Interview: Atomic Bronco - Fly Away

Atomic Bronco released their first single of 2023, Fly Away. The song follows up on the success of the previous singles Get You Off My Mind and Foolish Games from late 2022 and provides a glimpse into the style of Atomic Bronco’s upcoming releases. Fly Away features a driving yet brooding rhythm section behind a steady picked acoustic riff. The laid-back vocals convey a sense of uneasiness that indicates there may be more under the surface than the lyrics indicate. Fly Away is full of ear-catching details, and a warm guitar solo rounds out the vintage-style production.

By Kamil Bobin

Discovered via Musosoup

Kamil) Hey Atomic Bronco, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. How has the time gone for you since our last interview?

Things have been going pretty well, I've got some new music that I've really excited about, and winter seems to be letting up, so overall no complaints here!

How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?

I have a fairly demanding full-time job that I travel for pretty frequently, so it's definitely difficult to balance everything. I try to write a bit on the road, and then really make good use of the studio time that I do get. Ultimately, I use music as my stress relief from my job, so I want to make sure it still stays fun.

Your latest song is 'Fly Away'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?

Fly Away started as me messing on the acoustic guitar, which turned into the main riff. It felt like it wanted a more restrained vocal, so I experimented with a vocal intonation that's more like whisper than most of my other music. It's also the first time I really tried to harmonize, and that seemed to work out surprisingly well.

How do you know when a work is finished?

It's just a feeling you get. You can overcook a song for sure with too many details. Sometimes simplicity is king.

How do you find yourself in the music business? When you started out in music, did you know it would be like this?

As I mentioned, music is my escape from real life, and I think I'm happy to keep it that way. Initially I had all same dreams to be the biggest music act in the world, but now I'm not so sure that's the goal anymore. I didn't really have any idea what it would be like to release music. I sorta just thought the plays would pile up and the record companies would be knocking down my door. I had a rude awakening of how hard you have to work to get those first 1,000 or 10,000 plays.

Who is your favourite musician?

There's too many to pick just one! I really admire what Tame Impala does. Nirvana and Eric Clapton really shaped my guitar tastes, and I struggle to find Arctic Monkeys and Black Keys songs that I don't like. I could go on and on!

Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.

Favorite part for me is the process of creating the songs and having a finished product at the end. Close second is performing. Least favorite is all the admin. I had no idea there was so much paper work.

What’s your scariest experience?

In general, I had a pretty scary episode in Europe that ended with me waking up not knowing where I was. Music related, I was playing a big show in Paris as a drummer in a band, and the monitors cut out and I had to finish the show playing the songs from memory because I couldn't hear anyone else.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

I wish artists would put out fewer singles and more albums! I want to hear the deep cuts!

What can we expect from Atomic Bronco in the near future?

Speaking of, I have a new album slated to come out on April 14! I'm very excited about that, and I'm trying to work out a vinyl run, so go follow @Atomic Bronco to make sure you get in on that run!