Not long ago, we were here to tell you about the newest pop-punk band you should definitely check out, My Cousin’s Girlfriend’s House. The band is formed by Pete, Andrew, and Brian, three friends from Philly with a common love for music and a lot of talent to go with it. Their debut EP came out back in May, and they don’t seem to want to stop making more content any time soon (and thank goodness for that.)
[apple_music_ad artist=”My Cousin’s Girlfriend’s House”]Now, they’re back with new content and, naturally, we’re back to talk about it. This time, we’re here to premiere their newest cover: ‘All Downhill From Here,’ by New Found Glory. Not only are we here to premiere the song, but we also have an exclusive interview with MCGH where they talked about everything from their start in music to what comes next. Check it out below!
We know you have all been playing music since you were kids, what would you say was the thing that got you into it in the first place? Like what made you think “I wanna learn how to do that?”
Pete: I grew up in a household that really appreciated music, but I also think it’s just a part of who I am. I don’t know how, but I used to drum on pots and pans with kitchen utensils before I can really remember specific music that “influenced me” or got me into playing. In terms of rock music and loud instruments, there’s no doubt that Green Day and Blink 182 were the two biggest influences for thinking, “I wanna do that. I want to jump around and play really loud jams!”
Andrew: When I was in 5th grade, my school started a music program. I thought saxophone was really cool so I picked that up. I really liked the idea of playing different instruments so I originally wanted to play the cello too, but they were too expensive I think so I got a bass instead. After I started playing the bass I figured, why not a guitar too?
Bri: I grew up with a literal family band. We would all pull out guitars at holidays, sing through an entire album at some random family gathering, and eventually start performing for other audiences. My Dad was always showing me guitar chords, teaching me how to harmonize with him, and exposing me to his endless library of influences. That became my endless library of influences, and that will one day be someone else’s endless library of influences as well. Music is a gift, don’t keep it to yourself.
And to follow up, what made you realize music was the right career for you all to pursue?
Pete: I’ve played in bands with my brother for as long as I can remember and from an early age I was pretty intense about having some sort of goals. Each time there was a new band that went a little bit further, the work and dedication increased because it didn’t feel like that – it’s just part of the grind. I did set music aside for a year shortly after graduating school but quickly realized it is who I am and there’s nothing else I want to do.
Andrew: The first time I ever played a show and people were getting into it – it was the greatest feeling ever. I just want to recreate that environment whenever possible! Also, I love to sing in the shower, so might as well sing in other places too.
Bri: I think when life consistently brings you back to somewhere enough, you realize it’s happening for a reason. I have definitely had my fair share of leaps into other industries, paths, etc, and I always end up writing a song about it. I can never quite convey how I’m feeling like I can in sing-song. If it’s worth it to you, do it. But it is truly something else to decide you’re going to do what you’re passionate about and take it seriously.
You mentioned in an interview a while ago that you want to work with Pete Zen on your next EP. Does that mean we can expect more new music soon?
Yes! We worked with Pete on our first EP as well as the cover we’re premiering today, and we are hype to flesh out a bunch of demos that we’re working through. As soon as we hash those out, we’re looking to get back in the studio with Pete Zen and knock out another release that we’re already stoked about.
We love the Live Drum Play-through series you did on YouTube, what sparked this idea and would you consider doing it with the other instruments as well?
Thank you! Covers and play-throughs have a really cool little community online, and it’s always so fascinating to us when we’re able to watch some of our favorite artists play through our favorite songs with the camera focused solely on them. It’s a cool way to gain inspiration for your own parts. By sharing play-through videos of our songs, we try to highlight a specific component of the song that you may not realize makes such a big impact on the complete product. Give the drummer some love, you know!
But we’re definitely considering releasing play-throughs of other instruments for future releases!
Today we’re premiering your cover of ‘All Downhill From Here’ by New Found Glory. What made you all choose this particular song?
Not only is ‘All Downhill’ one of the better songs in the genre for getting people off their feet, everyone knows it! We thought this song would be a really good way to capture a bit of a live energy prior to our upcoming performances while also allowing everyone to get down to something familiar and fun. It’s also just a very good song.
What made you all choose to shoot this video in the studio while you were recording the track?
It’s one thing when a band releases a cover, but we always find it more enjoyable to see the band playing through – especially if they put their own twist into the song. It’s just another sense that kind of supports and enhances the auditory experience.
