Atomic Bronco releases their third single of 2022, Foolish Games. The song follows up on the success of the previous singles Get You Off My Mind and Classical Conditioning and provides a glimpse into the style of Atomic Bronco’s upcoming releases. Foolish Games features a retro guitar riff straight out of the 50’s combined with some seriously punchy drums and a steady bassline. The song has a very retro-rock vibe, and the lyrical themes center around some old school desire. The lead guitar tops off the track with a pair of fuzzed out solos.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Atomic Bronco, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
I can't really remember a time when I wasn't into music. My mother played piano, so I took piano lessons as a little kid which I unfortunately gave up to play sports. At 14 I borrowed my uncle's guitar and taught myself how to play, and around the same time I heard Nirvana's Nevermind and Cream's Disraeli Gears, and from that point on I was hooked.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
Music is my main hobby outside of my day job, but I'm also a huge sports fan. I'm a die hard K-State football and basketball fan (where I did my undergrad) and I'm also a pretty big Chiefs fan. I also got into Premier League and F1 during my time in London, so I keep pretty up to date on those too.
Your latest song is 'Foolish Games'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I was just messing around with this really retro sounding guitar tone and kinda came up with this riff that seemed like it could be out of the 50/60's. I've been drawn to that sort of sound lately. With the lyrics in the song, I wanted to try to have a surface level meaning where you could think the song is about a lover, but if you dig a little deeper you can see that the song is more about the fallacy of chasing money, or however people want to interpret it. The unusual part is that I really haven't explored using lyrics that way up to this point in my music, but I'm starting to put more emphasis on that aspect of my songs.
Can you reveal the recipe for a musical hit?
I think I would have to know the recipe before I can reveal it haha. I think just making catchy stuff that can stick in people's heads. All of my songs that I release were once stuck in my head for extended periods of time. I'm just trying to work out how to get that to translate to other people's tastes.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
I'm continually trying to get better at my production value and songwriting skills, like most artists, but recently I've put more effort into working up a live version of Atomic Bronco. I think getting out of the studio and playing these songs in front of real audiences will help me more than anything. Of course, it's tough to play live as a one man band, so I'm looking for live band mates here in Austin where I recently moved, and working on a LCD soundsystem style one man show in parallel paths so that I can have something on stage early next year no matter what happens with the band mate search.
What inspires you as an artist? Could it be the sea, the weather or something else?
I think you can draw inspiration from almost anything. Personally I get a lot of inspiration from earworms I find in other people's music. For example, I will hear a drum fill or a bassline in a certain part of a song and get obsessed with the groove or rhythm of that 3 second span and try to turn what I like about that small part into a full song.
How do you spend your free time? What makes you feel relaxed?
Most of my free time is spent on Atomic Bronco. I have a pretty demanding day job in the design and construction industry, so working on music is how I relax and take my mind off work. I'm by far the most relaxed either behind a drumset or with a guitar in my hand.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
I don't really have a music mentor or coach, but I would be grateful to find one. I've been like a lone wolf on this music journey, and would love to have someone help me along the way. I primarily started this project as a form of stress relief, but now that it's gaining some traction, I would love to have someone help me with the industry side of things.
Do you think it's easy to become established in the music world, or is it difficult?
I think it's incredibly difficult to get established in the music world, especially as an artist. It's so easy for everyone to put their music out there, which makes it very hard to stand out from the pack and cut through the noise.
What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
That's a tough one. I could see myself doing music full time, although perhaps not solely as an artist. If I can get to the point where I could headline Red Rocks in Denver, I would consider that a huge success.