Speaking to Jesus and at times even hanging out together at various art events. I see him as the artist he is, but also attaching Flower Shop Arts Studio to his name. I actually did NOT know he was a part of a band! The band in question being Upon Your Dead Body @uponyourdeadbody
Upon Your Dead Body, an emo band from Brownsville, Texas, that has recently released their newest single. “Second Wind” is a cheerful sounding anthemic pop punk song for the summer and with only a few days left within the summer I'd say give this a listen A$AP! Jesus shared with me that the "artwork was made by a New Mexico based artist Beedallo" and explains the artwork by saying "much like their image of a little dude begging to be spared while about to get absolutely bonked by an angel as a car crashes in the background, the lyrics are about life consistently throwing curve-balls, gut punches, and the hardest battles to its toughest soldiers. Even through the hardships we face, I'd say that the optimistic tone in the song that communicates hope in the pursuit of renewed spirit."
Listening to the track with my eyes closed, the lyricism brought forward an imagery with lines speaking on the flesh poking through their shoes, the gravel, the heat, the pressures of life and "the angel making off with their laces." Then the moment of 2:28 to 3:00
"it always gets worse before it gets better...I'm waiting on a second wind"
Hanging on the thread, any once of tomorrow's day being the day that it gets better. Especially with the change in vocals and instrumentally. There's just been too much. The idea of that's been only getting worse and worse, but the thought of tomorrow's change lingers in the backdrop.
Jesus continues to share by saying "the sentiment of 'Second Wind' also has double meaning for the band. It represents an exciting new chapter, marking the return of Upon Your Dead Body with new members and songwriting collaborators."
Could you share a bit more about the band? How it started and what came out of it from when it started? "The band is the brainchild of Efrain Benavides and was initially conceived as a solo project named after a song by his favorite band Coheed and Cambria. In 2018, with the help of producer Rudy Martinez of Dark Arts Recording Studios, he released his emotional debut album 'Selfish & Hollow'. The attention from this release led to Robert De La Rosa joining the band as its drummer. Together they released a handful of singles (later collected into a self-titled album in 2023), released music videos, played shows throughout the valley, and even opened for Craig Owens of Chiodos and D.R.U.G.S. Adjacently, Efrain’s TikTok skyrocketed through a series of viral videos where he replaced the lyrics of the song 'Such Small Hands', originally by La Dispute, with various meme references.
With this momentum, I eventually joined the band (me, Jesus Trevino) on bass along with Jorge Perez on guitar. With all of us involved. this has brought forward a newly charged collaborative spirit. We're planning to release a series of songs that will accumulate into a full-length album starting with 'Second Wind'. The themes of the album explore grief, loss, and endings through sounds that range from pop punk, midwest emo, and post hardcore."
Is there anything else you wish to share? "The second single titled, 'So Anyway, I Started Blasting' will be released on August 24th in tandem with an Emo Karaoke/ live show at Cactus Valley Art Supply Store in Harlingen, Texas. There will be 4 bands playing from 8:30 to 10:30 followed by emo themed karaoke. Everyone is encouraged to wear their best throwback emo/ scene kid outfits as we celebrate the music we love." I'll be sure to mark this on my calendar!
photography by @Georgeglassphotography
Artwork by @Beedallo
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