Brooklyn-based band Secret Weapons is about to release their debut album, The Setting Sun Comes Crashing Down On Me, and although the band has offered fans some epic live shows this summer at the likes of Firefly Music Festival in Delaware and Webster Hall in New York City, the boys admit their music didn’t come along as easily as it seems.
“We made an entire album and scrapped it. It’s somewhere in the East River,” native New Yorker and one-half of Secret Weapons, Dan Rocco says. “We’re really picky about what we put out. So, we really had to figure out what we wanted to say and what we wanted to stand for before putting out an album.”
With their newest single “Comeback Season” and even on past hits such as “Something New” and “Ghost,” the duo who met in high school have clearly figured out their message, and it’s a good one.
“You are your own secret weapon. If you dig deep enough, you can be the hero of your story,” first time frontman Gerry Lange says of the band’s message. Lange continues to describe popular music today and how it is not necessarily conducive to a positive outlook on life. His counterpart steps in and adds, “I think music today can be a little hopeless. It feels really sad and then it just ends. For us, though shit may suck, we’ll overcome.”
These two band mates sit in front of me looking like the epitome of grungy cool, with thick mops of curly black hair dripping onto their faces, skinny jeans and boots to match; they’d each play the role of a typical emo rock star really well. But, their attitudes are bright and infectious. The juxtaposition is what sets them apart from any comparable funky, rhythmic band right now.
Secret Weapons
Image credit: Alexandra Gaville
“Let’s get happy! It’s not always rainbows and butterflies,” Lange admits. “You really have to focus on those moments to try and capture them.” And that’s exactly what is laced throughout their highly anticipated album, The Setting Sun Comes Crashing Down On Me. “We do have songs that deal with sadder subject matters, but we present it differently,” Rocco says. He explains that as a band the pair prefers to “go for the higher hanging fruit” in their new album. Part of this is because during the creative process, both members of Secret Weapons admit that they were gong through some physical illness and personal issues. Although most of those setbacks are in the past, that sentiment of overcoming any type of struggle is cemented into the DNA of the record.
Secret Weapons will be touring during the month of September and then will continue promoting their album throughout the fall.
The Setting Sun Comes Crashing Down On Me will be released on August 18 via Epic Records.
Image credit: Alexandra Gaville
