“I love doing everything myself,” he says from a rehearsal room in his Los Angeles home. “I have ProTools open and I’m creating all the songs for the set. I’m building out an interesting show that has almost theater elements in a way. It’s fun, but it’s a lot of work.”
That DIY attitude stems from Mod Sun’s youth. Raised on a heavy diet of classic rock bands such as the Doors, Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers and the Band, he grew up on a relatively isolated Minnesota farm. He’d eventually discover punk rockers Blink 182 and indie bands such as the Starting Line and Newfound Glory and the Early November. The Minneapolis-based Rhymesayers Entertainment introduced him to the world of underground hip-hop. That combination of things helped make him into the diverse musician he is today.
“I do this all because I’m obsessed with words,” he says. “My first instrument was drums. I played drums in many bands. I’ll never forget trying to sing around my bandmates, and they told me to never sing again. That was never going to stop me from getting to the front of the stage. I had rhythm and words. I had the desire to hold the microphone, and that opened up the doors to rap.”
With his foray into rap behind him, Mod Sun has turned his focus to pop-punk for his last two albums, Internet Killed the Rock Star and God Save the Teen.
“I naturally like to evolve and recreate,” he says. “One thing that was always struck me was that I like when bands take a left turn and have a departure album. When a band says they want to mature and still stay the same band and they need to make these songs are more technical or give them something extra, that never sat right with me. It’s definitely the sequel to my last album. I wanted to toy around with pop punk, but the record also has the most ’90s alt leaning and most folk leaning songs I’ve ever made. I wanted to make the song bigger and explore those dynamics.”
Mod Sun explores the aforementioned alt-rock side of his sound with a faithful cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ hit “Iris.”
“That was one of the first memories where a song really touched me,” he says. “I grew up around music, and while I loved a song like ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’,’ the tune wasn’t exactly connecting it to me. This is prior to internet days. You can find communities and friends now, but this was not the case at the time. If people did not understand you in your city, you were an outcast. That song and those lyrics made me feel like there are other people out there. It was for me. Growing up, it was a real challenge trying to fit in.”
The ballad “Shelter” is another album highlight. It features fiancée Avril Lavigne, who turns in a rousing vocal performance. Mod Sun admits the singer-songwriter is out of his league when it comes to singing.
“She makes me not want to sing in the car when we’re riding together,” he says. “I thought I was good until I met her. She has perfect pitch and can do no wrong. She loved that song when I played it for her. It’s about a specific moment with us, and it’s right that she would be on it. That’s the biggest performing song on the album right now. To have a song in sixth note timing is so cool. It’s not the most popular time signature. On Top 40, I can promise you there is no song in sixth.”
While he says he might have another pop-punk album in the works, Mod Sun says he plan to reinvent his sound again in the near future.
“The first ten years, I played drums, and the second ten years I was rapping,” he says. “This ten years, I’ve been making alt-leaning stuff. After this, I’m going to stripped-down, folk-leaning and very ambient music. That’s where I know the next part of my career goes.”
One constant is that he hopes to inspire others to follow their artistic aspirations.
“I’m speaking for the underdog always,” he says. “I come from a place where I felt misunderstand. I was told I can’t sing and I know it takes a one-in-a-million chance [of being successful]. I’m always telling people that you can be that one. There’s no reason why you can’t. I thoroughly believe I was born with zero talent. I came from a very broken family. I’ve worked with so many artists, and a lot of it comes down to the energy that I’m giving the person or bringing to the room, far before the talent that I bring. That’s always been my message. Whether it’s a song about heartbreak or love, the through-line is that if I can do this, so can you. I want people to look beyond the song and see that I am able to live my dreams.”
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
This article appears in Feb 8-21, 2023.
