Cruel Ploy
Cruel Ploy opens up about the inspiration behind Fear, discussing vulnerability, perfectionism, identity, and the courage to face life’s uncertainties while revealing the creative journey behind their emotionally resonant new EP.
1. Your new EP Fear explores anxiety, identity, perfectionism, and personal growth through five interconnected songs. What inspired you to build the release around the many different faces of fear, and why was this the right time to tell these stories?
Skyler: I don’t think fear is just panic attacks or horror movies. Sometimes it’s staying quiet because you don’t want to disappoint someone. Sometimes it’s trying to be perfect because you think mistakes mean you’re not enough. Sometimes it’s pretending to be someone else because you’re convinced people won’t like the real version of you. Once we started writing, we realized every song was talking about a different face of the same thing.
Pete: I think people also underestimate how much fear disguises itself. It’ll call itself responsibility, or perfectionism, or ‘being realistic.’ It’s really good at changing costumes.
Tommy: So… fear is basically a really committed theater kid.
(Everyone laughs.)
Jay: Honestly… kind of.
Skyler: That’s actually not a terrible way to describe it.
Tommy: I’m putting that on a T-shirt.
Jay: We’re not.
(More laughter.)
The Kevin: Fear rarely introduces itself honestly.
2. The title track, Fear, sets the emotional tone for the entire EP by confronting uncertainty and the habit of expecting the worst. How did writing this song shape the direction of the rest of the record?
Skyler: That song gave us permission to stop trying to sound like we had everything figured out. Once we accepted that, every other song became more honest.
Pete: It also forced us to ask a question every time we wrote something.
The Interviewist: What question?
Pete: ‘Are we writing what’s true, or what sounds poetic?’
Jay: A few lyrics disappeared because they sounded clever but didn’t actually mean anything.
Tommy: We murdered some really beautiful nonsense.
Skyler: And deservedly so.
(Everyone nods.)
The Kevin: The first song asked the question. The others lived inside it.
3. Songs like Faultless, The Disguise, and Learning Curve each examine different emotional struggles. Which track was the most challenging to write, and did any of them reveal something unexpected about yourselves as songwriters or individuals?
Skyler: The Disguise was probably the hardest. Nobody likes admitting they’ve hidden parts of themselves. Writing that one felt uncomfortable, which usually means you’re getting somewhere.
Pete: Faultless surprised me. Perfectionism gets praised all the time. People call you driven or disciplined. But underneath it can just be fear of failing.
Jay: Learning Curve taught us something too. We kept wanting to end it with this huge triumphant moment…
Tommy: …because we’re suckers for dramatic endings.
Jay: …but life doesn’t always end that way. Sometimes growth is just… quieter.
Tommy: I hate when Jay says something smarter than what I was about to say.
Pete: Get used to it.
(Everyone laughs.)
4. Musically, Fear blends alternative rock, indie, emo, and modern rock while intentionally leaving room for imperfections in the production. How important was it for the music itself to reflect the EP’s message that vulnerability is a strength rather than a flaw?
Pete: We actually stopped ourselves from fixing every little thing.
The Interviewist: That must’ve been difficult.
Pete: I hated it.
(Laughter.)
Skyler: Pete would happily edit a snare drum until retirement.
Pete: Correct.
Jay: But we realized that some imperfections actually made the performances feel alive.
Skyler: If we made a record about vulnerability and then polished every human moment out of it… we’d be lying.
Tommy: Nobody has perfect days. Why should songs pretend they do?
The Kevin: Perfect performances are remembered. Honest performances stay with you.
5. Cruel Ploy has earned a reputation for pairing emotionally honest songwriting with memorable melodies and cinematic concepts. How do you strike a balance between creating deeply personal music and making it relatable to listeners with very different life experiences?
Skyler: The details belong to us. The emotions don’t.
Pete: Everybody’s been scared. Everybody’s doubted themselves. Everybody’s worn some kind of mask.
Jay: We’ve learned not to over-explain songs. Once they’re released, people finish writing them with their own experiences.
Tommy: My favorite messages are the ones where someone completely misunderstood a lyric…
Skyler: …and somehow understood it even better than we did.
Pete: That happens surprisingly often.
Tommy: It’s honestly kind of rude.
(Everyone laughs.)
The Kevin: A song becomes someone else’s the moment they need it.
6. With Fear now released, what do you hope listeners take away after hearing the EP from beginning to end, and how do you see this release influencing the next chapter of Cruel Ploy’s journey?
Skyler: I hope people feel less alone. Not because we solved anything, but because maybe they realize someone else has been sitting with the same thoughts.
Jay: If one person finishes the EP and decides to be a little kinder to themselves tomorrow than they were yesterday… that’s worth it.
Pete: I also hope people realize we’re not interested in repeating ourselves. Every release should feel like another conversation.
Tommy: And hopefully they come to a show.
(Everyone laughs.)
Pete: Tommy bringing us back to business.
Tommy: Somebody’s gotta keep the lights on.
Skyler: I think Fear is less about arriving somewhere and more about learning how to keep moving.
(The room grows quiet for a moment.)
The Kevin: Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s deciding your story is bigger than it.