Alternative rocker TENTILLDEATH has been quite creative with music, having not one but two acts, where they go into discussion about both! An array of material has been released, with more projects in the works currently, no plans to tour or show just yet, but someday perhaps! For now, they want to go on to release music, and have all follow them and let this growth consume all.
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?
There was actually two music groups I was part in and if it’s fine with you, I’ll discuss them both. If not, you can omit the one that’s not the main one. Originally me and my friend made a digital band called Flirting With Suicide. This name came from a sentence in a mental health book where the character described themselves as “flirting with suicide.” That phrase struck me in such bewilderment that I used that phrase to coin the name of our digital band. This digital band has been featured on all of my recent works except my latest album where that was all done by me. The name TenTillDeath comes from a concept I had in my head. It’s both the idea of being “ten seconds until death” and also a thing to do with age regression where some individuals may feel like they’re mentally a child while being an adult. In this case, feeling like a ten year old until my death, sarcastically of course.
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
I felt the desire to enter alternative rock in 2023 as a result of what was going on in my life at that time. I was coming off of a splitting from my ex fiancé and felt an anger towards the world that I had not felt up until that point . Being able to make the music that I grew up with just felt right at that time. Entering alternative rock did help me find a new passion for a genre that I shrugged off for years.
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
The members of Flirting With Suicide have known each other since 2020, and made music with each other as far back as 2020; however, Flirting With Suicide wasn’t formed until 2023.
4. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
TenTillDeath and Flirting With Suicide are based out of Cleveland, Tennessee. Cleveland, Tennessee doesn’t really have an alternative rock scene; however, the neighboring city, Chattanooga, has a community of punks and goths alike!
5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?
What inspires me to write songs can’t be contained to one specific thing. Like most people, I’ll normally write however I’m feeling at that stage in my life; however, music that I’m listening to at that moment in time will strongly affect the output of the project. So when I released my latest project, the Symphony of Suffering, I was listening to MCR’s the Black Parade, Pierce the Veil’s Collide With the Sky, the Damned, Good Kid, and the Cure. The pop punk melodies of Good Kid, with the overly emotional vocals of MCR can be heard throughout the project. Lastly, the artists I’m listening to inspire me to write songs. I’ll deconstruct their projects lyrically and become encompassed by their writings; saying to myself, “I’d like to try something like this but in my own music”.
6. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
My songs messages and topics usually vary by the project; however, most of my music dwells on sadness, internal struggles, doubt, and suicide. Many of my songs cover uncomfortable themes such as age regression, failing at suicide, social anxiety, and even the topic of rape. I believe these topics being discussed about in music form opens up a gateway for normalizing discussions on such sensitive subjects.
7. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Every song has been written by myself, with added input from friends or referenced lyrics. Usually one or two things will happen during my song process: 1. I’ll hear a song I like and want to make my own version of it. Or 2. I’ll start with a clean slate from an instrumental. If it’s not option one and we are making an original song from scratch, then that’s when it gets a bit interesting. I ask myself what does the song need to be about. Does the song need to be silly? Does the song need to be encouraging? If the song is a part of a story concept album, then I’ll find a way to make that song a part of the story itself. Lastly, we get to the actual song writing process. I will play the instrumental over and over again on loop, until I come up with a vocal flow that works. Then, I’ll usually test different lyrics I come up with and make revisions. So for example, we’ll take this lyric: “I’ve lost my soul and I’m dead.” I’ll take that lyric and practice it over the instrumental to hear how it sounds. Can I make any changes to it? How can I make this lyric sound even more confessional and emotional to listeners? That’s where revisions come into the lyrics to make them feel even more charged. I would take the above lyric and revise it into: “My soul’s far gone since I kissed death.” Other times I may even reference another artist’s lyrics for a line in my music if it fits with the song.
8. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
Currently, I’ve released a ton of Mexican-American hip-hop and gothic-post hardcore, alternative rock. The projects we released since we went alternative rock are: Trauma Ruined My Life, Death’s Revenge, and The Symphony of Suffering. Listeners can expect extremely emotionally charged and confessional lyrics between all three projects, on top of overly vulgar screaming. If listeners like the sound of MCR’s first two albums, gothic rock, and early 2000s screamo, then Death’s Revenge and The Symphony of Suffering are a perfect fit for those.
9. Do you have any new music in the works?
I currently have two projects in the works. I have a return to form hip hop album that’s mostly finished as I have seen tremendous support for my older hip hop work since I started doing alternative rock. Listeners in Mexico have been supporting me non stop in the hip-hop avenue since I quit hip-hop, so this is my way of giving back to them. My other project in the works is another theatrical pop-punk, post hardcore album that’s going to have layered vocals and even more screaming like the previous album.
10. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
At the moment, we have no plans of touring or playing shows just yet. If 2025 goes accordingly, we may attempt to do a live performance.
11. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
In the future, we’re hoping to collab with other smaller bands and at some point, we want to collaborate with TX2. If this can happen, I will literally fucking cry.
12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to Rojelio (TenTillDeath) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Bandcamp. We currently don’t have any available merch, but as we’ve been growing greatly this year, we may put out merch.
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