Artist Advent Day 26: The Drawn Out

Written by: Keyali Mikaela

Day 26 of Next Wave's Artist Advent Calendar brings you an intimate glimpse into the creative world of The Drawn Out, a band whose journey is as compelling as their music. Hailing from a musical upbringing with parents possessing impeccable taste, siblings Cassidy and Mackenzie found inspiration early on, fueled by their father's stories of his old band and the transformative sounds of Nirvana.

In this exclusive interview, The Drawn Out shares their influences, the challenges of breaking into the music industry, and their organic growth through live shows and social media platforms. Dive into their musical universe as they discuss the impact of technology, their long-term aspirations, and memorable moments from their remarkable journey.

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Next Wave: What inspired you to pursue music?

My sister Cassidy and I have the coolest parents you will ever meet with impeccable music taste. My dad would show us pictures of his old band while playing us Nirvana and I remember thinking “I wanna do that one day!” He and my mom really inspired us at an early age and once we learned how to play a couple of chords on the guitar it was something that naturally kind of came out of the two of us. Once we found our own writing style and sound it was something we HAD to pursue!

Next Wave: Who are your musical influences or role models?

Everyone in our band would agree that the Manchester Orchestra inspires us the most musically. From their lyrics, guitar tones, and stage presence we appreciate them so much! Paramore And As Cities Burn are two other bands that have helped shape us into the band we are today by their lyric writing and Hayley William’s amazing voice.

Next Wave: What's the most challenging aspect of breaking into the music industry?

Trying to navigate TikTok algorithms, Spotify playlists, and every other social media platform is like having a full time job! It has been a challenge to figure out how to juggle all of that all while writing and making the best music we can! It is definitely a lot to keep track of but we are learning and growing and thankful for all the support!

Next Wave: How do you go about promoting your music and building your fanbase?

We have grown very organically from mostly playing live shows, radio, or word of mouth. Lately we have dove into TikTok and finding our audience through the specific algorithm it has, which has been a learning curve but very helpful!

Next Wave: How has technology and the internet impacted your music career?

Overall I think the internet and social media have really helped us. It is hard when your attention has to be split and so much energy needs to be put into your social media presence, however it would be much harder to grow these days without it!

Next Wave: Do you have any advice for other up-and-coming musicians trying to make it in the industry?

Our best advice would be when forming a band, know your band mate’s strengths and weaknesses. Stick to the area that you excel in the most and put your energy into that. Your band mates will be excellent in different areas and together you can make a great team!

Next Wave: What are your long-term goals and aspirations?

We would love to keep growing and finding our audience of kids who grew up in the emo scene that still have elite music taste. 😉 We want to continue to be honest and true and make songs that we genuinely love listening to. Being the band that you turn to when you are in your feels and need something good to listen to-that’s our vibe.

Next Wave: Can you share a memorable moment from your musical journey so far?

When we first started playing music it was just me and my sister Cassidy. We entered a Battle Of The Bands, ended up winning, and got to play at Red Rocks Amphitheater here in Morrison, CO!! We got to open the night up for “Movies On The Rocks” and it was one of the most special moments in our lives! We hope we get to play there again someday with our whole band!!

Next Wave: Can you share a little about your creative process and how you come up with new ideas for songs?

Every song of ours starts out with Mackenzie on her acoustic guitar writing in her bedroom. She pulls from many Biblical stories, her own personal story, and how life is more than we think it is. She writes the skeleton of every song, then brings it to the rest of the band and everyone else fills in their part to eventually make the song have a full body.

Next Wave: What song, ep or album of yours would you recommend to someone who is listening to your music for the first time?

We just released our final song of the year “Grave Clothes”. It is a song that encompasses our band to our core. Written from a personal story, it will have you singing, head-banging, and maybe crying. Check it out!