The Funeral Portrait is an emo band that has been active for ten years, but so far has only released one full album and two EPs.
Currently, the band is in the process of releasing their second album, with two singles already available, "Suffocate City" and "You're So Ugly When You Cry".
In an exclusive interview with Wikimetal , vocalist Lee Jennings discussed these new releases, the band's upcoming events, the group's past, and more!
Check out the full interview:
Wikimetal: “Suffocate City” is your most recently released single and it addresses some very deep topics. Is the lyric based on something autobiographical?
Lee Jennings: Yeah, I think it's one of those things that… So we started writing that song in the middle of lockdown, during COVID, and I was sitting here in my studio, and we were on Zoom with our two producers, holding guitars and recording. I literally recorded the demo vocals sitting here like that and just throwing ideas around about being stuck in a place you just can't get out of. And, of course, it's not really a song about COVID or anything like that. It's more about the relationship I had at the time and also the relationship of the music industry and being… It's not entirely in your control whether you're in it or not. You know, you can do whatever you want, but sometimes it's out of your hands and you just have to move on.
WM: And what were you trying to evoke in the listener while writing the song?
LJ: Most of our songs are beautiful, like, they're emotional, but they're also very reflective. Right. So thinking, "what can I do?" Or, you know, "why can't I belong?" And things like that. Around here, I want to [be] angry at least once. We never get angry. You know, the aggression in our band. I think that's something we were angry about. We were angry that we'd spent so much time in this band and then suddenly everything stops. And the same with all my friends and my family. And I think we were in this routine that kept moving and moving, and we were here not moving that fast, so we were angry. And so it's nice to finally write an angry song.
WM: Still talking about the track, I could feel some more classic emo elements compared to your other track “You're So Ugly When You Cry”. How do you balance these different influences in your work?
LJ: So, it's kind of crazy because, you know, we wrote "Suffocate City" in early 2020. And then we wrote "You're So Ugly When You Cry" at the end of last year, actually. So our album has been ready for maybe two years, but we weren't totally happy with it. Like, I kept listening to it. I kept talking to our A&R about it, and she said, "well, then why don't you just do more songs?" And I thought, "we can do this? Amazing." And then we were able to revisit what was missing in the emotions of the record. We already had "Suffocate City," and it was an angry track, you know, but we wanted something that was a little more about, you know, in "You're So Ugly When You Cry" we talk about, like, having ADHD and stuff like that, taking, you know, mental health medication or whatever. So, for us, it's more or less like this: we have these two different sides of the band, where we have more of the rock side or the radio rock side, and then we have this emo rock side, and we love mixing them together.
WM: There are some songs on this new album that feature collaborations. How did you choose which songs would have features and who would be involved?
LJ: So, when we started talking to our label, with A&R, she said, “Hey, you know, if you could collaborate with some people, who would they be?” So I sent her a list, and there was Bert [McCracken] from The Used , and, I mean, I grew up loving The Used, and I thought, that’s it. And I was like, I would die, you know? It’s like I was like, we can do this. When we finished “You’re So Ugly When You Cry,” she sent it to his manager, Bert’s manager, and Bert heard it, and then he came to us and said, “Hey, I want to be on this song. Let’s make it happen.” And I said, “Really? Like, my song? You’d like to be on my song? Okay.” So that was cool. And that was it.
It was cool to get a message from one of your idols one day, randomly. And that was cool. And he did his part, and there's, like, a video, I think I posted on Instagram of me reacting to his demo because he, like, sent the demo first, and I didn't know which parts he was going to sing because I sent him, like, an instrumental, and I sent him what I sang and then all the lyrics, and then he sang, like, almost half the song, and I'm freaking out. I thought we were going to get a line, honestly, I mean, it's Bert, so I thought, I'd be happy just with his laugh or something he does, you know? So that was cool.
And then, of course, going to Spencer [Charnas] from Ice Nine [Kills] , he kind of gets into this new emo metal wave, he's super theatrical. He has a convention called Silver Screen Con and he invited us to play, and I think we hit it off. And he saw that a lot of his fans liked us and vice versa. He said, “hey, like, send me a track. Let's talk.” And we sent him “Suffocate City” because, you know, the verse he's singing sounds like it was written for him, you know? And maybe in the back of my mind I was already thinking, “oh, it would be amazing if we put Spencer on this, you know?” So it just happened. And I love that. I love when things just happen.
