An Interview With RAD HORROR Front-Man, DYLAN JACKSON SCOTT On The Band’s Latest Music and More!

Get to know Rad Horror (led by former Young Rising Sons member/Halsey Musical Director, Dylan Jackson Scott!

They just released their first track of 2018 in “Stay Out.”  It is a visceral, alt-rock anthem that calls to mind the golden age of 90’s indie rock and more recent standouts like Brand New, Farebrother or Moose Blood. The raw emotion of Dylan Jackson Scott’s voice seems to melt into the reverb-soaked guitars of the verse and wall-of-sound chorus before engaging in an all out fist fight with the track’s instrumentation on the high-intensity bridge and outro. Scott’s incredible command of the loud-soft dynamic as a songwriter and the power it can wield is in full effect on “Stay Out”, further cementing the band as a torchbearer for honest, evocative rock and roll.  This incredibly dynamic, rock anthem is sure to be a highlight of the band’s live set as they return to the stages they dominated in 2017.

Listen to the track here-

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/radhorrorband/stay-out-1

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4dqcedp9451K9DvxYugrTt?si=1Mb6WbBJQbOCfwod68GmZA

Learn more about Rad Horror in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Where does this interview find you all today? What is one song that you are loving right now? What is a song that you all disagree about loving right now?

This interview finds me on Sunday evening, laying in bed next to my dog, huddled around the cold blue light of the computer screen.

Wow, that is actually a difficult question on many levels. I don’t think we all agree on one song that we all love right nor do we really disagree on. The Middle by Zedd and Maren Morris might enter both categories but to be honest our drummer Jack just heard Closer by The Chainsmokers and Halsey last week for the first time. You can say we all have very very different tastes.

How has 2018 been treating you all so far? What is one musical goal that you have for this year?

2018 is a stellar year so far, Allison Hagendorff and Spotify have been excellent to us this year and we definitely look forward to continuing to release more music. Our touring schedule seems to be filling up so you can call that a goal for sure.

Can you recall the moment when you all thought you could be in a band together? Was it hard to come up with a name that you all thought fit your sound and who you are? How did you pick this one? 

We’ve all know each other at different parts of our lives and we all just came together when our other projects kind of dissipated. I think Rad Horror defines us as group for sure, choosing it as the name was kind of difficult because people either mispronounce it or don’t understand it in spoken word. But the google search was great, so we did what we always do and said “fuck it”.

What has the growth been like for this band since first forming?

We’ve always looked at this band as a very slow build, knowingly being in a true guitar band, we realized that the climb would be slow and steady. The pace has definitely picked up a lot, which was pleasantly surprising given the modern landscape of music.

How do you think being from your hometown has influenced this group and the kind of music that you create?

I grew up in a very blue collar town in new jersey. I could give you the whole speech about New Jersey and what it stands for musically but in reality I write what i know and what I’ve seen. The truth. The naked. The unbiased reality.

Dylan, I am curious to know how does being in this group compare to your previous band Young Rising Sons?

Being in Young Rising Sons was an excellent experience and something I’ll be forever grateful for. I started that band out of high school so i had a very different mindset than i do today. A big difference is the role in the band has changed… I sing in Rad Horror, so I’m not writing for anyone else but me. I find it easier to write when I know something is coming out of my mouth. Also being a front-man in general isn’t something I was used to for a long time so there’s always a learning curve but I thoroughly enjoy it.

Let’s talk about your latest single “Stay Out.” What is the inspiration for this track? How do you think it compares to anything else that you have released? 

Stay Out talks about trying to channel your mind and focus on the positive parts of life while battling awful negative feelings. It’s something I believe everyone can relate to on some level. We all hate ourselves at times. I think the song itself relates to “Dark Times” in lyrical sense but also on a musical scale of creating a soft to loud dynamic.

Where do you the 90’s sound comes from in your music? Do you think that you made a conscious effort to have that sound?

Honestly, we just kind of got obsessed with the chord progressions of the 90s and took it from there. It really wasn’t a conscious effort…we’d be listening to certain songs and be like “How did they even get away with doing that?” So I think it’s more of a challenge to ourselves to create a 90s musical feeling and modernize it.

When do you plan on releasing more new music and a full album of new material?

New music is always coming, there’s is always something in motion. An album will depend on quite a few moving parts but you will definitely see a body of work this year!

Do you have any upcoming tour dates you would like to tell our readers about?

Yes, we definitely will. We’re very excited to get back on the road and we’ll be announcing in the near future.

How important do you think social media has been to this band? Do all you help to maintain all your sites or is one of you more into it all? Or do you rely on your PR/management team to handle it all?

We definitely use and control all our social media. It’s definitely the number 1 most important platform when connecting with fans so we make sure that we’re constantly creating content.

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

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Oh man, there’s so many… but I’d say probably Dave Grohl or Dr Dre.

We are living in a trying time right now so I am curious how you think being in this band gives you the most joy in life today? Do you think that music being created today is going to reflect this challenging time? 

I think some of the music may reflect it… Artists that speak out and create excellent messages through their music. A lot of guys in hip hop really know how to talk about real issues. I think that’s a big reason it flourishes.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs? What do you hope they take away from one of your shows? 

I hope that people can find comfort in what we do. I hope they can feel like they’re part of a community of individuals sharing something that’s brings them closer… to meet new friends, mentors, lovers. Whatever it may be.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourselves or your music?

Listen to Rad Horror. You’ll either hate it or love it. Either way. Listen.