If you went to college, you likely grew accustomed to long nights and even longer days, frat parties and tailgates and getting that paper you procrastinated finally pulled together. If you were a part of The Bends, you were primarily occupied performing early 2000s alt-rock covers with four guys who really just fell into the whole “musician” thing. Yet it completely worked out.
The Bends are an up-and-coming indie rock band that originated at their now alma mater, Louisiana State University, in 2023. The members? Hayden Field on vocals and guitar, Ian Marmande on guitar, Jacob Rhodes on drums and Chase Perkins on bass.
The group now calls none other than “Music City,” Nashville, their home, where they’ve been busy being thrown into the mix as professional musicians. Excitedly, The Bends are now signed to Warner Records and have just finished tying the bow on their debut album, If You Insist. Even more excitedly, the band heads out on tour right after the album release, which kicks off with a party back where it all began. It’s a big time for the guys, even bigger than booze-soaked benders and passing collegiate exams. Here, The Bends outline how they went from college kids, messing around and playing live covers of The Strokes, to landing on the mainstage—this year’s Lollapalooza festival, for one—and acing their first LP, out Sept. 18, If You Insist.
Hit Parader: You all went to college together at Louisiana State University. Tell me about how you guys became a band.
Hayden Field: Ian [Marmande] was definitely the impetus. He was the one who wanted to start a band and knew Jacob [Rhodes] from home. They grew up together and found Chase [Perkins] somehow in the dorms playing bass. Ian and I had a mutual friend who introduced us and told Ian that I sing and play guitar, so we kind of grouped together and started rehearsing. We were just playing cover songs around LSU, at bars and then at parties. We always enjoyed playing, and original music was introduced to the group. We started playing outside of Louisiana. One thing led to another, and that journey led us here.
HP: You’re playing house parties and bars, and now you’re performing at these major venues and festivals. What was that transition like?
Ian Marmande: The stages, although they’ve gotten bigger, playing a show is always the same vibe. You go in, and your mind turns off, and you just have a lot of fun out there on stage and do what you know best. It’s definitely more fun to have people singing the words to your songs rather than a cover song. I’d say that’s the coolest part of the transition.
HP: How do you think your relationship with each other has changed since the band began in college to now?
Ian Marmande: We started off as homies, and now we’re like brothers.
HP: All of you are currently based in Nashville. Do you find that’s contributing creatively to your work?
Ian Marmande: It’s definitely a music town, and we’ve gained a lot of cool connections out here, working with some very talented producers and a couple of songwriters. That’s expanded our horizons.
HP: How would you personally describe your sound?
Hayden Field: I know we all love ’90s and 2000s alternative rock, so I think that would be the most concise way to relay our influences. Also, being from LSU and playing parties and playing songs that people sing back to you, you want to make music like that—that people can really connect with.
Jacob Rhodes: The three things that I’ve learned about our sound are that it is nostalgic, energetic and youthful.
HP: How do you come up with the lyrics for your songs? Where do you pull inspiration from?
Hayden Field: I didn’t really pay that much attention to lyrics whenever I was writing music when I was younger, just because it was for me. For whatever reason, I was more intrigued and kind of infatuated with the music. But I would say whenever I was much younger, it was Nirvana, Chili Peppers. And then as I got older, I really loved The Strokes. And now these days, I really love and got into MJ Lenderman and Fontaines D.C. Some of that newer stuff is really cool. Lyrically, all those bands I pull from are trying to say something without being too literal, so people can apply their own experiences to what the song is about and feel a bit of ownership.
HP: If You Insist is coming out Sept. 18. What can we expect from your first album?
Hayden Field: It’s our debut album, which we’re super excited for. The title of the album goes hand in hand with what we were just talking about, how we formed the group with no expectations. One thing led to another, and we found ourselves in this position. We’re grateful to be here, releasing an album. It’s like, “If you insist, we’ll do it.” The stars align, and we’re grateful to be in this position. We’ve spent the past year pretty much with our heads down. Besides touring, we’ve been working on creating and finishing this album. We’re excited for it, obviously, because it’s our debut, and it’s our first big delivery to the world—we’re pumped.
HP: Do you think that there’s a song on the album that best encapsulates what you’re trying to say with If You Insist?
Hayden Field: I would say “Seasons Change.” The phrase “If You Insist” is from a lyric from the first track on the album, “Off My Chest.” But I think in general, “Seasons Change” is a song that is talking about our journey and changes in life. I think it encapsulates where we are and what we’re talking about on the album.
HP: If you were to make an album with each track featuring a different artist, who would those artists be?
Ian Marmande: I think we’d all say Julian Casablancas would be up there. I think we would definitely do Thom Yorke from Radiohead as well.
Chase Perkins: I would agree. I would say Jonny Greenwood, the Radiohead guitarist, too.
Jacob Rhodes: Josh Homme or Jeff Buckley. I always quote Jeff Buckley in these interviews because he’s my favorite.
HP: What excites you most about going on tour?
Ian Marmande: For me, it’s getting to meet a ton of new awesome fans and get to see some beautiful parts of the country that I’ve never seen before.
Jacob Rhodes: I’d agree with that. Also, we love playing music. Now we get to go on the road and play music. Seems like everything works out in my favor.
HP: Is there anything you guys are nervous about for your first tour?
Hayden Field: Gotta hope people show up, I guess. I say that a little bit facetiously, but I do think that’s true. I think if anyone’s honestly answering that question, you want people to show up. And that the van doesn’t break down. And we don’t forget the words to the songs.
Ian Marmande: That my amp doesn’t blow up mid-song.
Jacob Rhodes: That I don’t drop my stick halfway through a song.
Ian Marmande: That you don’t trip and fall on stage and twist your ankle.
HP: Is there anything else you want to share about the new album?
Ian Marmande: It’s full of bangers, so buy it, stream it. It’s going to be good.
