A Chat with Social Norms (05.07.18)

We all adhere to social norms, or at least we think we do to some extent; but did you know social norms can adhere to you?  What I mean is you can listen to a band called Social Norms according to your schedule.  Hey, it makes sense to us… sort of.  Taking a moment, Joseph from Social Norms answers some questions on how they chose their band name, who he would switch lives with for a day, and his songwriting process.

OSR:  Hi Joseph, thanks for speaking with us.  My first question has to do with your band name, why did you choose the term ‘social norms’?

SN:  I feel like I don’t fit in very well in social situations.  One time a person asked me if I was autistic.  I was sort of offended at the time, this was years ago, but now I laugh about it because I do come off as weird to some people.  I have had social and general anxiety since my junior year of high school, so I felt the name Social Norms was an ironic description of both myself and the songs.  My songs are stories about times when I broke social norms.  The name is supposed to add to the overall sense of childish humour that the project hopefully conveys.

OSR:  Were you always interested in music or was playing music something that just happened at some point in your life?

SN:  My older brothers both played in bands during the nineties; one was punk, and the other was grunge.   My best friend and I would watch their band practices and emulate them.  For us, my older brothers and their friends acted as a reference group for what we felt was cool.  At the same time, we were listening to a lot of Blink 182 and other punk bands from the nineties era (Green Day, MXPX, etc.).  My passion for music grew from a seed planted during these years, and it was around the age of twelve that I wrote my first songs.  I’m glad I started writing early because my first song lyrics were extremely cringy; looking back I still laugh about them.

OSR:  If you weren’t a musician, what career would you choose and why?

SN:  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I haven’t found a way to make music a career.  However, even if I did find a way, I’m not sure if I would ever want to make music my job.  I’m concerned that it would put too much pressure on the songwriting, and I’m not sure how feasible it would be economically.  So, right now, I’m a graduate student.

OSR:  You recently released an album called Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life and Her New Boyfriend Andrew.  Is it really about the love of your life?

SN:  Most of us have the ‘one that got away’ in our memory.  I would consider the ‘love of my life’ that for me, at least for this era of my life.  It’s been a couple of years since she and I dated, and it’s likely time for me to move forward.  Sometimes I find music glues me to a certain time, for better or for worse.  When I hear songs like ‘Next To You’ it’s hard for me not to travel back and think of her, but I do need to move on with my life.

OSR:  What is your songwriting process and how did you enjoy recording the album mentioned above?

SN:  My songwriting process begins in my head.  I usually hear a melody and the words come directly from an experience in my life, or something I think is funny.  I then sit down, usually with my keyboard or guitar, and find the bass notes for the melody.  I sing the melody a capella and record this with a simple voice recorder.  Once I have the basic idea for the song, I record a more elaborate demo incorporating other ideas; then we build on that demo in a studio setting.

OSR:  How important, do you believe, are real-life experiences in songwriting?

SN:  Everyone is different, but for Social Norms, real-life experiences are essential.  I wanted to write from an honest and comical perspective, and we wanted to capture a genuine heart and emotion.  I think that’s really difficult to fake, though it’s theoretically possible.  For me, this all was very real and, hopefully, that makes this album special.

OSR:  What do you think is the most difficult part of being a new musician?

SN:  It’s difficult to make something good from nothing.  In the studio, you are essentially starting with a blank canvas and the ultimate goal of creating a genuinely good song.  It’s easier said than done to go from nothing to excellent.  It took a lot of work, expertise and stress, especially considering we made the album independently without the support of any big name record companies.  Sometimes, part-way through a song, I would get nervous that I was wasting everyone’s time on an idea that was in my head.  I thought it was a cool idea, but you begin to question yourself, there is a fear that you’ll end up with a piece of crap in the end.  It’s the risk you take.

OSR:  If I were to speak with the people who know you best, how would they describe you?

SN:  I‘m not entirely sure.  In some ways, I’m afraid of what they’d say.  I think they would describe me as sensitive, kind, funny and maybe weird.  I asked my best friend this question, and he says ‘hardworking and thoughtful’.

OSR:  If you could record an album with any musician, who would it be and why?

SN:  Tom Delonge of Blink 182.  He unknowingly taught me how to write songs.  If I am any good as a musician and songwriter, I would attribute those talents to God and Tom Delonge.

OSR:  If you could swap lives with a person for one day, who would that person be and why?

SN:  Even though no-one would believe me afterwards, and I would likely be banished and may be committed to a psychiatric hospital; I would choose Moses.  A part of me says, ‘you should choose a celebrity and go to a cool party or something’; but realistically, that’s probably a waste of time.  I think it would be much more meaningful to be Moses for a day.

OSR:  Finally, have you ever been in a talent show and if yes, how did it go?

SN:  I auditioned for several, but we didn’t make it.  After a couple of years of trying, I lost interest, and by high school, I didn’t even audition for them.  I guess I just lost interest due to the rejection, but I remember watching the talent shows and seeing the bands play, wishing so much that I could be up there; that’s how I knew music was a passion of mine.  I felt this burning in my stomach when I saw other people playing, or maybe I just needed to use the restroom.

Thanks to Joseph for chatting with us.  To enjoy more of Social Norms’ awesomeness, you can engage with them via their Bandcamp.