The State of Being Other or Different

Photographs By Rick Perez

Southern California band Integra Pink opens up about the music scene in the Inland Empire, their brotherhood, and internalizing what makes you different in their single, “As You Feel”.

Southern California, USA

What is the story behind the band?

The idea of Integra Pink was created in 2020 during the lockdown after months of nothing really going on. As soon as things started getting back to normal, we knew it was time to get back out there but we also felt that we were given an opportunity to start new so after a few meetings and practices we all decided that it was time for a hard reset with our image and sound - thus, Integra Pink was born. - [Bardo]

What have you guys learned during your journey as a band?

We've learned a ton about the field we're in, especially in our first full year as Integra Pink. We've learned how to make a show run smoothly from the time you load in until the time you come off stage. We've learned from our peers in other bands that have been kind enough to not only share the stage with us but also share their insight about various things in the scene across the board and we've also made great relationships with a ton of those talented musicians as well. But most importantly we've all learned a lot about each other. Like any kind of relationship there needs to be a mutual understanding of goals, concerns, trust. etc. and all of us have grown a lot in discovering those types of things among each other and in ourselves. But even with all of that said we still have way more to learn since the journey isn't anywhere near over yet. - [Nick]

What makes Integra Pink unique and different?

What makes Integra Pink unique and different is the sound created by the band, the live performance, stage presence, and the bond we all share as brothers. Of course every band has their bond but the one we share is a brotherhood that we each hold very closely and it translates into our music on stage, off stage, throughout social media, etc. - [Andre]

You recently released your single, "As You Feel". What is this song about?

This song kind of deals with alterity and how that can be internalized. Some of the questions are asked just to bring that issue into light because I think that kind of thing can be ingrained in us and we don't realize it. Towards the end of the song the questions become more intrapersonal and ask the listener to regulate that internalization. The line where the title comes from, "Do you swing as hard as you feel?" basically asks if you're willing to fight for the things you feel strongly about. - [Leo]

How does it stand out from your other singles?

I think sonically it's on the darker side compared to our other singles. We took some inspiration from places we normally don't tap into and I think the end result got us somewhere we usually don't end up. It would have been pretty easy to make this song fit with our others like “SMACK” or “Let Go”. And when we play it live it still gels in the setlist, but there was a conscious effort to record it and produce it in a way that wouldn't make it just another Integra Pink song. And that's something that I want to do for every song. - [Leo]

How does it represent your growth as a band?

I think it shows our efforts to not do the obvious or what's expected from us. At its core, songwriting-wise, it has the fingerprints of artists that have always influenced me like the Clash or the Ventures. But aesthetically I wanted us to do something out of our comfort zone. We're not a dark wave band but we listen to it so why not try it out? And that's pretty much the ethos of Integra Pink. I think a lot of bands fall into a routine and stay there - we were guilty of that. We had a band before Integra Pink and at some point I think people started to know what they could expect from us and I got pretty tired of that. So this time around with a new band, I want to flex all the muscles that we haven't been and do whatever we want. I wanted to be a mixtape band where each song sounds like it was curated by someone with an eclectic taste and burned onto a CD for them to skate to or something. - [Leo]

You are based in the Inland Empire of Southern California. What is the music scene like? What makes it special?

The music scene in the Inland Empire is a special one. The I.E. is full of amazing artists who are also amazing people. The talent that breathes within is remarkable and it's unfortunate how overlooked the scene is out here. These artists continue to inspire us and we are very lucky to build life-long friendships with some of the people we've met along our journey. What really makes the scene so special are the passionate and driven artists that are out here. Collectives, such as Inland Live, Frowny Face, and Middle Class Productions are out here creating amazing and supportive events that do so much for these artists and our community. Everything they do to help support and build this community up is something truly special. - [Andre]

Which bands from the inland empire should we check out?

There's just so much talent out here in the I.E. that it's an impossible task to only list out a few bands. We've had the privilege of performing with a ton of amazing artists throughout the years but we'd be remiss if we didn't give a shout out and recommend our friends from Snare Noise, LuzViminda, Velvet Lune and Jaqobin; very talented and genuine people in their own respective way. [Bardo]

If you could open for any band in any city in the world, which band and which city would you pick?

As we continue to grow more with experience and hopefully popularity, fingers crossed, we hope to have more opportunities to perform alongside bigger artists such as SadGirl, the Garden, White Reaper, Wavves or even Turnstile and play on the biggest and most legendary stages like the Red Rocks or Glastonbury. We always want to be progressing, never looking backwards and that sometimes means having to think big so although these artists and venues may sound like a long shot, it's never impossible. [Bardo]

What's next for Integra Pink?

Definitely releasing more music and playing more shows which I think anyone could have guessed. But aside from the obvious, we plan on a tour of some sort, new merch, music videos and tons more but we'll keep all of that a surprise. We also have hopes of building on everything we've accomplished so far and strengthening it all by continuing what we're doing and improving it any way we can or should. Because we hope that all of the IP family continues to grow and what we're doing keeps on resonating with everyone that has supported us so far; that's one of the biggest reasons we're excited to work towards that future and we hope all of those people are just as excited as we are to see what it holds. - [Nick]