hello, and thank you for the interview.

(BV): Hey! Thanks for having us. 

Broken Vow is a band with a strong message. as you are all on the younger side of things, like many people in hardcore now, a lot of people find your themes and imagery relatable when it comes to enviornmentalism and the conditions that our world is declining into. where do you draw inspiration from when it comes to writing? with songs like "no more air" is there anything you would like to share with your lyricism? 

(BV): When i'm writing lyrics for BV i try to draw equal amounts from the information i'm taking in and the visceral reaction I have to the things i'm writing about. That information could be scientific, philosophical, or artistic. I'm a geography student and a lot of ideas on the record have been absorbed through my studies, such as the term "absolute massive death" and the statistic of wild nature loss for which "1.5" is named. Bands like Undying, Earth Crisis, Verse, and Tragedgy inspire me lyriclaly. Authors I look to for inspiration include Daniel Quinn, Peter Singer, Gary Snyder, Aldo Leopold, and Albert Camus. 

We see that Broken Vow has a run of West coast shows coming up, and you have been touring for a good amount of time now. How does it feel being able to play and spread your message to so many new people and places? Are there any bands that you particularly enjot touring with or have gotten to play with? 

(BV): Touring with the band recently has been really rewarding and we've just been having such a good time on the road as friends that it's hard to see many downsides. I love when people come up to the table after the show and are stoked on the content of the lyrics or general message of the band and are open to having longer form conversations about the issues we talk about. I have enjoyed the company of every band we've toured with but I think particularly fondly of Excide, Take It To Heart, and Torena. Excited to hit the West coast with Anklebiter and Abstain as well as the Midwest with Sign Language, Montclair, Rejoice, and Divine Right. 

"Anthropocene" has now been out for almost a year, and people seem to be really enjoying it. Can you share any plans you have when it comes to writing or touring?

(BV): I appreciate that! Hopefully we'll get cracking on some new material sooner or later and keep playing whenever we can. 

Over the last few years there seems to have been a big resurgence of the 90's and 2000's metallic hardcore sound. With this, it also seems that in the younger generation, many more people are claiming straight edge, and we are seeing a lot of vegan straight edge as well. The scene seems to be shifting towards a more conscious and ethically thinking mindset, and challenging oppresion. Given Broken Vow's stance and message, do you have any thoughts or ideas to share on this?

(BV): That sound is my personal favorite in the sphere of hardcore and metal and it's really cool to be around to see a resurgnece in not only the stylistic elements of that movement but also the moral and ethical hallmarks. I would say that in my view hardcore as a movement and subculture is incomplete without the alteration of one's lifestyle towards a more culpable, compassionate and moral goal. I hope that the young people who are being exposed to these ideas take them to heart and find more meaning than just an aesthetic, personality, or social strata in the vegan and straight edge philosophies. 

New England hardcore seems to be the place to be right now. With so many good bands coming out of the Ephyra records camp, and so many awesome shows, how does it feel to be able to share such a young and diverse scene? Are there any bands you think more people should put more time into?

(BV): New England is, in my extremely biased opinion, the natural home of hardcore and metalcore music. The state of our scene right now heavily reinforces my bias. I think a lot of great bands are coming out of the area and getting their shine deservedly. Our friends in Anklebiter deserve a lot of attention and bands like Jackal, Gumskab, Target Scammers, and Utility are holding it down big time in their local scenes while also making incredible music. 

Thank you for your time to answer these questions. Lastly, is there anything you would like to add before we conclude?

(BV): The world will be changed by people with changed minds, not people with new programs. The single most effective way to live a more compassionate, spiritually sound, and physically healthy life is to reject the consumption of products made using the body or byproducts of animals without their consent. Real Ishmael.