Interview: SINCE 2000: "We’re the happiest we’ve been as a unit, and the way we operate now is so much smoother. "

Photo credit: Victoria Sykes

“The underlying message to all our music is one of self-growth.” This is how SINCE 2000 describes their music. Made up of Dan Romano , Scott Abel ,Kyle Warne, and Reuben Selmant the band creates music that is much more layered than the self-growth they speak of. But that is just one line that encapsulates exactly what SINCE 2000 is about. In our interview it's evident that that theme holds true throughout their discography. With their latest EP ‘neverland [CHAPTER II]’ set for release on Friday, April 24th. 

SINCE 2000, they don’t just create music of self-growth they put it against anthemic sounds, creating almost film soundtracks that allow you to become your own main character. Everyone needs that flair to accompany the monotony of life, and their latest single “HELLelujah!” is the one we all need to hear. I speak to the band about their latest single and exploration of sound and concepts. 

Your forthcoming EP ‘neverland [CHAPTER II]’ is set for release on Friday, April 24th. This marks an end to the NEVERLAND series. What made you decide that this was the album to close out that chapter for you?

SINCE 2000: When I was coming up with the concept for ‘neverland’, it was originally going to be a full-length album. The music I was writing at the time was very varied and ranged from brighter, more upbeat pop songs to much darker and heavier tracks with more of a metal influence. Eventually I decided to split all these songs into 2 EPs which sonically and thematically would act as a yin and yang to each other and allow me to tell the story more cohesively. 

Of course Neverland can be connected to many connotations of childhood and coming-of-age stories. What has been the standout moment that has helped define who you are as a band as you’ve navigated your own personal journeys?

SINCE 2000: I’d say most recently when Scott and Kyle joined the band, it felt like we’d found a major missing piece of the puzzle. Those guys bring so much skill, creativity and hard work to the table that it feels like everything has clicked into place since they’ve stepped in, not to mention we’ve all become really close friends. We’re the happiest we’ve been as a unit, and the way we operate now is so much smoother. 

Pre-save: Since 2000 - neverland [CHAPTER II]

It feels refreshing to hear lyrics that allow the listener to sit with their feelings instead of finding a solution to the issue. How important is it to you to create lyrics that aren’t enforcing a toxic positivity that everything will be fine? What do you like to listen to in your own music tastes?

SINCE 2000: It’s very important, our lyrics explore a lot of different subject matter across our songs, and much of it revolves around quite dark or personal topics. But the underlying message to all our music is one of self-growth. What triggers me into writing lyrics is if there's something that I’m figuring out or learning about myself, and most of the time these lessons come from failures and difficult experiences, so although the music seems dark on the surface, the message is a positive one.

I'm not a big fan of art that’s too didactic in its messaging, I don’t think art should tell you what to think. A great song, film or play holds up a mirror to something in the real world, and hopefully that resonates and can invite you to think about it in a different way, for you to come to your own conclusions.

With seven tracks on the EP, which one is the one you think nails exactly what the band embodies at this current period in your career?

SINCE 2000: There's a song on the upcoming EP called ‘Nosferatũ’, to me, that’s the song that we’ve been working towards making for a long time. It feels like the most complete version of everything the band encapsulates so far, and it’s probably the first song I’d show someone if they ask what my band sounds like.

Is there a particular song you’re looking forward to performing onstage where you know it’s going to not only work well onstage but also connect you with the audience?

SINCE 2000: "HELLelujah! " for sure. It’s so high energy! That song was written with the idea in mind of it being a big moment during the live show that the crowd can’t help but get involved with, whether it’s singing the chorus, moshing or jumping around. We played it for the first time at our sold-out headline in Glasgow, and it was definitely the highlight of the set. 

The latest track, “HELLelujah!”, is without a doubt an earworm and a song I’m sure many can relate to or find some comfort in. Firstly, how did the collaboration with Lo Rays come about?

SINCE 2000: I’ve been a fan of Lo Rays for ages, and I’ve been friends with them all since last year. In the back of my mind I’d always thought a collab between our bands would be so cool. We finished writing the song last year, and Laura (singer from Lo Rays) immediately came to mind as a great potential guest feature, and she was down to do it! 

Lyrically, the track serves as a grim reckoning of the current social and political climate we are all experiencing. Yet it feels strangely uplifting thanks to the repetitive lines of 'Watch them fall, one by one'. Do you find putting stories that are that rife therapeutic? From a listener's standpoint, it feels as if everyone is thinking and feeling the same at the moment.

SINCE 2000: It’s definitely therapeutic, a major problem with the world we’re living in is that we’re exposed to all these atrocities happening worldwide, and we’re seeing in real time individuals and governments abusing their power, but the average person can easily feel very powerless to do anything about it. I think a lot of social change has come as a result of music, but at the very least it’s an outlet for all that anger and frustration. 

When it comes to structuring an EP with a variety of heavy themes and intricate sounds, how do you decide on how they are placed on a tracklist? Do you want it to play as a structured story or standalone songs?

