EMBRACING CHANGE
Papa Roach takes fans ‘on a journey’ by constantly seeking new directions
Papa Roach continually changes things up album after album, and its latest release, “Crooked Teeth,” is no different.
“We evolved and changed on every album and there are some songs on this album that are heavy and they have that massive energy that people are used to, and they have that a little more on the mellow side maybe a little more reflective and just kind of vibey,” said guitarist Jerry Horton. “It’s something that we do on every album. We challenge the fans. People like that we’re taking them on a journey. They like that we change things up. It’s a risk that we take, but it’s a risk that we’re willing to take because we don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. We love hearing and incorporating different kinds of music. Our tastes change over the years, so it’s something as artists we feel like we need to do to make ourselves happy.”
Papa Roach also chose to go with producers who mainly work with artists in the pop genre. Its record company was not comfortable with the decision.
“Mostly because they were unproven,” Horton said. “They hadn’t produced a whole album at that point. There was some pushback at first. We basically told (the record label), ‘Look, we’ve been doing this a long time. We know what we need to do. We’re going to make some amazing songs.’ ”
The decision paid off, and the reaction to the new music has been positive.
“We’re playing over half the album in our set, and there’s sing-alongs and people jumping up and down,” Horton said. “The reactions are just as good as our classic stuff. For us, that’s something. It validates all of our choices, the producers that we chose, the songs that we wrote, the direction that we’re going. It’s just makes everything worth it.”
Papa Roach recently celebrated the 18th anniversary of its album “Infest,” which catapulted the band’s career. The band’s energy has not wavered over the years and remains as intense as was when it was when promoting “Infest.”
“To some degree, it doesn’t really feel like it was really long ago, and then when I think about everything we’ve done since then, it feels like a lifetime ago,” Horton said. “… The funny thing is we don’t have any less energy on stage now than we did 18 years ago, so that part’s cool, like it doesn’t feel like we’re old men up there on stage. I definitely look back on that time with fond memories. Our whole experience being in the band and gaining popularity so quickly is definitely not the typical story of a rock band, so I definitely feel fortunate to have been able to have that experience.”