A titanic three-piece from the wild heart of Denver, The BRKN are a band on everyone’s lips. Armed with a visceral pop-punk sound, the band of Jacob Cade, Mike Bokenkamp, and MJ Younkers have been carving a brilliant path through their local scene, winning over fans and critics with every new release.
Most recently, the band have released their triumphant new song and accompanying video, ‘Not The Same’, and wrapped up a massive United States tour with The Dangerous Summer, and soon, they’ll be riding a wave of success to the United Kingdom and Europe. Before that though, Jacob from the band was kind enough to take a moment and speak with us about where it all began, what inspires them, and what we can all expect next.
Wonderful to have you here Jacob, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Let’s just dive right in, where did The BRKN all begin?
“We started the band after we all met playing in church. We all found we had very common interests in music, and all felt like starting a band together would begin the rest of our lives.”
Looking at your music, is there a common sound or inspiration that runs between the four of you?
“We are mainly influenced by artists like The 1975, The Band Camino, Prince, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, and Neck Deep.”
Most people generally place you at the forefront of the pop-punk revival, but how would you describe your sound to new fans?
“We’re a pop band with big guitars, big drums, thick bass, and catchy choruses.”
Your latest single, ‘Not The Same’ has been taking flight online. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
“Our latest song ‘Not The Same’ has become one of our favourites we’ve ever written. Like I was saying before it was one of those that took on a life of its own and for the most part wrote itself. It’s so amazing to see the fans take so well to it.”
Is creating that connection one of the most important things when you’re writing new material, or are you driven by something else?
“The most important thing would probably be the vibe. The song needs to have a clear life of its own and clearly be saying something worth listening to. As well as its gotta get stuck in our heads. It becomes very apparent when we’re working if a song just isn’t hitting or if it’s gonna be one of the singles. Being aware of that is very important.”
What is your songwriting process? How does it all come together?
“The process usually starts with a demo I make at my home studio. We take that into the studio with Mason Maxwell and as a band, we pick it apart and put it back together countless times until we find the perfect vibe that we all love. In a nutshell that’s basically the essence of the process.”
What has been your greatest moment as a band so far?
“This past US tour with The Dangerous Summer is probably the sickest thing we’ve done as a band thus far. Just being in a different city every night and actually having crowds that care about our music is game-changing. We can’t wait to keep building on this momentum.”
The big question then, is what can we expect next from The BRKN?
Next up we have our first EU/UK tour in the fall opening up for The Dangerous Summer and before that possibly making another EP.
Jacob, thank you very much for speaking with us. Is there anything you would like to say to our audience?
Just thank you so much for listening to our songs and coming out to shows. It means so much…you have no idea. We can’t wait to be on the road all year long and come see y’all as much as we can. Get ready for some more music!
The BRKN released their debut EP ‘No. 3’ in March of 2020, followed by ‘Come Outside’ in June of 2021, and since then they’ve been an almost unstoppable force in modern music. They started this year with the release of ‘Coffee’, and quickly followed that with ‘Not The Same’ which you can stream above.
With plans to release more singles, along with a new album later this year, there’s never been a better time to get acquainted with the band.
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