“We are strongly considering changing our name to Pressed Jeans”: Best Fit speaks to Pissed Jeans

The excellently named Matt Korvette, singer/shouter with the – let’s not be coy, here – really truly utterly brilliant Pennsylvania punks Pissed Jeans, was recently kind enough to take time out from abusing his vocal chords and tending to his young children to answer a few questions, ranging from their superb new album Honeys to the perils of having a rude name and why, in all honesty, they’re really “not dicks”. Promise.

First of all, congratulations on a fantastic fourth album – both in the sense that it’s a really great record, and also because it’s far from a guarantee that bands get to make a fourth album these days. Is the idea of having a long career doing this compatible with being in a band like Pissed Jeans?

Matt Korvette: Thank you kindly! I agree, not a whole lot of bands make it to four albums, and I’m kind of surprised that we did. If there’s anyone responsible besides ourselves, it’s gotta be Sub Pop – I don’t think we’d still be trudging along without their support. Or is that Sub-port?

It’s been four years since your last record, which is double the amount of time it usually takes you. What was keeping you busy?

MK: Well, we are never in any sort of rush to keep up with industry standards or what not, and it just took us a while to come up with enough new songs that we felt were all strong enough. And we also did a 7” single a few years ago. Plus, we all had kids, which can make taking a shower or eating a bowl of cereal difficult, let alone having hours of productive band practice.

Lyrically, are there any particular themes running through the record, and if so, why were these playing on your mind when you were writing?

MK: I’d say the themes on this record are mostly about getting older, love and relationships, that sort of thing. Although there are songs that certainly don’t fit that theme, and there are songs on other records that do fit it. Really, I just try to come up with topics that are on my mind and I feel are worth singing about, be as honest about them as I can, and hope that people can relate.

Can you tell us a bit about the choice of title? Why Honeys?

MK: It has a few different meanings to me personally, but I feel like we have become sweeter, more caring individuals in the past year or so, and it’s a sweet counterpoint to what is some pretty raw music at times.

The Honeys artwork seems to reference the fable of the tortoise and the hare, but in a way that’s been twisted a little… can you offer any insight?

MK: That’s an interesting take! I was approaching it as, here’s a man who loves his turtle, has a horribly unfortunate accident, and the turtle offers no support, just kinda wanders off. Sort of a take on unrequited love, maybe.

Watching you guys live is always pretty exhilarating – it sounds really muscular but also like it could fall apart under its own weight at any minute. How do you make sure you strike the right balance between being involved in the moment, and keeping things together?

MK: As the lead singer of Pissed Jeans, keeping things together is thankfully not my concern. I have tried my hand at playing musical instruments, but it’s really hard. My main intent is to just allow myself a release, and have fun, and do my best to entertain the crowd. They are paying to see us play, not listen to a record, so I want to make it worth their while if at all possible. I appreciate you saying that I look muscular, though – I have to agree.

I showed someone a picture of you all after having played them your record, and they were amazed at how prim and proper you all looked. What’s the most common misconception about Pissed Jeans?

MK: I think you nailed it. People tend to think that because of our music, we are mutated backwoods freaks, in and out of jail for petty crimes and general thuggery. But that’s not us at all. We are probably better people, when it comes down to it, than most boring and proper-sounding indie-rock bands. We are really not dicks, I don’t think.

Joe Strummer thought that punk rock was a young person’s game. Can you ever be too old for it?

MK: That’s a good question. In one of my earliest bands, I actually wrote a song calling for removal of all people over 30 from the punk scene, but now here I am past that mark and still doing the same crap I did when I was 18. I think punk can apply to any age, you just have to see what it can do for you.

Your band name is one of my favourites. But has it ever presented any problems in the past near-decade, anywhere in the world? No regrets… right?

MK: I’m glad you enjoy it, but I do regret it. It’s a pretty foul name, and I didn’t intend to be so rude, right off the bat. Plus, it’s embarrassing to admit the name to random border crossing-guards and parents and other random adults. We are strongly considering changing our name to Pressed Jeans.

You guys are from Pensylvannia. My parents lived there for a year in the Eighties. They told me never to bother visiting. What are they talking about?

MK: We get asked about Pennsylvania a lot, and I can’t figure out why. I feel like it’s about as plain and generic of an American state as there could be – we’ve got farms, cities, ghettos and mansions, idiots and geniuses. I don’t mind it here, but I also have no qualms if no one ever visits.

Honeys will be released on 25 February via Sub Pop Records.