells stories of the different phases of love and the feelings young adults experience. Heartbreak, first loves, feeling lost, and everything in between. For example, “Custom Made” and “Sherry” are a positive outlook on love and songs like “Pissed Off,” “Too Long,” and “All The Best” have a more serious and even a cynical take on love and the obstacles you might face in adulthood.
HH: Your new single, “The RZN” is all about the social and political issues we’re facing as a nation. What really pushed you to write a song like this?
WTC: My brothers and I were grieving the tragic death of George Floyd. Three days after the tragedy, we were in the studio and the song birthed itself because of the pain we were feeling about the current social climate. This song was a way to express how we were feeling. We hope this song gives people an outlet to get through their frustration. “The RZN” was honestly just for my bros and fam. We never planned to release it, but our barber heard a snippet of the song and it got him emotional. He said the world needed to hear this. So here we are releasing this song.
HH: As a group, you’ve been very vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement and your story as young Black men from SoCal who skate and surf. Why do you think it’s important for artists, specifically, to use their platform for promoting these types of issues?
WTC: Much responsibility and influence comes with being an artist. Regardless of whatever message an artist puts out, the people will digest it. It’s very important that an artist uses their ability to reach people to highlight these types of issues. Just like the legendary Stan Lee wrote, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The idea is to use whatever influence or “power” the artist has to spread a positive message or bring awareness to certain conversations that need to be had.
HH: If you could collaborate with anyone in the music industry, who would you pick?
WTC: Of course there are many people in the music industry we would be honored to collaborate with, but above all else we would love to join forces with Scooter Braun.
HH: What are your hidden hits?
WTC: “Veering” by Keni Can Fly and “Mint Tea” by Voda Fuji.
The Hidden Hits 