Microwave
photo by Cam Flaisch

Microwave discuss 10 songs that influenced their heavier new album

Atlanta’s Microwave are releasing their third album Death Is A Warm Blanket this Friday (9/13) via Pure Noise (pre-order), and it sees the band branching out from their emo-y alt-rock roots and going in a more drastically heavy direction than ever before. The new sound suits them very well, and to get an idea of what inspired the new direction, we asked the band for a list of songs that influenced the new album. Guitarist/vocalist Nathan Hardy made a list of ten songs, varying from home state Georgia metalcore heroes The Chariot to very noticeable touchstones like Nirvana to much less obvious touchstones like Sneaker Pimps and OutKast. Check out Nathan’s list, and read his commentary on each pick, below.

Microwave are playing Chicago’s Riot Fest this weekend, and then touring with Boston Manor, Heart Attack Man, and Selfish Things, including a NYC show on November 21 at Gramercy Theatre (tickets). All dates are listed below.

10 SONGS THAT INFLUENCED MICROWAVE’S NEW ALBUM

Fear Before the March of Flames – “Complete and Utter Confusion”

When Tito and I first discussed starting Microwave, we said we wanted to make a band like Fear Before the March of Flames. The Always Open Mouth is one of the greatest records of all time. I’ve been waiting for Rolling Stone to add it to their list. We failed pretty miserably at making a band that sounds like Fear Before, but I think this record is probably the closest we’ve come to it.

The Chariot – “Calvin Makenzie”

The Chariot is another one of my favorite bands of all time. They were super creative songwriters and captured an intense energy that’s only been rivaled by a handful of other bands. Their records also sound sick. They were the main motivation behind why we decided to work with Matt Goldman on this record. He mixed and helped produce all of the Chariot records.

Heavy Heavy Low Low – “Giant Mantis vs. TURT Nip”

Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock is another one of my favorite records. This song is sort of the opener. Heavy Heavy Low Low captured perfectly what ADHD feels like.

Sneaker Pimps – “6 Underground”

This song is one of the coolest things that came out of the 90s. It’s a cool fusion of grunge and hip-hop influence. Gorillaz sort of picked up where Sneaker Pimps left off a few years later.

Gorillaz- “19-2000”

I fell in love with Gorillaz when “Clint Eastwood” was on Now 8. I still know every word to that song. Songs like “19-2000” have probably been more of a direct influence for me since I’ll never have bars like Del.

Nine Inch Nails – “You Know What You Are?”

The album With Teeth is a feat of human achievement, a level of individuality and creativity that few people ever reach. I’m sure people will still be influenced by this record 50 years from now the same way that we’re still influenced by Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.

Kanye West – “Highlights”

This song is all over the place sonically and somehow manages to feel somewhat cohesive. I think Kanye West is partially responsible for the change in the pop song structure away from Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus to whatever remains engaging through the course of a song. It fits the internet age and our ever-shortening attention spans.

Queens of the Stone Age – “How to Handle a Rope (A Lesson in the Lariat)”

Queens of the Stone Age writes great songs like this one. They also continuously experiment with cool sonic production things. In this song, the bass in the verses is panned hard right and then it pops to the center for the chorus. That’s weird.

Nirvana – “Scentless Apprentice”

I love every song Nirvana wrote. The lyrics to this one are based on a book by Patrick Süskind called ‘Perfume’. Kurt Cobain suggested reading it in an interview one time and I did and it was an incredible book. I would probably do anything that Kurt Cobain suggested.

Outkast – “Funky Ride”

Outkast is another group that will still be influencing people 50 years from now. The deep cuts on their albums are often where they shine the most. This song has a three and a half minute guitar solo paired with orgasm noises. That should be an entire genre of music.

Microwave — 2019 Tour Dates
09/13 Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater & Ballroom
09/14 Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
09/21 Southampton, UK @ 1865 *
09/22 Cardiff, UK @ The Globe *
09/24 Dublin, IR @ Grand Social *
09/25 Manchester, UK @ Academy 3 *
09/26 Glasgow, UK @ Slay *
09/27 Birmingham, UK @ Institute2 *
09/28 London, UK @ 02 Islington Academy *
09/30 Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg #
10/01 Paris, FR @ Supersonic #
10/02 Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique #
10/03 Cologne, DE @ Luxor #
10/04 Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefarlich #
10/05 Liepzig, DE @ Felsenkeller #
10/06 Berlin, DE @ BiNuu #
10/08 Munich, DE @ Feierwerk #
10/09 Vienna, AT @ Flex #
10/10 Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv #
11/20 Boston, MA @ Sinclair ^
11/21 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater ^
11/22 Baltimore, MD @ Ottotbar ^
11/23 Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry at The Fillmore ^
11/25 Charlotte, NC @ Amo’s ^
11/26 Orlando, FL @ Soundbar ^
11/27 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade – Hell ^
11/29 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ^
11/30 Austin, TX @ Barracuda ^
12/02 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile ^
12/03 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction ^
12/04 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy ^
12/05 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s ^
12/07 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater ^
12/08 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon ^
12/10 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue ^
12/11 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater ^
12/13 Kansas City, MO @ Davey’s Uptown ^
12/14 Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom ^
12/15 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge ^
12/17 Detroit, MI @ The Shelter ^
12/19 Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground ^
12/20 Hartfod, CT @ Webster Underground ^

* w/ Tiny Moving Parts
# w/ Tiny Moving Parts, Lizzy Farrall
^ w/ Boston Manor, Heart Attack Man, Selfish Things