Big Smile are gearing up to take the pop punk world by storm.

After forming in Cincinnati in 2017, the band- consisting of Scooter Smith, Noah Jatczak, John Morris, Cameron Hayes, and Ethan Adrian Saling- have been on a steady rise to the top. Following the release of their two EPs, “When I Left Home” (2018) and “Dependent” (2019), Big Smile found themselves with an ever growing following- leading them to secure the opening slot for fellow pop punk bands State Champs, Grayscale, and The Dangerous Summer, in addition to amassing over 6,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. 

Now, with three years of steadily honing their sound under their belt, the band have just announced their move from independent artists to part of Anchor Eighty Four Records, in addition to the upcoming release of their first single of 2020, “Killdozer.”

And with just four days until “Killdozer” makes its public debut, we had the opportunity to chat with Big Smile’s bassist John Morris about the new song, signing to Anchor Eighty Four Records, and what they plan to do next.

You can read our full conversation below, and be sure to pre-save Killdozer, out Friday. 

Second Society Report: First off, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! We are super looking forward to “Killdozer”’s release this Friday. Speaking of, now that we are a little under a week away from the track’s release, how are you feeling about it? What do you think the listener’s reactions will be?

John Morris: We’re super excited about the release. I think fans of our band will like what they hear. It’s got a familiar Big Smile sound to it with some new elements thrown into the mix and I believe this is Scooter’s best lyrical effort to date.

SSR: What would you say the meaning of the term “Killdozer” is for those who don’t know? Why did you choose to name the song this?

JM: The Killdozer in real life belonged to Marvin Heemeyer, who destroyed a good portion of the city he lived in as a response to how his business was treated by the city. We decided to use it as a metaphor for how we feel about the pharmaceutical industry in response to how it has negatively affected thousands of people across the country as well as people in our own lives.

SSR: The track discusses the heavy theme of drug addiction and if I understood correctly, the pharmaceutical industry. What inspired it? 

JM: It was inspired by Scooter’s and his friends’ experience with addiction and the effects that the pharmaceutical industry had on their addictions.

SSR: In relation to your new song, I know you also just signed to Anchor Eighty Four Records. Tell us about that- what drew you to their label?

JM: We had several discussions with Cody (the label owner) before signing and we really appreciated how he was able to see our vision for where we want to go as a band and he believes in us. We’re looking forward to what our partnership can bring to our future releases.

SSR: I know “Killdozer” hasn’t even come out yet, but for those eager listeners wondering about an EP or album in the future- and now that you have a fresh new label- do you have plans for more new releases this year?

JM: We haven’t totally decided on how we’re going to go about releasing our next batch of songs yet, but we definitely will have more music out throughout the rest of 2020.

SSR: For readers who have not heard your previous songs but want to get pumped up for “Killdozer,” where would you suggest they start to get the best idea of what Big Smile sounds like?

JM: Our last EP, Dependent, kind of laid the groundwork for where we want to go with our music sonically. The song “Pillbox Hill” has been huge for us and a lot of people seem to like that song, so check out the music video on our YouTube page!

SSR: And lastly, pretending that next year the music industry will return to “normal,” what do you hope to accomplish in 2021?

We hope to be able to tour more and meet new people. We always like to be out on the road and experience new places and meet new people in every place we go. 

You can pre-save “Killdozer” here, and be sure to stay up to date on all things Big Smile by following the band on social media.

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