The following is Akhil Bhatt’s response to Nate Thompson’s open letter to Banana Phonetic earlier today. Check out Nate’s loving letter here.
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Thank you guys so much for writing about us today! I’m so goddamn flattered, I’m blushing. Nobody has ever written anything so kind about us. Ever. That said, I just want you to know that we’re in the process of tracking a new full-length and probably a digital EP as well, and the band is not over yet. We’ve recieved a lot of love since the concert and I sort of forgot what it felt like to show people what we’ve been working on.
Andy isn’t moving to NYC, either. He is travelling the world for now (South Africa, Korea, Thailand, Japan) for a few months and harnessing his chi… But we’ll be playing at the end of summer at least.
Whether the entire band is in Boston or not… This is not our last stand. Not anymore. Not after the love. It feels wrong to say that was the end, in fact I’m very ready to rally. The reason we’re unsure about the future is because the future is truly uncertain. We are a culture that changes and morphs so quickly, to say BP will be around forever is just tough to think! But I also know that that conclusion is easy to come to when you feel stale… However, when you feel energized… when you feel love for your CITY, it begins to seem ridiculous to stop. That’s a sway of feeling I’m sure so many bands and artists feel… and NOBODY wants to just walk away.
Banana is special like that for me, everyone involved loves it… To the point that you’re worried that you’re neglecting your personal life for the sake of it. This is definitely a double-edged sword, but the reason we all feel so connected, surely.
It’s been five years since we started, and this full length is going to be much less of a bookend and more of a culmination. We’ve only released 10 songs so far in our career… And yet you show us respect… It’s humbling. It makes us think that maybe we sort of did succeed in making something that is bigger than the individuals that compose it. So this album is easily the most ambitious, focused and creative thing that we’ve ever done…. And that feels right. We’ve already tracked some parts to at least fifteen new tunes.
I love you guys, and you’re perhaps the reason we’re feeling so pumped. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you… The feels, man.
Just wanted to be clear, we’re releasing a full length and Andy Bickerton isn’t moving to NYC (at least that I know of).
Serious love to all of you, thanks for making us stop and think about it.
Love,
Akhil
Banana Phonetic