FEATURE
An interview with The Devil Wears Prada
Feature
The Devil Wears Prada have been capturing the hearts of metalcore fans since their 2006 album Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord, becoming a stalwart in the scene and constantly pushing themselves to break new ground within the realm of heavy music. With the sequel to their beloved 2010 EP, Zombie, on the horizon, we caught up with the band to chat ZII, exploring new territory and more.
Words: Renette van der merwe
Q&A
ZII is almost here, congratulations. What are the feelings in camp TDWP? Nerves, excitement?
We are very excited! With the pandemic we really took our time with this release, which means we’ve anxiously been waiting to actually debut the material.
So much has happened since Zombie was released in 2010, including line-up changes, is ZII a statement of who TDWP are in 2020 and why now for the release?
Yeah I certainly think so. ZII isn’t meant to be the back half of the first Zombie EP, but more reflective of where we’re at now and TDWP songwriting. Jon and Kyle are the major songwriters in our band, however they weren’t around for the first EP.
What do you think it was about Zombie that made it such a fan favourite? Did you try to recreate that in ZII?
I think there’s intrinsic entertainment value in a zombie-themed metal EP. Probably more so than a standard release. We don’t want the material being hokey or cheesy by any stretch, however the songs don’t reach for the emotional depths that our full lengths go for.
You were quoted saying, “Before, there were five songs about how to fend off the apocalypse. Now there are five songs of hopelessness against the hoard.” How much of your inspiration was the zombie apocalypse versus the state of the world we find ourselves in now?
I don’t want ZII to be looked back on as “the covid EP”, however it was too automatic to not play off of the current state of the world. One of the opening lyrics in ‘Forlorn’ is “Humanity mismanaged the gravity of the virus,” which is of course pretty obvious where that’s coming from.
The Act showed us a somewhat softer side of TDWP, with ‘Chemical’ being your first radio song. Is it liberating being a band that has the creative freedom to be able to lean into both ends of that spectrum?
It is! We like doing what we want, and what we want is to write songs all over the spectrum, at least in metal terms of what is considered heavy. It’s what makes our band who we are and I think it’s going to continue that way.
Now that we have ZII, how likely is a Space EP II? 2025?
That’s really funny, you’re the first to mention that! I hadn’t considered it at all, but hell why not? We’ll see.
Essential Albums
What’s the first album you owned?
U2 – Greatest Hits
What’s the last album you purchased / streamed?
Big Brave – Vital
An album you’d love to cover in its entirety?
Oh wow I’ve never thought about that. Maybe something from The Jesus Lizard or Fugazi?
Is there a record that has extreme sentimental value to you?
Most certainly – the early Interpol records still get me very emotional, amongst others.
An album that would make the perfect zombie apoclaypse soundtrack?
Mammoth Grinder – Underworlds
Settle the argument
Vinyl or Spotify?
I support music listeners in whatever they choose, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong. For me I’ve always loved the physical side of consuming music, though, so I’m personally an avid vinyl collector.
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