You always look like you are having the time of your lives filming every one of your music videos. And they’re all very unique. One that really caught our eye was ‘Welcome Home, William,’ what was the inspiration behind that video?
Andrew is really into these cocktail and cooking enthusiasts on YouTube. We were trying to brainstorm a video idea that wasn’t just a band playing to the song with a random storyline, and we thought it’d be fun to do a little parody of those cocktail and cooking shows. Was it fun? Absolutely. Did we actually drink the cocktails? Sure did. Was that fun? Meh.
If people look through your YouTube channel, they’ll see you’ve got your music videos, covers of iconic bands like Green Day and blink-182, more recently you’ve also done the Live Drum Play-Through. Are there more types of content you’d like to put out in the future that fans can look forward to?
Yeah, we actually just put out a drum cover of a mash-up between Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘good 4 u’ and Paramore’s ‘Misery Business.’ It’s crazy since they have that similar melody and key, but they are two completely different vibes that create a unique listening experience when mashed together.
The acoustic covers, we’re definitely trying to do more of those but we’ve been focusing a lot of time on our original songs. We’re planning on doing some more full-band covers similar to this NFG one in the future as well!
Who’s one artist or band you think people would be shocked to know is on your playlists?
Pete: Backstreet Boys.
Andrew: Lana Del Rey. ‘Norman F*cking Rockwell’ may be one of my favorite songs of all time.
Bri: If you’ve ever watched or read other interviews with us, you probably know I have a huge thing for Migos. I don’t really remember when or how it started, but it has since gone thoroughly out of control. I now do “Migo Monday” where I send Snapchat’s out of myself rapping over Migos songs. This is very real.
One of our favorite lyrics from the EP has got to be “thanks again my friend, anxiety” from ‘Too Late, Tom,’ what are your favorites from the EP?
Pete: I would probably say “Lately from 4-6, I lay awake and ponder everything from atom bombs to where did MySpace go wrong?” – it’s too true!
Andrew: Honestly, probably “she sips on jager bombs and listens to her favorite songs” because it’s probably the chillest two things you can possibly be doing at the same time. That’s how I want to spend every second of my day. I wish I was her.
Bri: “Conquer fears over beers.” Is it because that line is hella relatable or because I sing half of it? The world may never know.
You’ve said the name of the first song you recorded, ‘Let’s Hear It For Harold’ came from a random moment in the studio, and then you chose similar names for the rest of the song titles, but how did you decide on each of them? What drew you to that name for each track?
So for two of the songs, it was completely random. ‘Harold’ and also ‘Welcome Home, William’ – I mean, that’s just fun to say! But for ‘Too Late, Tom’ we named it after Tom from MySpace since the song references MySpace. The other two are named after our dogs! ‘Rock On, Romeo’ is named after Andrew’s little chihuahua, and ‘Don’t Stop, Dudley’ is named after Pete’s Mini Pinscher. They’re the two who hear our songs first and hang out with us during practice, so we had to give them a shout-out!
You guys have your first live performance together on August 14, at Fenn’s Upstairs, how did it feel booking this show? What are you most excited to experience during the show?
It felt amazing booking this show! We started our band right before shows were put on hold, so our first show was canceled about two weeks before we were set to play. So this will be our first official gig as a band! We’re just stoked to be able to jam out and get into these songs in the live setting, jumping around and getting sweaty with our friends for the first time in a long time!
Fenn’s is also one of Andrew’s favorite places to play since he went to school at West Chester, right down the street. It was only a matter of time before we set up a show here and it’s pretty cool to have it in his old stomping grounds.
What can we expect from MCGH’s future music?
We’re going to keep up the high energy and fat guitar sound that we love, but are hoping to incorporate a more dynamic sound between the different songs and pull from different influences that we have to create a unique sound! Some of the songs that we’re working on currently are on the darker side, but still, have that upbeat instrumental element. Basically, you can expect us to keep doing us, I wouldn’t expect anything less!
But wait, there’s more! If you can’t get enough of their cover of ‘All Downhill From Here,’ the track will be available on Spotify next week! Pre-save the track right here.
We can’t wait to see what comes next for these guys, and you can bet we’ll follow their career very closely. The song may be ‘All Downhill From Here,’ but MCGH’s future is definitely the opposite of that. And in case you haven’t checked them out yet, you can do so by listening to their EP, EMCEEGEEAYCH below, we promise you won’t regret it!
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Featured Image Source: Courtesy of My Cousin’s Girlfriend’s House and THP Graphics Team