SINCE 2000: Unfortunately for my sanity, writing for this band is never just as simple as writing a song and calling it a day. Every song we write has to tick a lot of different boxes, especially if it’s part of a bigger body of work. The songs need to work together to tell the bigger story in a way that has ups and downs of emotion and stakes, just like a film. But it’s also really important to us that the songs stand on their own outside of the context of an EP or album. 

Photo credit: Victoria Sykes

Sonically it's reminiscent of Bring Me The Horizon. Would you say, growing up over time, your influences have changed the way you approach and play with various styles?

SINCE 2000: Yes, of course. Naturally, I’m influenced by whatever art I’m consuming. I’m always trying to evolve our sound and push what we do further, which is why I try to seek out new things to listen to as much as I can, otherwise you end up looking for inspiration in the same places, and you come out with the same results. Bands like Bring Me and Architects as well as a lot of nu/alt metal from the 2000s were really important to us growing up, so naturally there will always be an element of all of that in what we do, but we’re not interested in imitating anyone, our aim is to take heavy music further and somewhere new. 

As the band's name is rooted in the 2000s, would you say that era influenced you? And in your opinion, which band best defined the 2000s, considering the wide range of genres within your discography?

SINCE 2000: There are so many really influential bands from that era that it’s so hard to say. The 2000s are an interesting turning point because it seems that, to a degree, that’s when a lot of genres stopped evolving past a certain point. The idea of “retro” became a thing, and from that time on, artists and bands started referencing older and already established ideas, just look at the 2000s garage rock revival for instance. That’s when I think music became truly postmodern, I’d say predominantly in part to the internet giving us access to unlimited music from every era and genre. So it’s fair to say our sound is representative of that culture. 

Visually, your music videos seamlessly match the vibe of the song, bringing the story to life. “Lost boys” I personally love it, as it seems very fitting alongside the new Wuthering Heights debate going on. Where do you get the ideas for music videos such as this, and do you feel they need to be just as strong as the single itself?

SINCE 2000: I'm yet to watch the new Wuthering Heights, but the conversation around it is very interesting! If you ask me, Emerald Fennell knows exactly what she’s doing in trying to get a rise out of people, and I kind of respect it on some level. Anyway, the visual world for this EP has been very influenced by horror cinema, so I used each song as an opportunity to explore different horror subgenres in the visuals and music videos, whether it’s psychological horror, body horror, or gothic horror in the case of "lost_BOYS."

All your videos stand out. What is the process when it comes to creating them? Do you work with specific people or prefer to lead the concepts and vision yourself?

SINCE 2000: We’ve done our last two music videos with a videographer called Daniel Blake, he’s also shot our live shows a fair few times, so we’ve had a lot of experience working together. In essence, I come up with the concepts, and then we get together and figure out how we’re going to make it happen. I don’t have much technical knowledge with cameras and lights, so I need to be able to communicate the exact idea I’ve got in my head for a specific shot or sequence, and then Danny worries about how we’re going to execute it. From the get-go he’s always been amazing at interpreting my ideas, so he’s someone I can always rely on to see it through. 

With many of your songs feeling like soundtracks, do you find yourself inspired by any filmmakers, artists, or even films that have inspired your visuals/sound, either growing up or today?

SINCE 2000: 100%. Our music is very heavily influenced by film scores. Not only that, but dialogue from films is often a great jumping-off point for writing lyrics, and occasionally stealing a line here and there to use in a song. I think films in general are great for giving me direction on what tone I want to go for with a track, I almost think of it as, "If this song or album was directed by Christopher Nolan or Darren Arranofsky, what would it sound like?” 

You recently performed in Glasgow. Does the energy of a crowd ever change how you perform a song live compared to how it was recorded?

SINCE 2000: Well, let’s just say the more energetic the crowd gets, the more energetic we get onstage, and the more difficult it becomes to play the songs as tightly as they are on the record. But that’s what live music’s all about, we aim to hit a good middle ground between tightness and performance, but people aren’t there to hear the song played perfectly; they want to have an experience they’ll remember. 

When it comes to taking to the stage, what is the most exhilarating moment, and what do you hope newcomers take away from who you are as a group?

SINCE 2000: The scariest moment is always just before coming onstage, it’s such an intense mix of anxiety and excitement but once we kick in it always just locks in. I hope people who see us come away feeling like they’ve had a moment to be fully present with us and everyone else in the room and to drop all their worries and problems to appreciate the shared experience. 

Besides the new album, what do you have planned for 2026?

SINCE 2000: We’re supporting Mouth Culture in Edinburgh in April, that’s going to be awesome! I saw those guys play at Slam Dunk Festival last year and they blew me away, they’re a great live band, so I’m stoked we get the chance to open for them. It’ll also be our second time playing in Edinburgh as a band, so I’m looking forward to playing there again. Other than that, lots of writing and hopefully more great shows!

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