We didn't know until about two weeks ago when the record was being released here. It was kind of daunting, really. Last year we did about 120 gigs in Britain and then played all over Europe with the Manic Street Preachers, getting a big following that we got used to. Well, we don't have a tour bus, but we have a fancy minivan, with all of our stuff in a U-Haul. I just stare out the window and listen to CDs like Catpower, Supertramp and the Getup Kids, which I just bought in Chicago.
Hope Is Important seems kind of harder than the others, much faster.
Well, when we first began, we were definitely influenced by Sonic Youth and Black Flag, but we're much more into melodic stuff now, which reflects in the songs we're writing. Playing loud music is just an easy way to get your ideas across, and it's much harder trying to write really good melodies. There's still a noisy element to it, but we've become more articulate. British press is constantly trying to make a scene out of nothing, and in 'brat-pop,' they just put all the young bands together, regardless of the sound. It was so hilarious.