Interview: Diamond
With a mix sensible pop harmonies and driving feelgood guitars, Baltimore alt-rockers Diamond have quietly been building a strong following online with two free digital releases; ‘DMND’ EP and ‘Don’t Lose Your Cool’.
Having written songs by sending material back and forth between Baltimore, Chicago, and Richmond and with the bands sunny upbeat style, Diamond is somewhat of a departure for some of its members; drummer Brendan Yates and guitarist Sam Trapkin are part of Hardcore band Trapped Under Ice, and bassist David Wood is the vocalist for Down to Nothing.
Nevertheless the 90’s-influenced band are heavily involved in the day-to-day business of the band having strong DIY beliefs. From marketing the free releases to the all design aspects of the band, Diamond are taking full control, a trait which is becoming more common place in today’s music industry.
Last week the quartet announced plans to release ‘Don’t Lose Your Cool’ through Black Numbers.
We recently caught up with guitarist Sam Trapkin to discuss ‘Don’t Lose Your Cool’, releasing material for free Bandcamp, the importance of DIY, their influences and more.
Already Heard: Hi Sam You’ve recently announced plans to release ‘Don’t Lose Your Cool’ on vinyl. What can you tell us about it?
Sam Trapkin: We released it ourselves as a free digital download last winter and are just now releasing on vinyl. It has roughly 6 and a half songs, It was recorded by Paul Leavitt in Baltimore, and there’s a dog wearing sunglasses on the cover of it.
AH: In comparison to your first release, how has the band grown on the new record?
Sam: ‘Don’t Lose Your Cool’ has a lot more going on than our first EP. I think it’s a little more multi-dimensional. We thought more about how we played it and sang it too, rather than just perform some songs we wrote.