WM: This new album that's coming will be your second. You've already made an album. You released an EP, but why did it take so long to release another full album, considering your first release was in 2016?
LJ: I treat the band as two separate versions. So, what I call The Funeral Portrait 1.0 and The Funeral Portrait 2.0. And the first version of this band was about learning, we were much younger. I was much younger, and I just wanted to tour, I just wanted to see the world and all that kind of stuff. And then I didn't realize the hole I was putting myself in, where the rest of the band was and what they wanted to do with their lives.
So eventually, all the original band members left except me. And I thought, well, I believe in this band. I believe in the brand. I believe, you know, there are kids who come to these shows, you know, and who are huge fans. I can't just give up on them, you know, I just can't give up on myself. So I found new guys and got extremely close to all of them. Anyway, I knew them before, and we had toured together with other bands, and they said, “yeah, let's go.”.
So, basically, from 2017 onward, from 2018 onward, it was just about writing this album. And then, in 2019, we signed a contract and it was like, “oh, well, now we can really do this.” So it’s like one thing after another, after another. So we really say this is our debut album. You know, it’s debut number two, then. Because it’s a different band now. And I love that. I love that we’ve had two completely different cycles.
WM: Speaking a bit about the EP you released last year, called Sounds From Beyond The Abyss (Vol. 1) . Is there a plan to perhaps make a volume two?
LJ: Yeah, definitely. And maybe a three, a four, and a five. Who knows? I love them. So, being in a band, you know, I love doing what we want. Being on a record label, sometimes you have to listen and say, “you can’t always do what you want.” But our record label has been really good because this was one of those things where we needed to buy ourselves a little more time to release the album, you know? And I think for us it was much more about what we could do that was special for our fans and for the people who are listening now. Less about gaining new fans, more about valuing the fans we have now, you know? And then it was redoing our song “Voodoo Doll,” and it has, like, a full orchestra, it’s really cool, very theatrical. And then we have the two covers there, and then we had the full version of “Voodoo Doll.” And for us, I think we just wanted something that was special and that fit into our tradition, because we have a tradition that involves “Suffocate City” and all these icons and other things. So that kind of helped us evolve and move forward.
WM: Yes, absolutely. And the band will be playing at some big festivals, like Louder Than Life and Aftershock. What do you think is the main thing to keep in mind when doing this kind of big performance?
LJ: Oh, wow. Yeah. We're really excited. I still haven't realized that we're about to go on a big tour and go to festivals and stuff. There's a month left before things really start to happen. I think for us, we're ready for our show to be bigger than ever. You know, we're a very theatrical band, and we kind of put a lot of effort into it, you know what I mean? At the end of this set, one of our guitarists takes his guitar out and waves it above his head, we're going to do weird, random things all the time. And it's very theatrical and just fun. I'm excited to play for a lot of new faces who may have heard our name or heard us on the radio or whatever, but never seen what A, the band, is like, or B, saw the show. So, I'm excited to play in front of a lot of new people.
WM: As my last question, do you have plans to come to Brazil, perhaps to do a tour or some shows?
LJ: It would be a dream come true, let me tell you. It's so cool, because I really think… it's weird, because I think if you look at our Spotify, we can see which countries are listening the most. And I believe Brazil is in third place for us right now, maybe fourth. It goes back and forth between, I think, Australia and Brazil.
It's really cool for us because I never… I didn't even know this was really a thing, right? That bands could do this because you guys have your whole other scene there. There are bands there that I've never heard of, like, a band that just did a track with The Used, I think, and stuff like that. And I love that. I think it's so cool that you guys have your own rock scene there, and it's cool. Like I said, I'm going to post something, "where should we visit?" on Facebook, and it's like, "come to Brazil, come to Brazil, come to Brazil." And, of course, that's funny, because now it's a meme, but I think it's cool to see how passionate you guys are there. Maybe with your help, you know, posting about us and stuff like that, we can get closer to making this happen, because it's definitely on my list. I have a bucket list and I'm checking things off slowly, so hopefully one day we can check it off.
WM: I hope so. Lee, I just want to thank you for your time. It was a great conversation.
LJ: Amazing. Thank you.