Brackish Guitarist, Co-producer & Co-engineer Tim Fitzpatrick Talks Self-titled Debut Album, Working with Ace Enders & The Influence of Dogs
I first heard anout Brackish from either my older cousin, Josh (who, actually, knows frontman/guitarist Connor Byrne) or Darko The Super (a self-procliamed super-fan of now-defunct band YJY.) I'm pretty sure that would have been right around the same time as the release of Coming Down (2017) when Byrne and the band were in the midst of a period of great transition. Brackish's next release, Worlds (2018,) showcased Byrne with a more fully-formed revitalized band featuring guitarist Tim Fitzpatrick, bassist Nick Rosica. and drummer Zach Miller. Fitzpatrick was, actually, part of YJY until their dissolution a few years back and amongst them, Brackish's memebrs are/were affiliated with Dot Square, Five Hundred Bucks, GEL, The Great Explainer, mt.ida, Not Yer Baby, Scarier Area, and SICK SH*T.
In recent months, Brackish have been sharing singles—two, produced, mixed, and recorded by Arthur "Ace" Enders (The Early November)—playing shows somewhat more frequently, dropping a series of inspired covers, etc., and ramping up to self-release their proper debut full-length. Now, New Jersey by way of Philly's own crown princes of Pop-punk/Post-hardcore have shared said self-titled/untitled(?) debut album, Brackish. When describing the sound that can be heard across Brackish (the album) to friends and fellow music enthusiasts in recent weekes, I've been saying, "it kinda sounds like blink-182, but more Emo... so, basically, Box Car Racer!" We strongly enourage you to go listen to Brackish on your preferred streaming service or pick up a CD copy directly from Brackish on Bandcamp. We recently got a chance to catch up with Brackish guitarist, co-producer, and co-engineer Tim Fitzpatrick and chatted about all the behind-the-scenes workings of this fantastic album. Our interview below has been lightly edited for general clarity.
I. Who's part of the current line-up of Brackish and what is each member's role within the band?
Tim Fitzpatrick: Brackish is Connor Byrne - guitar and vocals, Tim Fitzpatrick - guitar, Nick Rosica - bass, [and] Zach Miller – drums.
II. What did the writing, recording, production, creation, etc. processes behind Brackish (the album) typically entail?
Fitzpatrick: We took our time with this record. We started writing songs right after getting back from a run of shows with awakebutstillinbed in 2018, feeling inspired watching them play and by how great their record was. In most cases, the song starts with Connor or, sometimes, I'll send him an idea. Often, we’ll get together and go through these ideas pretty loosely before getting all four of us in the room and making the ideas more concrete. Around the same time we started writing these songs, I moved to a house in Burlington, NJ. With Zach's help, we were able to get my basement in shape to rehearse and record.
After spending about a year recording most rehearsals and a few batches of demos, we reached out to Ace Enders and spent a weekend recording two very different songs in his studio in South Jersey. We wanted to see what ideas he had for each song and how he could tie them together in a more cohesive way, hoping it would set us on the right path for the rest of the album. Recording in our own space, on our own time, really helped shape this record. I'm grateful for how fast Nick & Zach work because Connor & I really clocked some hours recording guitars and vocals. Often, I would record my parts alone, but we all spent many nights tracking while experimenting with tones, parts, and approaches to each song. We were, also, lucky enough to have Connor's brother, Riley Byrne, add keys and strings to a bunch of these songs.
III. How would you say Brackish's overall sound, style, aesthetic, etc. has changed and evolved since the time you joined the band and Brackish (the album?)
Fitzpatrick: I would say we, simultaneously, got more comfortable leaning into the styles that tie us all together while pushing ourselves to try new things during the recording process. The four of us all grew up playing shows together in Central Jersey and I think we really embraced the mid-2000's Pop-punk & Emo influences from those days reminding ourselves that it's perfectly fine not to over-complicate an idea in the beginning stages; that didn't stop us from having a blast adding layers of weird guitars, synth, and drum sounds that haven't previously been on Brackish records.
IV. What would you cite as some of your primary sources of personal inspiration and influence while creating Brackish?
Fitzpatrick: I remember asking ourselves, "what Title Fight would do?" a few times while recording Brackish. During the time we started recording, I was, also, drawn to bands I feel are really good at subtly mixing in strong Pop elements into otherwise very unique song-writing, like Hop Along & Caracara.
V. Can you tell us a bit about the experience working with Ace Enders (The Early November, Ace Enders & A Million Different People) who produced, mixed, and recorded "What Makes You Say" & "For Your Own Good" in Hammonton, New Jersey?
