Chris DeLine

Singled Out is a feature focusing on the stories behind a song, as told by the artists behind their creation. In this edition, Des Moines-based four piece Display Case discuss their new single “Get Out.” The track is part of an upcoming EP, with vocalist Jordan Essy calling it a “hard, fast, and angsty anthem,” borne out of a new recording space and renewed collaborative spirit.

villin: Stylistically, how does “Get Out” compare to the rest of the upcoming EP?

Jordan Essy: “Get Out” stands out as a hard, fast, and angsty anthem compared to the rest of the EP. Carter and I wrote and recorded the vocals and lyrics on a day where I had just got off working for 11 hours in the beautiful Iowa mid-summer humidity, fixing vehicles I can’t afford. So I think being exhausted, dirty, hungry, and a little bit resentful really fueled a lot of the influence of the song. It just flowed so well and felt so “Display Case” that it worked. What you hear for vocals on the recording, is the collection of about two hours of writing and recording.

villin: What’s the new EP going to be called and did Carter do the mixing and mastering on it?

Carter Dull: The new EP is titled The Last Generation. The name actually comes from a lyric in “Get Out.” Yes, I did the mixing and mastering again for this EP. I’m really proud of the results! We tried a lot of different things this time around, and I used some new recording, mixing, and mastering techniques. I think it really shows. The producing aspect of songwriting is one of my favorite parts of it, and it’s even better when the results are as exciting as these.

villin: In your Beers with Bands interview, the group talked about settling into the current lineup with the music you’ve been making feeling particularly collaborative. How long has this current lineup been in place and does the band’s upcoming EP have a different vibe to it because of this?

Dylan Medina: This current lineup has been together for about a year and a half, but have really been friends for a lot longer. When I joined on bass a lot of the demos for Better, Yet were already rolling, but with The Last Generation, it’s all material this group wrote together from start to finish. I feel like “Get Out” and the rest of the songs on this EP are some of our biggest and most ambitious songs yet. We really all push each other to go outside our comfort zones and make these songs come to life.

Joey Heirigs: I think this upcoming EP is going to really surprise a lot of people. The songs felt like they came together so naturally, and just sound so much more mature than anything we’ve done in the past. They feel deep and angsty. When I think back to writing drums on them, I just remember trying multiple different ways to do everything and taking everyone’s opinion and adding it in or piggybacking off it.

villin: In the band’s Audio Addiction interview, you talked about transitioning the group’s practice space into a recording studio. How has that changed the energy of the recording process?

Carter Dull: Using the practice space as a recording studio adds so much freedom to the recording process. If we don’t like something, we redo it, we change it, we scrap it. There’s a lot less to lose. We don’t need to book studio time and risk spending a ton of money on something that might not be exactly what we’re looking for. It also gives us the opportunity to experiment with alternate techniques, extra overdubs, and additional instruments.

Joey Heirigs: I like it most because it’s at my house! We’re extremely fortunate to have this set up. The energy feels so relaxed. It feels like I’m just hanging out with my best friends and creating in my basement. It doesn’t get better than that so I feel like the positive fun energy shows on the recording.

For more from Display Case, follow the band on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to “Get Out” on Apple Music and Spotify.

[This article was originally published by villin.]