Five Records That Inspired FOOTBALHEAD’s Debut
Ryan Nolen is making up for lost time. If you listen to enough interview podcasts or read a lot of features, the trajectory for an artist is similar. You get into music as a kid and eventually pick up an instrument in middle school and continue from there. Usually, around college or younger, if you’re lucky, is when people finally start paying attention to the art you create. Nolen’s story is not too dissimilar from what I just described. His experience is pretty common to any millennial around the age of 30. He talks of seeing Blink-182 on their recent stadium tour and the transformative show LVL UP, and Alex G played in 2016 at Sub-T with the same enthusiasm.
But Nolen’s journey doesn’t necessarily conform to what you would expect. Playing music was mostly an afterthought while going to college at San Diego State. He would make Garageband demos and record them into his 2010 MacBook. Occasionally he would maybe send the song to a girl he liked. Nolen wasn’t surrounded by the kind of community that would foster creativity. None of his friends played music. He describes the culture of Southern California and San Diego from 2010–2015 as odd, revolving around EDM.
It would take a move to Chicago to start playing music in a real way. It would come in the form of a neighbor pushing him to play Pixes covers at the now-defunct bar, The Mutiny. That night would introduce him to the Chicago music scene he participates in today. But he realized how far behind he was going forward. He was inspired to upgrade his gear from his starter Squire Stratocaster. It would eventually lead him to play in Kirby Grip. But even during that band, some songs were shelved because they never really fit. That time in Kirby Grip was still instrumental in introducing him to people like snow ellet, who would become the main collaborator for FOOTBALLHEAD. This pairing would prove to be potent, eventually catching the attention of The Academy Is… bassist Adam Siska. It turned the project from a bedroom concoction into something with momentum.
In our interview, Nolen is quick to note that everything that has happened for FOOTBALLHEAD has come relatively quickly. Their first show was less than a year ago. The debut EP is barely a year old. Even with those caveats, Overthinking Everything does feel like FOOTBALLHEAD’s arrival. You get the full scope of the project, ranging from Alex G-inspired indie rock to 2000s pop-rock. To get a full picture of the myriad influences, I chatted with Nolen about five albums that inspired Overthinking Everything. Read below and see for yourself.
Third Eye Blind-Third Eye Blind
I went with Third Eye Blind’s self-titled record. I think “Snowball” has a ton of the same guitar tones as “Graduate.” This influence is more of a sonic influence. There are some songs on that record that have a traditional pop structure, but for me, it was more of a guitar thing. I wanted the guitars to sound like the guitars from that album, which are obviously some of the more highly regarded pop rock guitars ever. That album is full of hooks and fun. It is a no-skip record, but even if you’re not into listening to full albums, you will stay for the first seven songs. That album has been the blueprint for other projects, but it probably applies to FOOTBALLHEAD the most.
Box Car Racer-Box Car Racer
Songs like “All Systems Go” and “I Feel” so are so fucking big. Some of the pops and big moments in those songs I tried to recreate in “Overthinking” and “Snowball”. That album is cool because it has a bite to it. That is what I want FOOTBALLHEAD to have. This record is historic and iconic. The way that Box Car Racer and Blink-182 self-titled were released within a year of each other is so stupid. There are no misses on either album. Blink-182 is still huge for me. I went to see them at the United Center recently. 200 bucks on the day of the show. It was worth every penny.
Alex G-House of Sugar
This one was tough, but I wanted to shout out some of the songs that were more acoustic. Songs like “Blister” and “Are You Sorry On The Way Back Down?” “Blister” was my rendition of an Alex G song, so I picked House of Sugar. “Taking has that constant downstroke, much like “Poison Root” does on Rocket. “Taking” inspired “Blister” for me. My song is much less avant-garde and is much more pop structured. There is that reward at the end of “Blister”, and that all is from Alex G. He has so many styles of songs. He can write loud bangers and the most bizarre song in the world. I think I would like to take it more avant-garde. I already have because I’m either halfway done with another record or completely done with an EP. I don’t know what it is yet. We already recorded it.
Sloucher-Be True
This one is kind of a wildcard because this band is not super popular. In 2016, one of my best friends, Logan, moved to Seattle and started going to shows. He really liked this band called Sloucher. The frontman of Sloucher played in this band called Hibou. Sloucher released this record called Be True. It was on Swoon Records. There was talk of them having something on Barsuk Records. But I think this album introduced neo-grunge to me. During my seven months back home, a couple of friends flew to San Diego from Chicago to see this band at Soda Bar with me. This album is really amazing. I think they took time off for a while. They had some momentum. As far as a songwriting standpoint, that record is so cool.
Beach Fossils
I went indie with it again. “Pilot” was inspired by this band. Somersault by Beach Fossils is my last pick. It has so many great songs. I personally think it’s their best work. Dustin Payseur writes indie in the way I want to hear and consume it. I grew up going to Warped Tour until college. I feel like Beach Fossils had pop-punk melodies in a different landscape of music. I was hooked immediately. That album is highly influential for me. The chorus of “Pilot” is a Beach Fossils homage.