On The Tip Of Your Tongue’s music consists of raw lyrics and exuberant instrumentals feeling similar to that of Mom Jeans, The Front Bottoms, and Modern Baseball.

The lead vocalist, Matteo Rosa does the bulk of the songwriting for the group. Rosa has a love of writing poetry and as a songwriter, has the intention to create candid and expressive lyrics and melodies. Jeremiah, a multi-instrumentalist, is the drummer and his drumming style has proven to be innovative for their catalog. Shane Byrd holds the role of lead guitarist, and he contributes unique riffs and throwback sounds that delivers a modern edge to their genre blend of punk and rock. Ashley Grace plays keys as well as assists in vocals and song creation while Max plays bass, skateboards, and is always rocking a calm demeanor.

These five musicians come together as On The Tip Of Your Tongue, a punk rock band that is setting the stage for young musicians to be unapologetic and take risks within music.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with members of On The Tip Of Your Tongue about their latest music, challenges, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

What style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.) 

Shane: Both of I’m not really sure exactly what we create it’s a matter of sitting down and seeing what happens, there’s never really an end goal for the sound, for me at least.

Matt: I totally agree with that. There’s nothing that truly defines us. Most of our songs just came from the two of us sitting in a room doing whatever comes to us.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

Shane: I’ve always been attracted to the beauty of music I suppose, my mom and dad tell me stories all the time about how I used to sit in the back of the car and scream Deftones and RHCP lyrics before I knew how to properly speak. I’m just letting the music take me where it wants to for the most part.

Matt: Music was always something I was into, but I don’t think I ever fully showed my passion until my father passed away. After that I devoted myself to this as a solace and an escape.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

Shane: Matt you answer number 3 because I wasn’t a part of the process for the E.P.

Matt: I think the biggest difference that happened in the way we made this album compared to our last EP was the sheer scope of it. The EP was made hastily in the hopes of providing ourselves with some quick opportunities as a new band. This album was a vision in my head that I had ample time to flesh out and design in my own image. The story is vast and intricate, and I feel so passionate about what we created this time.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

Shane: For me personally is trying to commit to what is done in the recording process, i’m always looking for a way to change and get something different out of the instrument. The internet and technology help me find some ideas to incorporate into my own vocabulary that i can use.

Matt: I think the internet has undeniably afforded me the opportunity to be who I am and not be afraid of being a queer, African American, punk singer. However, this has been a double edged sword because it opened me up to tons of criticism for being those things I just listed. I also think it’s of course a struggle to carve out our own lane but with the vast amount of music that has been available to me throughout my life has given me opportunities to figure out a sort of lane that is my own.

What was the last song you listened to?

Shane: The last song I listened to was probably “Monarchy of Roses” by RHCP, “I’m With You” came out as I was starting to take music seriously, my mom and aunt had that record on rotation for almost two years I believe.

Matt: The last song I listened to was Komm, Susser Todd being performed by the Jazz group Platina. It’s a beautiful rendition of an already beautiful song and I suppose it shows how vast my musical interests are.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Definitely vinyl or cd, digital music files are so much more compressed and lose a lot of dynamics, but they are the most convenient so I guess there’s a trade off.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Shane: Well I have to say Apple music and Bandcamp. I mainly use Apple music strictly because it runs better on my devices and Bandcamp because it’s giving the money straight to the artist which is something musicians need more of.

Matt: For me it’s Spotify.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

Instagram for sure.

Anything else before we sign off?

Shane: Read a lot and don’t have kids.

Matt: Just don’t have kids.