You Never Know Who’s Watching

Photographs By Rick Perez

Los Angeles band Grave Secrets open up about writing from the heart, having a nostalgic sound, and the importance of having fun doing what you love.

Los Angeles, USA

How did you begin your journey as a band?

We all met a few years ago, but decided to give it a real shot when we formed Grave Secrets in 2021. We all have a heavy background in music, shows & specifically the hardcore scene in LA.

What are some things you learned along the way?

Write from the heart, even if it isn’t what’s “popular”. Treat every show the same, you never know who’s watching.

How did you develop your sound? What makes you stand out from other bands?

This is an interesting question. Our sound is a culmination of our favorite music through the years. We genuinely feel that we have a pretty nostalgic sound, always aiming to evoke emotion from whoever’s listening. And we can go from crazy/fun shit, to heavier/slower stuff from song to song. I think that’s unique.

What are some highlights from your journey as a band?

Honorable mention to Death Lens is in line here. They put us on a show in late 2022 that really helped get the right eyes on us, which led to Unquiet managing us. They landed us our first record deal with Wiretap Records within a few weeks of bringing us onto their team.

But all of this wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for Alex Estrada putting so much passion and time into our music. Specifically “Love Songs”, which is what I think caught Death Lens’ ears initially.

What have been some struggles?

We’ve had to play some pretty terrible shows. One time, we played to absolutely nobody but one, single, hammered, old dude that was dancing around to our shit. Pretty sure he just stumbled into the venue. It was pretty bad, but we made the best of it.

Also, feeling these little plateau’s along the way. Some days it feels like we’re making so much progress and other days it doesn’t. Just pushing through that and having fun is key.

You are gearing up to release a new single, "Mood ring". What is this song about? How is it different from your previous singles?

It’ll be out in June. From a technical standpoint, it has a dope time signature, heavy feel, emotional feel, and fun feel all in one. I think y’all are gonna fuck with it.

We're excited for you to play at the 'Scenes from the Pit' show. What can we expect from your live performance?

Expect an energetic set! We’re playing all the fun shit.

For each member, if you can tell your 10 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Vinny: Focus more on having fun and doing what you love. You have the rest of your adult life to be old. Be young and enjoy it.

Kevin Castañeda: I would say all the losses you took are to make you better for what’s to come.

Other than the new single, what next for Grave Secrets?

2 Albums on the way, we have a big catalogue of unreleased stuff. Music videos on the way. Crazy shows on the way. Dope merch (we’ve commissioned on of the greats, designs currently being made).