Credit: Ginny Cummings
You and your friends are scouring the woods up to no good. You come upon a bucket full of… something. Naturally, you all begin drinking its contents. What could go wrong? This is the basis for South Shore hardcore outfit Fracture Type’s debut music video. It’s equally revolting and intriguing. As the effects of the mysterious sludge begin to set in, the video similarly dissolves into chaos. Shot by Ginny Cummings (with help from Grace Wilson and Lautaro Mantilla), it’s a fitting introduction to a band that’s full of tricks and committed to going against the grain. Fracture Type, which is also the name of the debut single, is comprised of Kevin Grady (lead vocal, guitar), Tony Mannion (guitar, vocals), Talon Reckert (bass, vocals) and Jeff Pezzone (drums). We recently had the chance to chat with Kevin and Jeff about the forthcoming album, inspirations and red herrings.
Allston Pudding: Over the years you have both been a part of several bands (Obsolute, Mammoth, Cherno), how did you arrive at Fracture Type?
Kevin Grady: We were previously named Fault Mine, but nobody knew what we were saying when we said that. A “fracture type” is just the way something breaks. Jeff actually has a broken ankle right now…
Jeff Pezzone: Very cartoonish like slipping on a banana peel, but it was wet dirt-sand.
KG: After graduating from UMass Amherst, we moved back to the South Shore and found Tony. He brings ambient, atmospheric textures with his guitar, mixed with my chunky riffs. Rather than having a rhythm and lead guitar we just have “Chunkman” and “Spaceman” [laughs].
Artwork by Abby MacLeod
AP: Your bio mentions this being the culmination of years of work, when exactly did Fracture Type start?
JP: In late 2016 we started jamming. We recorded drums back in 2018 and took our time [finishing it up]. Once we had everything done, we didn’t want to just put it out. I’ve been in enough projects to know that’s not how it works. You have to put in the groundwork first.
AP: What are some challenges of working in a group of perfectionists?
KG: We put a lot of effort into not over-editing our music. There’s no vocal tuning, it wasn’t recorded to a click. And that scared us. A lot of the music we listen to is all of those things. It’s like when that really good band comes out with their second record. “Why is this not as good?” Often it’s because they didn’t over edit [their first record], maybe due to the budget, but there’s a certain charm there. Jeff and I are software engineers, Tony is a doctor, we’re all very by-the-books and equations. But we don’t want that to govern our lives… music is a great way to embrace the imperfections.
AP: Who are your main influences or inspirations?
KG: Deftones, Radiohead, Pianos Become the Teeth…
JP: Tool, My Bloody Valentine…
KG: As far as local bands that have really got us hyped: Kal Marks, SEED, Fiddlehead, Pet Fox, Dead Wait.
Credit: Ginny Cummings
AP: Can you give me a little background for the song itself? Also how it relates to the video?
KG: Fracture Type, the band and song, is very stream of consciousness. I tend to write way too many lyrics. I also like to throw in a lot of red herrings, because I try to re-interpret them myself. Every time I read my lyrics I think about them differently. Kind of an ode to David Lynch, where he figures out his work after he’s done with it… My current interpretation is an experience of going along with something that you doubt and realizing that it does have value. There’s a scary sort of “a-ha” moment of me accepting the fact that so many things in life are out of my control.
JP: Control is always a theme. We all go to therapy, and specifically my focus is trying to not get too bogged down with things that I cannot control. I don’t write the lyrics myself but I think we all agree with that.
KG: Oh, I’m glad my lyrics are relatable [laughs].
AP: In the video, what is in the bucket? Why is the bucket there? Where did the bucket come from??
KG: It’s up to you to decide! Our bassist Talon is a restaurant manager and has access to a huge immersion blender. So we just got all the grossest stuff we could find and threw it in. Another example of a red herring. I don’t even have an interpretation for that one yet. Just a gross bucket full of shit.
AP: With the album on its way, what are your plans for the rest of the year?
JP: We have three or four songs not on this album that we are looking to get recorded soon. Our priority right now is building an infrastructure, a scene and getting an army of fans to come to our shows.
The debut self titled single by Fracture Type is streaming now! Check out the new music video below and follow Fracture Type on Facebook and Instagram!