Justin Benlolo from BRKN LOVE talks about the band, the new album and sharing the stage with Ace Frehley

Toronto is a great city with great people and a baseball team that has some ups and downs. Next to all that, the Canadian metropole has also a vibrant music scene. Anvil and the great Rush, they all call Toronto, Ontario their home. Another band from the is BRKN Love with its founder Justin Benlolo.

The band isn’t that much known in Europe and the UK. Therefore Markus’ Heavy Music Blog reached out to Justin Benlolo to get some more insights when it comes to BRKN Love and their newest album “The Program”.

Markus’ Heavy Music Blog: Justin, thanks for spending some time with MHMB. Before talking about “The Program” let’s have look on the band name. BRKN LOVE is a rather unusual band name and what I understood it is the based on some of your favorite albums and songs. Is that correct and which songs/albums are the ones that led to BRKN LOVE?

Justin Benlolo: Yes, I would agree that it is an unusual name. If I could go back now, I probably would’ve spelled it out correctly instead of the way we do it now. But we have committed to it now! The name came from a list of songs and albums I was mix and matching on a piece of paper. I took the BRKN from the “broken” EP by Nine Inch Nails, and I took the LOVE from “Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots.

MHMB: Justin, you are originally from Toronto, Canada but moved to L.A. and then New York. Was it because the preconditions for starting a rock band were better in California and the Big Apple? And are you in the meantime back in Toronto?

J.B.: As a musician growing up in Canada, I was always told that if you made it in the USA, you would make it everywhere. I got the idea in my brain early that I didn’t want to be pigeonholed into just being a Canadian artist. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but my dreams of international stardom and success drove me to think of it this way. As many Canadians have seen, there are plenty of bands that are hugely popular here but nobody knows outside of the country, and while that is a shame, I understand that our global outreach is not the same as the USA.

I am back in Toronto now, as it will always feel like home to me. Especially now that I’ve gotten all the building blocks in place for the band to succeed, there’s no need for me to be away from home anymore and I truly love it here.

MHMB: “The Program” is the title of the third album. Tell us a little bit about the new album. How did you approach it and has the title a deeper meaning?

J.B.: I approached the new record with a completely open mind about what we were “supposed” to sound like. Previously, I had put parameters on how far we could take the music, but this this time, I tried to let go of all of that and make the music I wanted to make. I deliberately listened to everything but rock music when we were writing it. I mostly focused on funk, disco and RnB. I hope some of those influences come through to any listeners who decide to give it the time of day. It feels like this is the record I’ve always wanted to make.

I had spent a significant amount of time in Charleston, South Carolina when I was writing the bulk of the album. My best friend and I had met a group of friends when we were there and decided to call our friend group, “The Program.” We had kept throwing around that phrase, “the program,” as a way of describing a way of life. An example would be, “ let’s go this bar tonight because it’s good for the program,” or “don’t talk to him because it’s bad for the program.” This led us to call our friend group the aforementioned name and seemed like a fitting title for the record at that point.

Photo: Tommy Krause

MHMB: How would you describe the development as a band from “Black Box“ to “The Program“?

J.B.: Like I said, we are much older and wiser now. Our tastes have changed. When we were doing “Black Box”, it felt like we were essentially polishing off a better version of the first album. It was like we were completing the initial vision.

Now that we are on the third album, it feels like we had to make a conscious choice to do something a little different. There’s this famous story about how bands either make it or break it on their third album, and I believe a lot of that has to do with them running out of ideas or trying to get a bit more ambitious. I would like to believe we achieved the latter but ultimately that is up to the people’s discretion.

MHMB: “The Program” sounds raw and organic. I had the feeling of listening to a ‘live’ studio recording. Am I wrong?

J.B.: You are sort of correct. We didn’t track it fully live off the floor, but it was captured in a way to give off that feeling. Even though we did everything separately, we still put a lot of emphasis on full takes and performances instead of relying on copy and pasting everything. The nature of the sound is also very raw. There is minimal processing being done to the audio and practically us all analogue gear. There is not much time fixing or drum sampling, and there is no pitch correction on the record. This is all done intentionally to make it sound like a real live rock band.

MHMB: When I listened to “The Program” I had to think of bands like The White Stripes and my question is where you draw your inspiration from?

J.B.: Absolutely. We love The White Stripes. I definitely had them in mind especially when we were doing our song “Pulling Leeches.” Besides them, I am drawn to more raw and organic rock bands such as, Royal Blood, Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden and Led Zeppelin to name a few. A lot of our sound pulls from those influences and the way their records sound.

MHMB: “Pulling Leeches” is the lead single for the album and it is a great song. It is a dark and gritty one. So why did you choose this one being the lead single?

J.B.: To be honest, our record label chose that song. It’s almost impossible for me to pick the single. It’s like asking me to pick a favourite child. I think if the choice was mine, nothing would get released or I would choose to work every song as a single! You never know what song is “the one” and that’s one of the fun parts of getting to the release scheduling. I usually just let everyone else decide for me but I understand why they would pick that song. It feels like a classic BRKN LOVE song.

MHMB: You and the band recently played a show with the legendary Ace Frehley. Tell us bit about that experience.

J.B.: That was an awesome time. Ace Frehley is my first guitar hero. I literally picked up the guitar because of him. I never thought I would ever share the stage with a KISS legend but here we are, and I am extremely grateful for the experience.

MHMB: Did you play already some new songs and if yes, how was the fan reaction?

J.B.: Yes! We have been playing “Pulling Leeches” and “20/20 Vision” for a few months now and the response has been great. I think part of the reason the label picked those songs as singles is because of the reaction we had been getting from them live.

MHMB: Talking about live shows. If I see it correctly you guys didn’t cross the pond yet for some shows in Europe. So, are there plans when it comes to a European / UK tour?

J.B.: Unfortunately, the band has never done any touring of EU/UK yet. It is absolutely something we want to do ASAP. It has always been a dream of ours but hasn’t quite been in the cards yet. I’m hoping on this album cycle we finally get the chance to get over there.

MHMB: Beyond the touring activities, what are the plans you have with the band or is it more like enjoying the moment and see what the future will bring?

J.B.: We are just taking it day by day and going with the flow. You never know what life is going to throw at us and we are standing by, ready to go whenever. I’m sure in a few months from now, we will be so busy that we have no free time at all, but until then, we are just taking it easy.

MHMB: Justin, is there anything else you want to share with the readers and the fans in Europe?

J.B.: I really just want to say thank you for listening to the band and sticking with us through all these years. It really means the world to us. If you are a new listener, than I also appreciate you taking time to discover our music and letting us into your hearts and minds. Please keep supporting us in any way you can and we will see you as soon as possible! Thank you thank you thank you.

MHMB: Justin, thank you very much for taking some time for MHMB and I hope to see you and the band soon in Europe.

Front cover photo: Tommy Krause