The Red Lite District

After eight EPs, Life Won’t Wait reignites The Red Lite District’s punk-grunge spark, fueled by new drummer Vitali’s explosive energy and a raw, instinctive return to the band’s rebellious roots.

1. After eight EPs, Life Won’t Wait marks a clear return to your punk and grunge roots. Was this a conscious decision to reconnect with your origins, or did the songs naturally pull you back to that raw sound?
the songs naturally came to that raw sound. We all love punk music and we were intuitively missing the energy. Our other songs and last few EP’s are quite melodic. They are almost post-punk and we love them. But with our new drummer Vitali arriving, a lot more energy was injected into the music as a consequence of how he plays the drums so in one way it was thanks to Vitali joining and in another way it was because we were all intuitively seeking more energy from each other.

2. With Vitali Siliuk joining as your new drummer, the energy feels revitalized and sharper. How did Vitali’s arrival influence the writing and recording process of this EP, and what did he bring to the band creatively?
Yeah, Vitali arriving added a lot of energy into our own music. Vitali is ann excellent drummer. He’s also an excellent musician and has great ideas and contributes those ideas to our songs, so he added a new perspective and gave everyone a new view on things. He also brought an extremely large amount of energy through his playing. That energy is evident in all the tracks on our new EP, none more so than the tracks Brute and We Are All Working Class Now. You should give those tracks a lesson if you like punk music they are the epitome of punk music. Even our slower track, Living In Slow Motion is brimming with energy.

3. “You Were Never in Love” is described as the unfiltered offspring of Nirvana and The Stooges, carrying a relentless nihilistic punch. What emotions or moments inspired this track, and how do you approach writing lyrics that balance chaos, melody, and meaning?
There are a lot of emotions in this song some are positive and some are negative. The chorus reflects this through the black and white imitate.  Although the loss of something or the change in a life can seem miserable, sad or depressing it isn’t always the case.  Sometimes things change because they naturally have to, and the song really was dealing with that philosophy. I wanted a driving rocking song, with some abstract images forming the lyrics. But I wanted a simple message: You Were Never In Love does exactly that. It’s full of energy and despite itself it never gets emotional or miserable, instead it’s kick arse from start to end!

4. “Brute” blends high-speed punk with historical poetic tragedy, referencing the notes of a murdered Polish poet from WWII. What draws you to merging personal or political storytelling with abstract artistic influences like this?

It’s actually a poet from Belarus, not Poland. The lyrics are reinterpretation of the poem. The lyrics also contain the abstract style we tend to apply to our songs abstract lyrics. I like abstract lyrics because it creates a wider meaning in my opinion. Being explicit – although sometimes useful – provides a far narrower accessibility to tracks. I love a song that I can interpret anyway I like. And that’s how our lyrics take the abstract approach.

5. Andy Miller’s production at Gargleblast Studios gives the EP both thunder and atmosphere. How important is the producer’s role in shaping The Red Lite District sound, and how did Andy help translate your vision for Life Won’t Wait?
Andy’s role is extremely important. He is an excellent producer and has worked with us for just under 10 years so he knows exactly what we want and how we want things to sound. He understands our personality’s. He understands the band dynamics and he also understands the music we are influenced by. Having said all that, Andy isn’t afraid to bring his own opinions to the recording process.  He can offer a different view to ours. He can often bring a post-punk style that we quite like. He’s also very happy to explore sounds and options. We love working with Andy.

6. Your final single “We Are All Working Class Now” plays with political satire and oi-punk spirit. Do you see humor as a weapon in punk music today? And what message do you want listeners to take from this EP as a whole?
Yes, punk music in our opinion is the only type of music that isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Punk music has always been about challenging convention, challenging thoughts, challenging politics, challenging society. That’s what it is and it should never stop, whether it’s used in a humorous way or whether it’s used in a serious way or any other way for that matter, punk music and punk lyrics are vital. The message we’d like people to take away from the EP as a whole is one of opportunity and chance to change either their own life or positively change the lives of others. As the title suggests: life won’t wait.

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