KROQ Sound Space Artist Interviews

Between shows with Weezer and Warped Tour standout sets, Joyce Manor have once again leveled up with their new album, 'I Used To Go To This Bar,' now available everywhere. Check out their special interview and performance inside the In-N-Out Burger Sound Space in Los Angeles.

As Death Cab for Cutie returns with their 11th studio album, 'I Built You A Tower,' the band joined us inside the In-N-Out Burger Sound Space in Los Angeles for a special performance and conversation about the latest chapter from the GRAMMY-nominated group. Before an electrifying set for fans inside the Sound Space, Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer dove into the band's creative legacy, their ongoing connection with their fans, and the foundation that has kept DCFC strong for over 25 years. With Miles The DJ acknowledging Death Cab for Cutie’s incredible longevity, Gibbard explained that his primary satisfaction comes from the internal process of creation, writing a song in his home studio and sharing it with his bandmates. “I've always thought that if I have a strong feeling that's put into a song that we all, the band, initially connects to and feels like it's expressing something about the human experience, that other people will connect with it too,” he reveals. “I write a lot and a lot of the stuff I write, you guys will probably never hear, but the stuff that does cut through and we choose to release, we feel we're releasing it because we feel it says something about what it means to be alive, what it means to be a human being.” “It's been one of the greatest honors of my life to have people such as yourself have this connection with this music. It's really, it has so much more to do with you than it does with us, and it has so much more to do with you than it does with me, because without you guys, I guess I would exist on this planet, but as a songwriter, the music would not have the breadth and the reach that it has without you guys and how you've integrated into your life. So we have to say thank you to all of you, we're here because of you.” The foundational strength of DCFC remains their genuine friendship, with Ben noting that he and Harmer have been best friends since they were teenagers. "There's no better feeling than being in a band with your friends. It's just the best. So we figure why stop doing it, you know, keep going." Fresh off anniversary celebrations for 'Plans' and 'Transatlanticism,' Death Cab got to revisit those initial bonds that solidified their approach to music, and helped inform their next project. “I think playing those anniversary shows were about as close to getting into a time machine as I'll ever get in my life," Harmer admits. This reflection ultimately provided them with renewed confidence and momentum to channel into their new project, 'I Built You a Tower.' For more from Death Cab for Cutie, check out the full Sound Space interview above. 'I Built You A Tower' is now available everywhere.

Mike Ness and Social Distortion recently joined us inside the In-N-Out Burger Sound Space in Los Angeles for a special performance, and a conversation with KROQ’s Megan Holiday and Kevin Ryder about their new album, 'Born To Kill,' the frontman’s health, career philosophy, and the early days of the band. Social Distortion’s new album, 'Born to Kill,' is now available everywhere, and it’s the first from the group in 15 years. Ness explains that the gap was due to a combination of personal crises, including his own cancer diagnosis halfway through recording the album. This health crisis deeply impacted his perspective and his approach to finishing the record, intensifying his focus. "It really takes something like going through something like this that really makes you realize that, you know. every day above ground is a good day,” Mike admits. “When it was time to come back to the record and finish it, it was time to do vocals, it felt like I was singing like there was no tomorrow." The album's title track, "Born to Kill," was the song that set the tone for the entire record, serving as the band's "mission statement," according to Ness. “I couldn't deliver a sleeper,” he shares. “I needed to get this out.” Watch the full performance and interview above. Social Distortion’s 'Born To Kill' is now available everywhere.

