Interview: The Score Get Candid About Their Motivating Music & Fervent Fan Base

Los Angeles duo The Score provides listeners with the invigorating boost they need to fight for their dreams, and Atwood Magazine spoke to the band for insight on their process.

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Gritty, determined rock band The Score has a unique style of empowering, punchy alt-rock. With a hefty dose of hustle, they have gone from a small apartment in the Upper East Side to receiving gold plaques, playing sold-out shows, and garnering millions of streams. Their supporters sing along to all their songs, creating a community of fans that come together in celebration of The Score’s highly encouraging and profound music.

In 2019 they embarked on a European tour with a collection of songs that were not only inspiring but also extremely personal and heartfelt. The audience deeply connected with the band’s raw passion and explosive energy. The Score’s latest track has that same intensity and strength. Entitled “Best Part,” it is a grungy, honest anthem pushing others to see the best in people and understand that as humans we all have faults.

Unwavering music that uplifts anyone who listens, The Score’s hard-hitting releases make you feel as if you are unstoppable, even naming one of their tracks as such. For those times we may feel down and out, their music urges people to keep moving forward and never give up.

Atwood Magazine recently caught up with The Score, talking new single, the music that inspires them, and more.

Listen: “Best Part” – The Score

A CONVERSATION WITH THE SCORE

Atwood Magazine: To begin, how did you originally meet and how was The Score conceived?

The Score: We met nine years ago in New York City. We were set up by a mutual friend and we both were trying to write and produce for other artists. It developed into us writing pop songs and trying to pitch them for artists. Then we were writing songs that didn’t fit that and felt more like a band. At a certain point, we thought “why not write more songs like this and be a band?” That’s how we happened as a band.

The Score’s music uplifts listeners with its powerful, upbeat alt-rock sound. How has your music evolved over the years?

The Score: It took us a while to find the sound we felt most passionate about. When we wrote “Unstoppable” that was the beginning of really cementing what we thought we should be. It was that motivational big anthemic alt-rock sound. And then it evolved even more since then. In this new album that we’re finishing up now, we took some of the more programmed sounds and replaced them with real guitars going through real amps. I even worked with a couple of producers and recorded real drums. We did it all to reflect where the band has evolved live on stage. We wanted to get that element in this new album.

Your latest single “Best Part” narrates a relationship where one person looks past the other’s flaws in order to uncover the best in them. What inspired the track’s encouraging message?

The Score: The track is not necessarily about a romantic relationship. We write stuff that can be universal and applicable to different walks of life. We wanted to write a song about how does that one person in your life, whether it be a sibling, parents, best friend, a girlfriend – no matter if you’re having your worst day, and you’re at your lowest, there’s somebody that sees past that and just sees you. The song is motivating and empowering but it’s looking more within.

Your song “Legend” is a hard-hitting anthem of strength and determination. What does being a legend mean to you?

The Score: I think being a legend is a mindset. It’s having the courage to pursue the dream you had for yourself and then persisting. We always talk about this with fans, giving them advice if they’re aspiring musicians or just life advice. It’s something that Eddie and I have learned ourselves through this entire process of working together for years now. It’s that you have that dream and set a goal for yourself. Through all the “no’s” and rejections. You’ve got to keep fighting. At times it may feel challenging, but in years you’ll look back and realize you’ve gone so far – that is the legend mindset.

What song of yours do you have the most personal connection to and why?

The Score: For me, it’s our song “Stay” as far as songs out right now and released. The song describes something everybody goes through in their lives such as just waking up on the wrong side of the bed, or because of Corona Virus. You’re trying to do something you wanted to do and there is a dream you wanted to pursue and someone tells you “No you’re not good enough” you don’t fit in the box. Stay confident in who you are, regardless – that’s what makes you unique and beautiful and human. It’s about staying who you are and not conforming to what people think is the right way.

Watch: “Best Part” – The Score

I understand Eddie that growing up you were inspired by bands like Fall Out Boy. What was it that drew you to that group and who are some of your other musical influences?

