Live Wire

Four of you sounded extremely tight when put together. How did Greg Hill’s (guitarist) leaving impact you?

It broke my heart,but he’s doing well; we keep in touch. I figured that finding another guitarist was going to be really difficult. Todd was a friend and is very talented.

Wasn’t Armistice (the second album) extremely intense and tough on you?

The theme for the record was self-doubt. It was a lot of over-thinking and over-analysing,making the recording really complex,expensive and stressful. We even choked out on inspiration. Spotlight being featured in Twilight was what helped us stay afloat for a while but it remains an experience I do not intend to repeat.

For a long time,as a Christian band,you wrote about faith and God. Looking at your music now,it’s certainly not Christian. Tell us about that transition.

I’ll speak only for myself and not my bandmates. But we all agree on a lot of important things. I was not just raised in a church,but the church was my life. It was where I found my identity,where I found out that I was a drummer,and where I had various experiences that I still am confused about how real they felt,at 31. I’m at a place where I enjoy the discussion and the search,but I am particularly disillusioned with the church. When you’re writing songs,it’s your view of the world. Our first record was full of hope and faith. Second was disillusioned as we were taking ourselves very seriously. A lot happened between the second and the third album. I’m sure that with the fourth,we’ll be able to describe that feeling of optimism despite feeling disappointed.

Tell us about the project that you are working on.

We are paying special attention to the theme. We were raised in a culture that focused on the message. We’re at that place in our lives right now where we’re fathers and losing other family members and friends. That’s lyrically what we’re occupied with. In terms of sound,we’re attempting more futuristic sounds.

You are touring many countries now and as for India,most people may just be “discovering Mutemath”. What do you thing India has in store for you?

I can’t wait to be in India,I’ve got friends who have brought back tablas. I think we’re going to travel around and be tourists. As for the music,we always try to make a pretty broad set that covers all three albums. It’s going to be really fun.

Mutemath will play at Bacardi NH7 Weekender on December 1,at Buddh International Circuit,Greater Noida. They will play on December 3 at Blue Frog,Mumbai