Inside 'BLISS': Harrison Gordon on Their Upcoming Album and Their Heaviest Songs Yet.
- TOP8 Scene
- Jun 18
- 5 min read
Photo: Chris Malchow
“Loud. Catchy. Ruthless.” Those are the three words Harrison Gordon uses to describe their new era.
Harrison Gordon is no stranger to TOP8 Scene, and with a new album on the horizon, we figured it was the perfect time to catch up with the band.
Fresh off their latest drop, ‘Not Working! Not Working!’, a track that aims at burnout, financial stress, and the pressure to always be doing more, Harrison Gordon has officially started a new chapter. The release came after ‘Pretty,’ which you know we’ve been spinning since it came out. Along with the new single came the announcement of BLISS, the band's upcoming album, which will be hitting the world on September 4th.
For those unfamiliar with them, we asked Harrison Gordon to introduce the band in the most accurate and inaccurate way: “We’re an Emo punk band from Normal, people can call us whatever they want though!” Harrison shares.“The most inaccurate thing you could say about us is that we’re a serious and mature band, we try to have a lot of fun when we sing our songs about suicidal ideation and capitalism.”
The band’s official Spotify bio says 'Harrison Gordon really, really needs this to go well.' With everything that has been going on in the last little while, including signing with Hopeless Records, going on tour, and now announcing a new album, we’d say things are going well, and Harrison Gordon agrees. “It feels like things are going really well! That line started as a joke for us, but it masks a lot of truth. We’re not very confident people; I especially am disgustingly pessimistic,” he admits, “There’s this feeling everyday like the floor is going to fall out from under us at any given moment, and I’ve put all of my eggs into this one basket, I have no practical skills, bad communication, could not get a college degree if my life depended on it, and certainly could not be trusted with showing up anywhere on time. That is to say, if this falls through, I am completely fucked, everyone else in the band is talented at a myriad of other things. I have no doubt they’ll be better off without me.”
A lot has happened since The Yuppies Are Winning, and according to Harrison, those last two years have been spent getting better in every sense of the word. “The biggest difference is just how much we’ve refined our songs, live set, and abilities as musicians. The Yuppies are Winning came out before we had really cut our teeth in the touring world, and so this past 2 years have been just all about getting good. Now I think we’re pretty good and this batch of songs is the best we’ve ever written, so we’re insanely excited to start playing them for everyone out on the road.”
For Harrison, BLISS represents a sound he has wanted to make since day one.“My two favorite albums ever are PUP’s The Dream Is Over and Weezer’s Pinkerton, so the loud, brash, and heavily distorted sophomore album has always been the coolest thing ever to me.”
Looking back even further at You Might Feel Lucky Now, Harrison has had time to grow, tapping into the sound he had always dreamt about. “Back when I wrote that first EP, I think I was scared/didn’t know how to approach the stuff I really wanted to make. I was so caught up in how I’d be perceived by the people around me that it definitely affected my art. I mean, at that time, the only people who were going to hear it were my friends and family, and almost nobody I knew was into the music I really was inspired by, so I think I diluted it a little bit out of fear of being too vulnerable. I think the teenage me would be really stoked that with ‘the yuppies are winning’ through now, we’re finally making exactly the kind of stuff we’ve always wanted to.”
If you’re just discovering the band for the first time through these new tracks, Harrison hopes that new listeners will feel seen especially with the songwriting on this project. “When I write the songs, my biggest ambition is just for people to connect with the stuff I’m feeling because it makes me feel less alone, and this record is all about being alone, so I hope it connects with them. Also, I hope the screeching feedback at the start of every song doesn’t make them turn it off.”
According to the frontman, the album plays on a theme that is connected to the name of the record. “It ties into the title, on the first and last song, there’s a reflection about happiness vs bliss and how this idea of “happiness is something you strive for” puts it out of reach for us, if you’re someone like me who’s probably only strived once or twice in his whole life, it feels like you’ll never be able to achieve that. The line “Bliss is good as I can get” is the thesis, in my opinion. If you can’t achieve the Sisyphean task of being happy and fulfilled, you sure can crowd your life with bullshit to keep you occupied. Algorithmic content, advertising, DoorDash, cigarettes, beer, weed, porn, pills, video games, online shopping, and comic books can probably fill the hole, right?”
Harrison describes the album’s first single ‘Pretty,’ a song about getting caught up in social media and losing touch with real-life connections, as the thesis track of the record. “The themes of that song are going to be prevalent through most of the record, which is why we wanted to put it out first. It also sits right in the middle of the track list. I spent an insane amount of last year looking at screens doing fucking nothing with my life, so when it came time to write a record, there really wasn’t a lot of heartbreak, interpersonal issues, or grief to write about: just a dull disconnection from everyone else, so that’s what I wrote about.”
One thing fans might not expect from BLISS? A ballad.
“It’s not super out of left field but definitely a kind of song we’ve never put on a record before.” On the flip side, BLISS is also shaping up to be the heaviest Harrison Gordon release yet. “The whole thing is also certainly heavier than anything we’ve made, like, every song is heavier than anything we’ve ever made, especially the closer.”
Another unexpected moment on the album is a track called ‘Buffalo Jim’. “[The song] starts with a little falsetto moment that is definitely uncharted water for us, as well as some cool rhythmic syncopations people wouldn’t expect. The song 'Oh God' is one of the most intense and serious-sounding tracks we’ve put out, featuring some blood-curdling screams from Kyle of the band ‘Excuse me, who are you?’”
It’s obvious Harrison Gordon is stepping out of their comfort zone as a band, and BLISS is shaping up to be the kind of record that could mark a major turning point for them. For the band, the real excitement starts once the songs leave the studio. When asked what they're most excited about surrounding this era, Harrison didn't hesitate: “To get out there and play these songs for everyone, truly can’t wait to see crowds respond to them once they're released.”
You can pre-save BLISS here.
TOP8’s Take:
If you know us, you know we’ve been spinning Harrison Gordon for quite some time. When you listen to Harrison Gordon, you can’t help but feel, and that's a big part of what we love about them, along with their hard hitting vocals (seriously – so good) and tunes that never miss. It’s Harrison Gordon’s year, and we couldn’t be more excited for September 4th to come around. Go hit play on ‘Pretty’ and ‘Not Working! Not Working!’ and get ready for more.
BLISS Tracklist:
Weirdo
Milwaukee Josh
Like Me Less
Not Working! Not Working!
Pretty
Scab
Sight of Blood
Middle Name
Oh God
Buffalo Jim
Bliss
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