The Score: In Orange County, it was a chain reaction, and all those bands had to come and start playing there. When you’re fourteen as a boy you look awkward. I had braces; I wasn’t sure what box I fit in. All those shows, seeing bands like Fall Out Boy and Brand New, it gave me a sense of unity and it didn’t really matter what walk of life you came from, whether you were a jock or a nerd. It didn’t really matter for those few hours – we were all the same. We were all fans and had a common bond. That’s what made me get into that kind of music.

Is there any artists or musicians you are currently enjoying that you can recommend to our readers?

The Score: I’ve been rocking out to Benee the R&B chick, she’s amazing, from New Zealand. She has that track “Supalonely” that’s dope.

You have collaborated with heavy hitters in the industry such as Pete Nappi (30 Seconds To Mars and Shinedown) and Tim Randall (Imagine Dragons). Can you tell me more about those experiences and how it helped you guys grow as artists?

The Score: Pete’s awesome, he’s a friend of ours. A lot of his work is in the rock place, but he comes from a hip-hop Long Island background. He’s also a drummer so he brings a sense of feel and rhythm to any songs we write with him. That’s the same thing with Tim, he’s also a drummer. He comes from more of the alt-pallet that we normally would gravitate towards. It was fun working with them. We learned some drum tricks. We produce all of our records, which is great because it gives us autonomy.

We’re able to develop everything from top to bottom. Working with other producers has been eye-opening, from what they do and learning their tricks. I feel like we’re an alt-rock band, but Eddie and I are making the music, just the two of us, and drums is a big part of alt-rock music. Neither of us are drummers. Working with Tim and Pete is big for us because they are both drummers. It allows us to project that energy that may have been lacking in some tracks and start off in a new place.

You have played for audiences all across the globe. What would you say is your favorite place you have toured and why?

The Score: The most surprisingly awesome place we toured was St. Petersburg, Russia. It’s so different. I never thought I’d go to Russia, it’s not much of a city but it’s so beautiful, the architecture and the people were actually really cool. This last Europe tour before Corona Virus, probably the coolest show we did was in Prague, Czech Republic. The show was sold out 1200 plus people. That city is so beautiful it’s like a castle.

The Score lives by the motto “it’s all about the fans” what would you attribute to the growth of your fan base and how are you staying connected to your fans during COVID-19?

The Score: We really dug into that message and made it a part of who we are. It’s a big universal message that people from all walks of life, and people from all sorts of countries that speak different languages, no matter where you are and where you come from in the world, it’s something you can relate to. They apply it to their own lives and gives them motivation, inspiration, and positivity.

The stories that we’ve heard from fans, they’ve come to us in tears about how the music has affected them, which is the most fulfilling feeling in the world. That feeling of community, that’s what we’re trying to build within our shows. What we write about is universal and while it may not fit what’s on the radio, it’s bigger than the radio. We can go to all these countries and hear all the fans say the exact same thing. What we’re doing is getting them through tough times, or them trying to achieve their dreams.

So I think that is what is making us work as a band. We are just trying to stay as active as we can during COVID-19. It’s very difficult because of what’s going on. There are mental repercussions because people are not seeing each other. They can’t go out and do the things they are used to doing. So we are trying to stay active on social media, working on developing more stuff with YouTube. We did a virtual reality performance. We’re trying to record some more performances and maybe do a podcast on YouTube.

Lastly, since the aim of your inspiring tracks is to motivate others to pick themselves up, are there any words of wisdom you can provide to people during these challenging times we face?

The Score: It’s very easy to get into a negative energy. You’re not able to do the things you were before. More people are becoming unemployed. The best thing you can do is to see it as an opportunity. See it as something that came and disrupted the normal way of life and changed the game. In those moments though, that’s when opportunities arise. Whether it be a time to invest in yourself and try and build that skillset that you always wanted to, or maybe there’s a new opportunity that arises and allows you to better achieve your dreams.

Connect to family and friends you haven’t spoken to in a while. Always look at the positive optimistic side of things. It’s a good time right now to work on being a better neighbor, and being good to each other. In general, we are all so consumed with our daily lives and trying to progress, I think we lose sight of each other. Everyone is kind of confused and scared and don’t know what’s happening next. But why not just work on being a better human being to each other so we can all get through this together.

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