In this installment of Soundcheck we’re highlighting post-rock/screamo outfit Enta. After a couple of EPs and a little lineup shuffling, the band is settling into a new groove and preparing to present something new and improved. The band took some time out to talk to us about where they have been and where they hope to go as a band.
Smile Politely: How did you guys come together as a band? Were you friends before or did you meet through a mutual interest?
Daniel Lee (guitar, vocals): Nick, Andrew, and Sean used to play in The Diamond Stretch and my old band used to play with them a lot and that helped me acquaint myself with them a little bit.
Nick Brannock (guitar, vocals): We played a bunch of shows together and actually put out a split with both of those old bands. Once those bands split we were pretty much like, ‘Let’s do a new thing.’ So me and Dan started Enta with Nelson (Cowan) from Hank., then he left and Drew took over for him. Then our old bassist Andy left a couple of months ago and Sean replaced him. That is where we are now.
SP: Are any of you guys in other projects now, too?
Sean Hermann (bass): I play bass for Earth Witch with Nathan Landolt from Error Records and Ivan Catron from Dino Bravo.
Lee: I’ve been working on some solo acoustic stuff, but that’s not really a thing.
SP: So you put out a split EP with Strangers Now recently, is that your only release?
Brannock: No, we had an EP before that.
Lee: We had a digital release of a five-song EP (Hello World) that was with all of our old members. But that’s it, just those two.
SP: The split EP was put out on Skeletal Lightning, which is your baby, right Sean? Is that how you got into the band?
Hermann: Yeah, I put out the EP, then shortly after they were thinking about changing bassists and asked me to join. I had really liked them, I was stoked on the opportunity so I joined.
SP: In this iteration of the group, what has been the most enjoyable thing you’ve done so far?
Lee: We’ve been playing out of town a lot, which is cool, and we’ve started a writing phase right now. Like any sort of new thing, with new members, you’re going to have a different playing style, so it’s been pretty cool writing. We all write together and it just works.
Andrew Pritchard (drums): Now we’re starting to write our first LP, so we’re definitely thinking about which song will go at the beginning of the album and which will go at the end. That’s not what we were thinking about the first time (for the EP), so that’s cool.
SP: Besides writing you said you liked playing out of town. Are there any towns in particular that you’ve had an especially good time in? Or any bands that you’ve liked playing with?
Brannock: St. Louis is a really good time. We play this place called Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and they’re always really cool. That’s probably my favorite place we’ve played so far, but we haven’t been there in a while.
SP: OK, so is writing the new LP where all of your focus is going right now?
Lee: Yeah, definitely. We’re taking time off shows, for at least three months I think.
SP: Do you plan on taking your material to a studio to record or doing it at home?
Brannock: That’s a little far off in the future I think. We’re actually recording another split of songs we wrote with Andy that Sean is re-recording bass parts on. So, like, we still have to finish recording that before we start recording the LP. Right now we’re just writing and trying to figure it out.
SP: What band are you doing this new split with?
Brannock: A band called Anodes From St. Louis.
Pritchard: We play with them like every time we play there…except the last time.
SP: How do the older songs differ from what you’re writing currently?
Lee: I’d say they are probably heavier and a little slower. What we did before was, I don’t want to say lighter…
Pritchard: The new stuff is just a little more heavy.
Lee: Yeah, also the stuff we’ve recorded is in a much higher tuning than what we’re playing in now. We’re playing in like C sharp, a step and a half down, whereas the older songs we were playing was a whole step up. It’s a giant change, pretty much.
SP: Now, you’re taking a couple months off, so when could fans expect you to resurface and start playing shows again?
Hermann: We don’t have a specific timeline, we’re just wrapping up some shows from the summer and not trying to rush to get the songs we’re playing now put together. We want to work our new stuff and blend all of our styles. I guess we haven’t quite settled in as a band yet.
Pritchard: We’re still coming together in this iteration of the band, but it’s going to be good.
SP: Before I let you all go, is there anything else you think it’s important for people to know about your band that I didn’t ask you?
Lee: We are hard working dudes who have DIY ethics. That makes everything a lot harder but a lot more rewardng. We all have jobs and school and stuff. On top of all of that we have this band we’re willing to put a lot of time and effort in to. I think that makes it really fulfilling when we have stuff we don’t want to do to have this band, which we do want to do.