Inside the newly minted In-N-Out Burger Sound Space at KROQ in Los Angeles, Jack Antonoff opened up about his thoughts on the music industry, touring, and the creative process behind Bleachers’ upcoming album, 'everyone for ten minutes,' due out on May 22. Talking with Klein and Ally, Antonoff detailed his desire to keep music authentic, his fight against high ticket prices, and his unique pre-release ritual for new music. “I listen to every album I made like a few days before,” Antonoff shares. “I listen to every album, and then I'll listen to the new one and then I'll feel in touch with the journey.” Jack doesn’t feel tempted to make changes after listening to the entirety of his discography, knowing that the studio is a safe space for him. “I don't ever want to change anything,” he says. “I'm filled with regrets in other ways, but not with the music. I think that's why I stay in the studio and stay on tours, that's like the one place where I really like, for lack of a better word, feel myself. Everywhere else is really complicated.” Antonoff also spoke in-depth about his relationship with his audience, and the importance for him to continue the conversation with the people that get it. Reflecting on the lyric, "only my people can see me," Jack explained that his music is intentionally designed to "sift out anyone who's not gonna get it." “When the band started the first song I put out was ‘I Wanna Get Better,’ and it was really intentional because I thought to myself, ‘I don't want anyone misgivings about who I am or where this thing is going.’ I remember at the time it was like, ‘oh we should put out ‘Rollercoaster,’ you know, it's such a catchy song,’ and I was like, ‘I love that song, but there's this other song I wrote.’” “I remember telling this to everyone, ‘I wanna like sift out anyone who's not gonna get it,’ which they thought was maybe a problem, but It's nice to just come forward as who you are,” Jack reveals. “Then you're just on a journey and a conversation with your people and it goes this way and it goes that way, but I'm not ever taking my eye off of them. And it sounds reductive, but if you just do the things that you love and are really authentic about what you do, it's hard to lose sleep at night.” 'everyone for ten minutes' is out everywhere on May 22.

To celebrate the release of their new album, 'Everything Glows,' Cannons stopped by the KROQ Sound Space in Los Angeles for a special performance and an exclusive interview with Kevin Ryder and Megan Holiday. Cannons describes 'Everything Glows' as their first album that they treated as a "full time job," making the entire process "very intentional, start to finish.” After rigorous touring to support the 'Heartbeat Highway' album, Michelle Joy took time to tend to her health, including a surgery and recovery, before diving into writing the next album with support from her band. “They made me feel so supported, this album we've grown closer than ever and we understand each other in new ways,” she says, “know how to hold space for each other and bring out the best in each other, and we wouldn't have reached this point in our relationship together without going through the struggles that we went through.” Check out the full interview above. 'Everything Glows' is now available everywhere. The band’s co-headlining 'Afterglow Tour' with electronic duo, Bob Moses, is also now officially underway. Find a full list of dates at LiveNation.com.

Celebrating the release of their new album, 'Everyone's Talking!,' All Time Low joined us inside the Helpful Honda Sound Space in Los Angeles for an exclusive performance for a room full of fans, along with an interview where the band unpacks their latest project and more. 'Everyone's Talking!' arrived earlier this month, marking All Time Low's 10th studio album, featuring the new single, "The Weather." ATL will also continue their tour across America through the end of November before taking the trek international. You can find the full list of dates here. 19 years since their debut album, Miles the DJ asked the band if there are ever conversations about continuing to grind it out in the same way they have for nearly 2 decades. "I think going into making this album, there was that conversation," shares Alex Gaskarth. "I think this many years into a career and this many albums into a career, there's that moment that you confront yourself in the mirror and you kind of go, 'does the world need another All Time Low record or have we told all the stories that we need to tell,' you know what I mean?" "I think we face that every time we sit down to start a new creative process, but last year we spent the year kind of doing these 20 year celebration shows and that put us in this frame of mind that we were just so appreciative and grateful for the fact that people were rallying around this band the way they were, and celebrating all the eras and all the albums, and we were like, 'look, I think there's more in the tank.'" "We either write a record or do happy 17 years of 'So Wrong, It's Right' or something," jokes Jack Barakat. "Make up anniversaries." For more about the band's new album, don't miss All Time Low in the Helpful Honda Sound Space, now playing above.

