Until I Wake talks upcoming tour, release of Inside My Head, & more -exclusive interview

We had the opportunity to meet up with Riley Ridley from Until I Wake in an exclusive All Punked Up Interview. We talked about the band's upcoming tour, the recent release of their album Inside My Head, and much more.

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First, I wanted to congratulate you on your recently announced headlining tour, "A Tour Inside My Head," with Dark Divine and Catch Your Breath; how are you feeling post-announcement?

Thanks so much! We are extremely hyped over the tour announcement. To be able to hit the road showcasing our debut album in such a big way is such a great feeling that I don't think any of us really expected. We figured we'd end up hitting the road playing a handful of these tunes, and it would be cool… But, for the band just having started touring in the spring of 2022, and now being in this position is so sick, and we couldn't be more stoked to be hitting the road with Dark Divine & Catch Your Breath! 

What are you most excited about with this upcoming tour?

I would say what we're most excited about with this tour is being able to showcase our debut album. Also, to show to all of the fans of the artists on this tour that us up and coming bands might be relatively newer. Still, we're all going to put on one hell of a show every single night!

For those who may not have heard of your band, can you describe it for us? How did the band get its name?

Until I Wake is, as I like to describe it, a musical and emotional rollercoaster. We write our music with drastic changes in emotion, from aggressive lyrics to stuff that will really get you in your feels. We experiment with bits of influence from multiple different genres while keeping everything generally under the Rock & Metalcore spectrum, and we love to put on an energetic and exciting show for our audience.

Tell me a little bit about each member of the band and their role within the group?

Cody is the vocalist and lyricist of Until I Wake. Along with the band, he shares a common interest in switching up his style of vocals between screaming to singing & tossing in some rapping on the album (which I definitely think we'll experiment with more in the future) I (Ryan) play bass. I like to think I do pretty well putting on an entertaining live show for our fans. Outside of the live shows, I handle our social media, check on and respond to emails 80% of the day and organize a lot of our business & content that we create / release. August plays guitar for Until I Wake, and he is very much our gear guy. He makes  sure everything is in working order and running properly for rehearsals and for live shows is something that I think the entire band will look at August for! Alex is our drummer and designated driver. Not because the rest of the band can't drive… But everyone just feels a little bit safer when Alex is hauling us all around, hahaha! We all take shifts driving on the road, but Alex knows the road best.

What do you feel sets Until I Wake apart from other bands in your genre?

I'm not entirely sure if it's a genre thing or more general, but from what I've heard, something that sets us apart from other bands could be that we are super personable.  Throughout a lot of our conversations with fans on tour, something we hear often is how much people appreciate that we spend a lot of time with our fans. It's not something they've experienced much. I think this is something that may change over time. I'm betting plenty of massive bands out there started off the same way. Overtime I'm sure they get busier, and their day becomes more exhausting as it fills with business outside of performing their live show. Plus, being on the road for the majority of the year probably takes a toll on them physically, where they really need that downtime to chill before/after their live performance. I think that interacting with fans off-stage is something that we will continue doing for as long as we can. Although, if not in person, at least over live streams across social media!

What's the story behind your latest album, Inside My Head?

The title of our debut album, Inside My Head, mostly speaks for itself. Generally, all of the tracks on the album are based on experiences, thoughts, real stories, and fictional stories. Everything is essentially a story that will pull some sort of emotion out of the listener. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/album/5WItXKjIqfNPLL6yZEgxEk?si=orot3ZuoQYCGY-co1KlfTA[/embed]

What is your favorite lyric that you have written and why?

I would say my favorite lyrics on the album are actually a big part of our track "Legacy."

“Will the memories I leave the ones I love be enough for them to miss me when I'm gone? Live every moment like it's the last thing that you'll see. Put all your focus into the legacy you'll leave. There's no knowing when you and death will finally meet”

These have to be my favorite lyrics on the album because it feels moody and uplifting all at once with ultimately a positive message. Personally, it makes me really think and feel, and it just hits the feels hard. I've always thought about this to myself, and when Cody wrote it, I was like…

"damn dude. We really can't be out here wasting our time and not having a plan or something that we want people to remember us by when we're not around anymore". 

What are some of your favorite memories as a band?

Well… there are plenty. But, one of my favorite memories that I'll never forget is after the last show on our tour with Crown The Empire. We decided to park in a lot we shouldn't have been in. Got woken up to a squad of cops surrounding us, knocking on the windows. We were probably on a few hours of sleep, so everyone was like, wtf is going on?? Hahaha The cops started questioning each of us individually all at once. We definitely thought we were going to jail for sleeping in a random lot or something. After like an hour of questioning us, they let us go. So we started to drive back to the venue from the night before, and we noticed multiple cop cars following us. We're all confused as shit, just wondering what the problem is now. Once we pulled into the lot, the cops came up to the window and said they looked up "Until I Wake" on YouTube and really liked our music. They asked if they could take a picture with us… and now you can find this pic somewhere on the band's socials. 

What is something that you have accomplished so far in your career that you are most proud of? 

I think what we're collectively most proud of is that we have, in a sense, done everything right and in a decent amount of time. We released a bunch of cool music on our own. Got picked up by Fearless within the year that we debuted. Released a sick album with Fearless. No matter the obstacles and bullshit that get thrown at us throughout our career, we always seem to hold things together really well. We just remain genuine, humble dudes who are just trying to do the damn thing. While making friends and fans and playing shows wherever we're given the opportunity.

If you could set up your tour with any band or singer, who would it be and why?

If we could set up a tour with ANY band, I think that the number one pick would be Bring Me The Horizon. BMTH is literally untouchable and has done shit that seems impossible. Starting as a Deathcore band and growing to what they are now is insane and extremely inspirational.

If you could write a song with any band or singer, who would it be?

For this one, I'll stray away from my choice, which would've been Oli Sykes. I'll say what I think would be Cody's pick, and that is Vic Fuentes. I think Vic is a major inspiration to Cody. And I know Pierce The Veil has always been one of his favorite bands, if not his favorite. This would definitely be sick collab IMO.

If we were to get in the car with you right now, what song would you be listening to?

If my phone is connected to Bluetooth, it would be "Alone Again" by Asking Alexandria. But, if the CD starts playing, it would be something off of I Prevail's Trauma album. That album has been on repeat in my car since it was released, hahaha.

Just for kicks and giggles: if you could be any kitchen utensil, what would you be?

If I was a kitchen utensil, I would probably be the thing you stab the food with to check the temperature. It's a thermometer, but it definitely probably has a cooler name than just a "thermometer."

Is there anything else you would like your fans to know?

Until I Wake is going to be releasing the best music we have ever made, hopefully by the beginning of summer in 2023!