Last month, Motion City Soundtrack released their new album ‘My Dinosaur Life’ in the UK. It is the band’s fourth album and their second to be produced by Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus. It is also their first release on a major label. Over in the US, the album went straight into the Billboard 200 at Number 15. Following the band’s recent UK tour, guitarist Josh Cain took some time to speak to Room Thirteen about the new album.

R13: How have things been going since the release of ‘My Dinosaur Life’?
JC: Things have been great. Playing these new songs for people is a blast. It is always a fun new experience playing a new album for people, having really no idea how they will react or which songs will be stand-out live tracks. I am having a really good time putting this record out for people.

R13: Where did you get the title of the album from?
JC: It is a misquote from a movie that Justin made his own. He was using it in everyday life and had put it in the song ‘Sunny Day’. We enjoyed it and thought it fit the record. Also, we thought the artwork could take on a life of its own.

R13: You have done a lot of touring over the years. Has touring always been an important part of being in Motion City Soundtrack?
JC: It is one of the few things we know that works for our band. People have always connected to our live show. It always feels like a community of people getting together to share in an experience with us. It is really one of the driving forces to keep me connected to playing music and being OK with spending my time on the road away from my life at home, which I love very much.

R13: Do you enjoy coming over to the UK to play shows? What are your UK fans like?
JC: Always a blast coming over here playing shows. The weather has been pretty gross this time around, but the crowds have warmed us back up.

R13: You recently moved from Epitaph to Columbia Records. How are you finding the change from an independent record label to a major?
JC: It has been very smooth. No speed bumps or anything to complain about.

R13: Was it difficult to move from Epitaph after releasing three albums with them?
JC: Yeah, Epitaph and Brett [Gurewitz] are like family to us. They will always be a part of Motion City Soundtrack.

R13: 'My Dinosaur Life' is the second Motion City Soundtrack album to be produced by Mark Hoppus since 'Commit This To Memory'. What has it been like to work with Mark?
JC: It was great! We love Mark and love what he brings to our music. He really lets us be true to ourselves and our music. I think he was the perfect person for us to make ‘My Dinosaur Life’ come to life.

R13: Did the production process of 'My Dinosaur Life' feel at all different from your previous experience with Mark on ‘Commit This To Memory’?
JC: A bit. He was more laid back and really about letting the record sound human. He was really looking for the right performance, not so much the perfectly played performance.

R13: When you released ‘Commit This To Memory’, there were some issues with piracy and illegal downloading. Are you finding that this is still a problem?
JC: Sony is very good at making sure our record does not leak. Although these days, I’m not sure how much it hurts you to have your record leak.

R13: What is your opinion of music downloading in general?
JC: It is a very bad thing and a very good thing. We probably wouldn't have made it this far without it. But it’s hard to say if it is also holding us back from taking big steps forward. So I choose not to worry about something I cannot control and just play music.

R13: The recording of the new album hit a bit of an obstacle when Tony broke his arm. It’s been mentioned that this complication provided new challenges to the creative process. Can you explain what the challenges were and how they helped?
JC: Well, it forced us to write at our homes and not all together, since we live all over the country. So we worked songs ourselves at our homes, which was very refreshing and new. Something we will probably use in the future. We also had to record the drums last, which was a challenge recording all your parts to fake drums. But in the end we got through it and when Tony laid his drum parts down, the songs came to life.

R13: What's your favourite song from the album and why?
JC: ‘The Weakends’. It is a song that brings me back to being a teenager and going to rock shows of my favourite bands.

R13: Compared with your previous releases, the new album seems to feature less of the keyboard sound that has characterized your music in the past. Was there any reason for this?
JC: If there was a key part and it fit in the song we put it there. That's kinda how we make music. We put things in when we need them.

R13: In previous interviews you have said that with ‘My Dinosaur Life’ you wanted to make a darker rock record. What was the reason behind this decision?
JC: It seemed like the stuff we had been writing was going in that direction. Our band just loves that kind of music, it is our roots. We really just write songs and it comes together the way it comes together.

R13: Do you feel that you have achieved the darker sound that you hoped for?
JC: I love this record, dark or not. I think over all it is a darker record, but at the same time it's a blend of all our work into one record.

R13: Based on the success of the album so far, are the band likely to continue with this new sound for future recordings?
JC: No idea. We just write what comes to us. Who knows what the future will bring?

R13: What other bands are you listening to at the moment?
JC: Jenny Owen Youngs, Sunny Day Real Estate, Phoenix.

R13: Are we likely to see Motion City Soundtrack appear at any festivals this year?
JC: Yes. Super stoked we will be on the main stage at Reading and Leeds.

R13: What else is planned for MCS during the coming year?
JC: Lots of touring.

‘My Dinosaur Life’ is out now. Click here to read the review:
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life