Rich Balling (The Sound of Animals Fighting)

The newest episode of the BrooklynVegan podcast is an interview with Rich Balling, founder of the experimental post-hardcore supergroup The Sound of Animals Fighting, former RX Bandits member, and the person behind Pyramids, Sailors With Wax Wings, White Moth, the Handmade Birds record label, and the new hyperpop project Hospital Gown. Hospital Gown's debut album Diamond Life 2 came out earlier this month on Born Losers Records, and TSOAF are gearing up to release their first EP in 14 years, Apeshit, on December 8 via the same label, followed by a tour in January. Rich and I discussed TSOAF's comeback; the multi-genre, multi-generational collaborations on the Hospital Gown album that range from screamo to hyperpop to rap and beyond; some TSOAF history, like the time Equal Vision had to destroy copies of their 2006 sophomore album Lover, the Lord Have Left Us because of an uncleared Neurosis sample; how playing Taylor Swift's Red in the car for his daughters led to a love of pop music; dealing with negative comments on the internet; and much more.

 

Theme music by Michael Silverstein.