Pop-punks A Page Unturned released their debut self-titled EP in March of this year, but, today, HM got with the band for an exclusive track-by-track explanation of each of the songs from the release. HM spoke with drummer Ryan Sebold about the release, about vocalist Yoshi Imae’s experience coming to America, and about vocalist Damon Porras’ efforts chasing the dream of making a band work.
Formed in Los Angeles in 2017, A Page Unturned was founded by Yoshi Imae who recently came to the States from Japan. The Southern California-based band is currently in the studio working on a number of singles to release at the turn of the year.
“The Party”
“The Party” was one of the original demos composed by Yoshihiro. Yoshihiro liked the energy of the song and felt it reminded him of being at a party. Damon understood his vision for the song and wrote his lyrics off of this idea
The song is about living in the moment and losing yourself a bit to truly embrace the fun in life. It was the first song that Damon recorded his vocals on, and it was the first time Yoshihiro heard his voice. It was definitely a memorable moment and when I joined, adding in the drums and our vision for A Page Unturned came to life.
“California”
Yoshihiro visited “California” for the first time in 2015. He thought California was a paradise when he first visited. Good weather, the palm trees, the people; he thought it was all amazing. He wanted to express his love for California through a song.
However, at first, Damon didn’t know how to write a song about his love for the state. It wasn’t until he thought about Yoshihiro’s journey moving from Japan to pursue his dreams of being a successful musician in California that he was easily able to finish the lyrics. Damon also understood the pressure that is put upon someone who tries to go after a very difficult dream as he also struggled chasing the same dream
We thought the chorus in the song was very catchy, and it was a definite favorite among the few who heard it at the time. We knew it had to be the song that would define A Page Unturned. We made our first music video to it, and now it’s the song that is sung along to the most at our shows, which is the most amazing thing.
“Transition”
Yoshihiro had a very different vision for this song at first. He had “Transition” as the working title, and, when he composed the music, he thought of a song you could listen to while you drive. He imagined a man driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. He wanted it to be something that would excite someone and make them feel alive
There was one day when Yoshihiro and Damon played the song acoustically and Damon’s perception of the song became very different. Damon was at a point in his life where he saw things were starting to change. His friends weren’t around as much anymore, new opportunities with his career were happening, his perception of his world was different, and he felt a new chapter in his life was about to happen. He built his lyrics around that idea, and the song became incredibly honest and meaningful.
About the Author