Earlier this month, Royel Otis stopped by our Helpful Honda Sound Space in Los Angeles to talk about their new album, 'hickey,' and to perform for a room full of fans. The Australian duo opened up about the making of their sophomore effort, talked touring and more with KROQ's Klein and Ally, before ripping through a set of songs to kick off a holiday weekend. Don't miss the full interview above. Talking about the "summer vibes" of the new LP, Royel Maddell was quick to admit that sound is likely subconscious. "I thought this one was like a bit darker," he says. "Like 'PRATTS & PAIN' I thought it was like super dark, but everyone's like, 'it's so summery and Australian beach sounding.' I'm like, 'f***, didn't mean to do that." To hear more from Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, check out the full Royel Otis interview above. 'hickey' is now available everywhere

Before sharing their debut album with the world, Good Neighbours gave us a glimpse inside the Helpful Honda Sound Space with a special interview and performance. Watch as the band talks with Miles the DJ about their upcoming LP, 'Blue Sky Mentality,' due out everywhere on September 26. Plus, stay tuned for an exclusive performance from the group. After viral success last year with "Home," the London duo appear on the cusp of something big, so we invited a room full of fans to come hang in our Los Angeles Sound Space and watch it all unfold live. ""Honestly, now I feel like we're in a place where we're just so grateful that that song did what it did," the duo says of "Home" when asked about it's success. "At the time, we probably gave it no respect. We had written the chorus and we thought, that's good. Like, it's a feasible chorus for us to play. But we never thought, 'this is going to be a smash.' And then the second we put it out, people just received it in such an amazing way that it almost educated us to be like, 'you should go off and finish this song as quick as you can.'" After years of making music, things have finally clicked for Oli and Scott, partly because they started making music for themselves. "It kind of started last year, almost by accident, really. We've been doing music for like 10 plus years, and kind of like not doing very well at it, and then like, yeah, we were just making stuff for ourselves and just stuff that sounded good, and it felt right. So we put it out, and it's going down pretty well." For more from Good Neighbours and an exclusive performance, check out the full video above.

Shinedown continues to surge ahead towards their next chapter, hitting the road all summer with Bush and releasing searing single after single on their way to a new album, becoming unmissable in 2025. The "Dance, Kid, Dance" band recently stopped by our Helpful Honda Sound Space to talk about it all, and unleash a performance for a packed house of fans that you won't want to miss. When asked how Shinedown became "a band for everyone," Zach Myers admits it comes down to how they treat each other. "We get along better now than we ever have, and we've never had like a bunch of problems with each other," he shares. "I've always said 'you can fool some of the people some of the time, you can't fool all the people all the time.'" "I think that subject matter of songs too, you know. We chose not to write songs about getting laid, you know what I mean? We would rather write a song that makes you feel like you can jump through the roof of a building or run through a brick wall than something that's gonna fade," he adds. "I think that combined with just how we treat each other. I think that we are a people's band. I think that people notice that about us when we're on stage together. If you don't notice us having fun, you are not paying attention." With so much of Shinedown's music playing a huge role in helping the mental wellness of fans, the group was asked what they do for their own mental health. Along with faith and working out, Eric Bass knows it's just about taking each moment as it's own. "It's just one day at a time," he shares. "It's one thing, just take the next step, just one step in front of the other, and I know that's cliche, but stereotypes and cliches are in place for a reason." "It's one of the positives about being in a band. You're not alone," adds Brent Smith. "You can bounce things off each other." To hear much more from the band on the legacy of Ozzy Osbourne, their plans for the next album, and their thoughts on Rock representation at the GRAMMYs, check out the full conversation above.

Rise Against remain one of music's great antagonists, always outspoken with an eye towards what's next and what's right. Their latest effort, 'Ricochet,' will arrive everywhere on August 15, but first the band pays a visit to the Helpful Honda Sound Space for an exclusive performance and conversation. Nicole Alvarez talks with the band about their upcoming album, experience at Warped Tour, and more. When asked if they have ever been scared to speak their mind in a polarized political world, Tim McIlrath simply says no. "That's who we are, we've always been. We didn't walk into this room somebody different and then try to pretend like we're something else," he shares. "We didn't pivot to politics or away from politics, it's just when you met us this was the band that we were, this is the band that we are, we've never done anything different. So if nothing else, it must be something in that DNA that has attracted you to identify with this band." "Not only are we unable to pivot away from it, but like I don't think it would be smart for us to pivot away from it. The people... when their ships find the lighthouse to Rise Against, they want that light to keep shining. So we're just going to keep shining and keep doing it." Check out the full interview above for much more from 'Rise Against.' Ricochet is out everywhere on August 15.