top of page
mikaylabridges

Interview: The Reckless

The Reckless, the electrifying rock band known for their high-energy performances and innovative sound, has recently released a bold new cover of Justin Timberlake's iconic R&B hit ‘SexyBack’. Transforming the pop classic with its signature rock edge, The Reckless brings a fresh and exhilarating twist to Timberlake’s platinum record. Showcasing The Reckless’ innate versatility, the band demonstrates their incredible ability to make any track their own. We talk to The Reckless about the sensational single...


So, what made you guys decide to cover ‘SexyBack’? Were you just jamming one day and thought, “Hey, let’s rock this up”?

Haha, pretty close. It originally started just cause I, Fritz Fayman, heard the song and just wished that there were more distorted guitars. I do that with a lot of popular songs cause that's just the music I gravitate to. I hear a song I like and then a lot of times I’ll say to myself, “man if they just rocked this song up a bit it would be that much better.” Not to say the original is bad of course but I just always wondered how some songs would be if they were made more rocky. Now when we made this song what it is today, yes the conversation did start like that for the most part haha. Our drummer thought we had something cool but thought we could make it much more interesting and that is when we started to really dissect the song and make it a lot better.


Fritz, you mentioned there was a lot of trial and error with this cover. What were some of the hiccups along the way, and how did you guys push through them?

The first hiccup was how to make the song more interesting. The song started out with basically just what you hear in the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus for the entire song. This worked at first when we first started to play the song live but when listening to it in a recorded session it clearly got old very fast. We realized we needed to make significant changes in order to make it something enjoyable. We went through each verse and tried to figure out different vibes and energies that we wanted to go with. On top of that, we really spent a lot of time on the vocals and figuring out how often and when to use the backup/callback vocals. When we used them as much as they used them in the original it just didn’t fit the vibe. It came off as too busy in the 2nd and 3rd verses. We also had to make sure our tones on our guitars and vocals were good. Lots of figuring out what gave off good energy and was powerful but wasn’t messy or too fuzzy sounding. We knew that we had something special and unique though and whenever we played it live we would try out some of the new things we brought in. People really wanted us to release the cover and that kept us coming back to the song even when there were times we needed to take a break from it.


Each verse in your ‘SexyBack’ cover seems to have its own vibe. Can you guys  you walk us through how you mixed different styles into the song and why you chose to do it that way?

So we knew that in order to keep the song interesting the verses had to all have a different and unique feel. We wanted to start off with those strong hits you hear in the first verse cause it starts the song off with a bang, really laying down a vibe early. The second verse took a lot of inspiration from the beat of the song itself. We did our best to try and imitate what the beat is in the actual song and then we went with a much more funky and groovy guitar and bassline, utilizing less power chords. We wanted to give a listener a breather after the first chorus. The last chorus comes at with a very Rage Against the Machine, Killing in the Name of, inspired vibe. We thought this was the best way to close out the song as it is the most energetic part of the song.


How do you think your version of ‘SexyBack’ is going to fit into your setlist, and what’s the reaction you’re hoping for from the crowd?

Oh, it is an absolute crowd favorite. We have made this song a full act. It usually comes after our song Fall and closes the set, on most occasions. After Fall, Fritz dies and takes all the sexy with him, obviously lol. We then have to bring sexy back and it gets the crowd extremely pumped for the show.




Who are the main influences for The Reckless sound?

We all have our own influences on a personal level but as a band, I say we take a lot of our influences from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rise Against, Rage Against the Machine, Green Day,  and The Foo Fighters. We have a lot more and it changes depending on the song we are working on and what we are looking for. For example, a new song we are working on, Remember Me, uses bands and artists like Pearl Jam and BB King as influences.


If you could create a playlist with three songs from your biggest influences, what would you pick?

Sexy Back, Away, Darling Please, Can’t Stop (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Re-Education Through Labor (Rise Against), and more recently Take the Power Back (Rage Against the Machine)


When you're not making music, what do you love to do to unwind and stay inspired as a band? Any favorite hobbies or guilty pleasures?

We all have different things we do to unwind. We play and watch different sports and have our friends that we hang out with. Fritz is a big basketball guy, plays video games, and is a history nerd. Riku enjoys making some of his own music on the side as well as doing a lot of mixing and mastering. Michael enjoys going to different events such as renaissance fairs for example. John loves going to the gym, and cooking and is active in the SDSU scene. As a band though we get inspiration from anything. Usually, someone will just come in one day with an idea and we see what we can do with it.


Looking back at your journey from starting out in Covid to now, what’s been the most unexpected lesson or piece of advice that’s stuck with you?

You have to be willing to give it your all. You will probably fail as much as you succeed if not more so. It takes a long time to figure all this out. There is no one who will tell you what you need to do so try not to be too hard on yourself. You will make mistakes. As long as you love it, it's worth giving it your all.


That's so true, The Reckless! Thanks so much for talking to us.




Follow The Reckless on INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK






5 views

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page