When you strip everything else away, we rely on our animal instincts to survive. In the face of danger, we either flee or fight without hesitation. No matter how many perceived differences exist between us, we breathe the same air, drink the same water, and eat the same way to subsist. Dragged Under naturally harness this primal power in their hard-hitting hybrid of punk, rock, metal, and hardcore. Choosing to progress, the Seattle quintet—Tony Cappocchi [vocals], Ryan Bruce [guitar], Sean Rosario [guitar], Hans Hessburg [bass], and Kalen Anderson [drums]—sharpen their claws, teeth, and style on their second full-length album, Upright Animals [Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group].
“There’s obviously a media divide, there’s a class divide, and there’s a racial divide in this country,” observes Tony. “In many ways, we use our animal instincts to think when it’s convenient for us instead of our evolutionary abilities. Trying to keep up with all of the information these days is like drinking from a firehose. So, our animal tendencies still shine through. A lot of enlightenment still needs to happen before we can consider ourselves anything other than animals walking around on their hindlegs. That’s what the album is about.”
With animalistic energy, Dragged Under charged out of the gate in 2020 on their debut The World Is In Your Way. The album generated streams in the tens of millions and earned widespread critical acclaim. Beyond plugs from Loudwire, New Noise Magazine, and more, KERRANG! hailed it as “nine tracks of the edgiest, most in-your-face punk in recent memory – loaded with underdog appetite and energy,” and Alternative Press named it one of the “20 Debut Albums That Took Metalcore to the Next Level in 2020.” Along the way, they toured alongside everyone from The Used to Beartooth. During 2021, they recorded what would become Upright Animals with frequent collaborator Hiram Hernandez [Jared Dines, Craig Owens] in Los Angeles and Matt Good [Hollywood Undead, Asking Alexandria] in Phoenix.
“There was an element of thematic development,” Tony goes on. “The last record was a bunch of different phases of my life. I had 21 years to write it. I only had a year-and-a-half to write this one. It’s about a time, a place, events, and what I was a feeling in this window.”
Emotion shines through the single “Crooked Halos.” Acoustic guitar creaks beneath the verses before the refrain explodes with a scream amplified by distortion and swells of strings as he declares, “Our crooked halos aren’t fooling anyone.”
“It essentially says, ‘I’m an angel, but I’m wearing a mask so people won’t see the problems in my life’,” he reveals. “In public, everything seems fine; behind-the scenes, it is a mess. It’s the tumultuous nature of being in a relationship especially in the age of social media. Lyrically, it was inspired by my friend Marco. He died a long time ago, but he was one of the main reasons I got into music. He referenced ‘Crooked Halos’ in a song, so I asked his brother for permission to expound on the concept. He allowed me to.”
Elsewhere, “All Of Us” finds unity in disarray. Co-written with Brandon Saller of Atreyu and Hell or Highwater, hyper-charged riffs crash into a chantable chorus before a pummeling bridge sealed with a searing solo.
“It’s a reminder we are all simultaneously experiencing a lot of these things,” he goes on. “We’re dealing with the same pandemic at the same time, and we’re trying to navigate and get to the other side without our lives falling apart. For a lot of people, that was the reality. They lost everything.”
“If you’re chasing a dream or pursuing a passion, you’ll get called ‘Immature’ and told to ‘Grow up’,” he explains. “If I would’ve ‘grown up,’ maybe my band wouldn’t be here. I might be in a career I can’t stand working for a company I hate. You’ll get a lot of pressure to stick to a traditional roadmap: go to school, meet a girl, hold a job, get married, have kids, buy a house, and die. For us, it’s not going to do it.”
“My dad is in his mid-sixties, and the last two years were hard on him,” Tony elaborates. “It was really lonely, especially with COVID happening. He was battling depression, and we would have these long and hard phone calls about life. Luckily, he found help, and he feels great. Even though he drove us on the last tour, he didn’t know the song was about him! I wrote it from my experience with him, but a lot of people can relate to it.”
In the end, Dragged Under evolve by eliciting emotion from the purest place possible. The complete track listing of Upright Animals features, “Upright Animals,” “All Of Us,” “Never Enough,” “Crooked Halos,” “Long Live The King,” “Suffer,” “See You Alive,” “Weather,” “No Place Like Home,” “Words For Hire,” “Brainwash Broadcast feat. Spencer Chamberlain,” and “This Is The End.”
“When you listen to this, I hope you experience moments of tension, anxiety, sadness, and happiness,” he leaves off. “At the same time, it’s nostalgic for us. We want it to remind you of being young and discovering the bands that changed your life. If you think, ‘This reminds me of what I grew up on,’ I’d be very satisfied. We spent a lot of time and energy on this. I’m excited about the future.”
Rock Nightmare 