by emily harris
photo courtesy of goalkeeper
Homegrown Philadelphia band Goalkeeper are gearing up to release their newest EP, Life in Slow Motion. Members Ryan Beebe, Marc Juliano, and Cody Ritchie have created their sound from the influence of various music genres. Their newest single, “Happy,” is a testament to their ever-changing music dynamic. I had the pleasure of talking with guitarist Marc Juliano about the release!
Congrats on the announcement of your new EP, Life in Slow Motion! Can you tell us about the people you worked with to create this new record?
Marc: “Thank you so much! We are beyond excited to get the EP out there. So, we worked with Kevin Mahoney of Hit the Lights and Joywave, Will Pugh of Cartel, and Seb Barlow of Neck Deep. Kevin was the producer, Will was the engineer, and Seb mixed/mastered the EP. This was the second EP we got to work on with Kevin so that was super exciting because he became such a close friend of ours and a real believer/support, so to work with him again was an honor. This was the first time for us with Will and Seb and the experience was equally awesome. They were so down to earth, and Will is an engineering and vocal genius. He really showed us how to get a lot of awesome sounds out of the studio and with him and Kevin working on the songs together, there was magic. Helps that they are both great friends too! Seb really brought the EP together in the mixing and mastering. He knew exactly what we wanted and easily made it the biggest sounding EP for us to date. Plus, despite him being in the biggest pop punk band, he still took time to FaceTime with us and just chat and get to know each other. He’s an awesome person and we can’t wait to work with him, Will, and Kevin again!”
What music were you inspired by while working on this EP?
M: “A whole bunch honestly. I know that’s a loaded answer, but seriously. We had pop bands like The Band CAMINO, country artists like Kaylee Bell and Luke Combs, punk bands like The Menzingers and I Am the Avalanche, and of course pop punk bands like Hit the Lights, Cartel, blink-182, New Found Glory, and Neck Deep.”
Can you tell us a little bit about the EP artwork and how it fits into the overall theme of the EP?
M: “We came across the photo from our friend Jesse who was kind enough to let us use it. It’s of the local coffee shop in Ocean City, NJ (Ryan’s hometown) called Readys. We loved the imagery and the colors and just felt like it related. The whole EP is about being stuck in slow motion and feeling as though you are not progressing the way you thought. Maybe you’re hung up on something, need to find motivation to keep going, etc. etc. The empty booth just felt right with the vibe and meaning behind the EP. We also wanted that Americana feel that we believe Jesse captured really well with the photo.”
The first single released from this EP is “Happy.” What made you decide to release this as the beginning of the newest era?
M: “We wanted to come into this new era hitting as hard as we could and felt that ‘Happy’ did that. It showed so much growth for us as a band between the lyrics, melody, and technical playing. We felt it would showcase the energy of the EP and be a strong introduction for what’s to come!”
The second single to be released is “Just Say It.” What can you tell us about the writing and recording of this song in particular?
M: “That one came out so organically it was crazy. Cody (drummer) was the one who wrote the beginning stages of the song. Once Ryan and I heard it we knew it was something special. We felt that it showed all of our influences in a perfect way. We went to our rehearsal space to begin working it out as a full band and within maybe 30-45 minutes the entire structure was there. I remember distinctively that we didn’t have a bridge so we all said just do whatever you feel is right and whoever writes the best thing we will roll with. When we got to the bridge, we literally all played the exact same thing, it was creepy. Obviously, we were stoked and kept it. We did some tweaking in the studio but honestly not much. Even Kevin said it was damn near perfect in the first draft. When we went to record it, we didn’t want to overdo it so it’s pretty stripped down compared to how much we usually stack with tracks. We got to do some really cool stuff with Will in the intro with giving it that vinyl cracking effect and such. Definitely one of our favorites on Life in Slow Motion.”
How has your sound evolved since your last EP, Bad Times Don’t Last?
M: “I think the best way to describe our sound is more mature. We didn’t want to resort to the basic pop punk clichés with songwriting, so we challenged ourselves to incorporate different genres, musical theory techniques, and maturity in the lyrics with melody and storytelling. I also think we are learning more and more how to sound fuller as a trio which is a big goal for us being that we don’t have another guitarist or use tracks live. Finally, we wanted to be as honest as we could be with our music. We are known for being more positive, but we don’t want to shy away from songs that may have a darker side when the feeling is there.”
As you’ve supported large pop punk bands like State Champs and Real Friends, how has your live show adapted with the support of their fans as well?
M: “When we started getting opening slots for these bigger shows in Philly, we really started to see growth as a band. We were seeing strangers from all over say, ‘I bought the tickets because I saw you were opening.’ We met some of our now best friends opening these shows. Plus, it’s really cool to see some people who have seen us multiple times share how they recognized us getting better and better each show. What’s also cool is that we don’t do anything different for the bigger shows or smaller shows. We like to have a set, work out some transitions between songs, and just be as goofy as we can be with the audience. We try to make our set as personal as possible and really connect with the audience. Cody has a ritual where he goes up to each person in the front row and introduces himself and thanks them for coming to the show. One thing we did do is start playing to a metronome live which has helped us stay really tight and have the tempo of the set right and comfortable which then makes it easier for us to do other things like jump around and joke with the audience and each other.”
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
M: “Oh, wow, hard one! I would say take the melodies and lyrical structures of classic pop punk and mix them with a modern sound. We like to try and blend bands like blink-182, The Menzingers, Neck Deep, and The Wonder Years. We also joke around and say pop punk with a grittier sounding Mark Hoppus [laughs].”