Interview: New Orleans Natives Neutral Snap Unleash an Addictive Pop-Punk Aura with "Danny ACOG"

From their Louisiana roots to festival stages, Neutral Snap are igniting the pop-punk scene with pure passion and nostalgia – a fiery spirit on full display in their explosive new single, “Danny ACOG.”

Stream: “Danny ACOG” – Neutral Snap

Originating from New Orleans, Louisiana, Neutral Snap is a pop-punk force lighting up the Southeast and beyond.

Their sound explodes with chaotic fun, delivering catchy hooks, eruptive riffs, and nostalgic breakdowns that ripple out from Louisiana to everywhere they play. Their latest single, “Danny ACOG,” is a classic tale of unrequited desire wrapped in a high-voltage pop-rock anthem. With punchy rhythms and gritty yet melodic vocals, the piece strikes the perfect balance between emotional turbulence and childlike hope.

I Hardly Know Her - Neutral Snap — Neutral Snap’s ‘I Hardly Know Her’ EP is out August 8th

Active for nine-plus years, the feisty four-piece consists of J.P. Brown (guitar), Joshua Latham (vocals), Dominick Conforte (bass), and P.J. Huesmann (drums). The group’s spunky songs like “Butterscotch” and “Yellow Suitcase” have truly seduced fans. “Danny ACOG” is another infectious, full-throttle creation. The band has achieved nearly 5 million streams and is set to perform at the upcoming Pop Punk’s Not Dead Festival.

The visuals for “Danny ACOG” pulse with the same vibrant vigor as the song itself. The music video displays shots of Neutral Snap performing, interwoven with an elderly gentleman connecting to their sound. There’s something so powerful about bridging the gap between an older generation and today’s youth.

The band’s upcoming EP, I Hardly Know Her, perfectly channels the genuine spirit of pop punk, infused with added energy and polished production. This release marks Neutral Snap’s first collaboration with other artists, featuring songwriting contributions from Tom Denney (A Day to Remember), Fred Mascherino (Taking Back Sunday and Say Anything), and more.

I Hardly Know Her offers a fresh spin on a revitalized genre that instantly captivates and charms. Atwood Magazine recently spoke with Neutral Snap’s J.P. Brown about their new single and video, creative collabs, and much more!

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:: stream/purchase Danny ACOG here ::

:: connect with Neutral Snap here ::

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A CONVERSATION WITH NEUTRAL SNAP

I dig the name Neutral Snap. What is the meaning behind that group name?

J.P. Brown: This is a great story actually. Our singer Josh worked his way up to an Eagle Scout throughout high school. When he was taking the automotive maintenance merit badge class (ca. 2009 or so), the instructor was explaining how if you rev up an automatic car in Neutral to around 7-8k rpms and then shift into drive, the gear heads “snap” creating what is called a Neutral Snap. YEARS later (maybe 2017), after digging online, we found out that his instructor actually misspoke – the correct term is a “Neutral Drop”, oops.

“Danny ACOG” has been described as a timeless story of unrequited lust. Can you talk about the inspiration behind the lyrics?

Brown: Unrequited Lust sounds like a dope hardcore band! The song takes you through a situationship that’s basically on its last leg. The inspiration came from personal experiences, and working with Tom really helped bring those feelings to life!

What was it like co-writing this track with Tom Denney, especially considering his work with A Day To Remember?

Brown: Tom Denney is one of the nicest human beings on the planet! We had a blast hanging out with him in his home studio. He was really receptive to each of our contributions to the song and helped coach us to find the best movements for the song. We also were kind of freaking out looking at the gold records on the wall of albums that we grew up listening to.

How do you approach blending emotional vulnerability with the high-energy sound of pop-punk?

Brown: I’ve grown up listening to high-energy pop punk with incredibly vulnerable lyrics, so when I started writing music it was easier than I thought to emulate that. We’ve made our living on the road playing high-energy shows, so bringing that energy into our writing was super seamless.

The music video features live performance footage of the band, intercut with scenes of an older man enthusiastically rocking out at home. What was the inspiration behind this concept?

Brown: We thought that since it’s the first music we are releasing in a few years, we really should pay homage to the place that kickstarted our career – Fred’s Bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A lifetime ago, all of the members of NS attended LSU for college, and we played our first show at Fred’s in September of 2014. Much to our surprise, Shaquille O’Neal showed up to our show and even got on stage with us to sing a song. After that, we have consistently been playing at Fred’s for over the past decade. It really has been a home for us. The scenes of gramps rocking comes from our homie Mackenzie Andrews. She took all the film content she got of us over the years and mashed it up into an energetic masterpiece. She also asked us for some creative freedom to make the subplot with her grandpa about him reminiscing of when he used to play in a band years ago. The nostalgia factor definitely hit all of us in the feels when we saw it and we immediately fell in love.

How did Neutral Snap come together in New Orleans, and what about the local music scene influenced your sound?

Brown: Neutral Snap was started by myself (JP) and our now singer (Josh). Josh was the first friend I made in high school, and we quickly learned we were both musically inclined. I still have the original footage of our first band practice on my iPod nano Gen 4 of us playing in my parent’s garage. The local music scene influenced not so much our sound but our musicianship. Being from New Orleans, we are surrounded by hard working and talented musicians. This led to us really dedicating ourselves to mastering our craft and being able to understand the music that we love.

What bands or artists inspired the nostalgic pop punk style you bring to your music?

Brown: We have a ton of influences, but if I had to boil it down to the top 5 bands that influenced us I would have to say Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Neck Deep, The Story So Far, and Green Day.

“Danny ACOG” is a track from the EP I Hardly Know Her, which captures a nostalgic pop punk vibe with polished production and high-energy. How do you approach blending classic influences with modern production techniques in your music?

Brown: I think that a lot of what we do to create that blend comes from the pre-production we put into the song. Being in the studio is such a vastly different world than playing live music, so after writing these songs we really took the time to break down each part and essentially build it from the ground up. Doing this allowed us to really focus in on the bones of the song so at its core, the music is us playing our instruments. All the extra production just adds on to an already solid foundation.

This EP marks your first collaboration with other artists. How did working with Tom Denney, Fred Mascherino, and others impact your songwriting process?

Brown: Working with all of these talented musicians was such a dream experience for us. Everyone involved in writing this album was incredibly talented, and we really appreciated the direction that their influences were able to steer us in. Tom and Fred specifically were incredibly nice and were able to use all their knowledge and experience to coach us into writing the best possible music we could.

What can fans expect next from Neutral Snap?

Brown: We have zero plans to slow down and are going to continue to grind! We have shows lined up throughout the rest of the year as well as dedicated time to creating video content.

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