Fitzpatrick: Connor & I have been fans of Ace Enders for years. I'm comfortable speaking for Connor when saying The Early November's The Room's Too Cold and the self-titled [I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business] (I.C.M.A.M.) record have stuck with us and influenced our song-writing over the years; so, we felt pretty confident he would understand what we were trying to achieve. Before we recorded anything that weekend, Ace took the time to go through both songs from the foundation up. He would propose subtle changes to a chord voicing, drum fill, or melody that really helped push the song and make it more exciting. We tried to keep his attention to detail in the forefront of our minds while recording the rest of these songs.
VI. Aside from the aforementioned two tracks, the rest of Brackish (the album) was produced by Brackish and engineered by Zach Miller and yourself at Noise War Sound South in Burlington, NJ. How does it feel to have created roughly 98% of the album in-house?
Fitzpatrick: I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to record most of this record in-house. There is no denying how much I learn or the value of hearing new ideas while working in a studio with outside engineers and producers, but taking the time to produce and record this album ourselves felt like the way to go. Recording a full-length, especially, during the thick of a pandemic felt daunting. So, I think it allowed us an opportunity to be creative in a way we wouldn't have had otherwise. When we started recording, Zach was, also, starting up Noise War Sound and immediately making awesome records. He's always learning new tricks and has a great ear, so I jump at any opportunity to spend time recording with him, whether for Brackish or assisting him on another gig.
VII. What is the relationship like between Brackish and Five Hundred Bucks/$500 and how in the world did those guys end up on "Frames?"
Fitzpatrick: I think the first time I met Jeff [Riddle] was when he was playing in Scarier Area with Connor around 2011(?). I still listen to those songs. In the meantime, Connor & Nick have joined Five Hundred Bucks and might've just released [the Album of The Year (A.O.T.Y.) Five Hundred Bucks/$500]. Connor & I had discussed a few ideas for features and were thrilled when Jeff agreed to come by and record a part on "Frames." I had a blast watching him record. He came prepared to record "Frames," but we ended up going through almost the entire record, listening through each song, letting Jeff rip a couple takes of back-up vocals, and moving on to the next one. Zach is the only one who knows exactly how often, but Jeff has vocals mixed in throughout the record. He's been really supportive of Brackish and I look forward to him jumping on stage to sing "Frames" with us one day. We love Jeff.
VIII. Who did the album and single artwork for Brackish, "Speaks to Me," "Friends That Drive," "For Your Own Good," and "What Makes You Say?" How do those covers tie into the themes and overall narrative of the album?
Fitzpatrick: The album artwork was done by Russell Edling while the single artwork was by Austin Lotz. Both consistently knock projects out-of-the-park. Our dogs get us through a lot, so we wanted to celebrate them. Those are Connor & Cassi's dogs, Bugsy & Max, on the album cover and my dog, Roscoe, makes an appearance on the "Speaks to Me" single artwork.
IX. What can you tell us (without giving too much away!) about the concept behind and creation of Brackish's "For Real" music video?
Fitzpatrick: In a lot of ways, the creation of the music video for "For Real" feels like things coming full-circle. Connor & I went to school with the director, Jimmy Giambrone. He's shot photos and videos for some legendary Hip-Hop acts, such as Freeway, and we knew that we could go to him with as little or as much as we wanted and he would deliver. The next element that brings everything full-circle is the setting for the video; one of our closest friends, Jared Wood, is a Philadelphia-based photographer behind Days Away Creative, who runs his studio out of The Bok Building, an old trade school converted into a space for businesses and creatives. I think Jared offering his studio space as a location is what sparked Connor's idea of a disheveled teacher creatively dealing with stress while Brackish guided his trip. To really bring everything together, the actor playing the teacher, Ceilidh Madigan, was at one-time, our (Connor, Tim & Jared's) student teacher in high school.
X. What's planned next for Brackish?
Fitzpatrick: We're eager to start writing LP2.
XI. Do you guys have any immediate plans to tour in support of Brackish this upcoming Summer/Fall?
Fitzpatrick: We have a few shows lined up for later this summer in Philadelphia & New Jersey that will be announced soon and we are hoping to hit the road in the fall.
XII. In addition to Brackish, do you (or your bandmates) have any additional side-projects or musical endeavors with forthcoming releases you might like to mention within this space?
Fitzpatrick: Nick & Connor stay busy playing in Five Hundred Bucks, as well as mt.ida. Zach is out killing it with GEL, Not Yer Baby, and Noise War Sound. In the meantime, I just make "weird" sounds in the basement.
