Exotype: A Band Without a Genre

When you think of Orlando, Florida you immediately picture theme parks, palm trees and immense sunshine.  Over 64 million people visit the area each year to take advantage of the seemingly endless tourist attractions.  What you probably didn’t know is that “The City Beautiful” has an active rock and metal scene that has produced bands across multiple rock genres including Matchbox Twenty, Trivium, Skrape, Sleeping With Sirens and Alter Bridge.  The band Exotype has taken advantage of the multi-genre scene by creating music that doesn’t really fit into one category, but instead reaches across several.  I spoke with Matt Browning (Guitar) from Exotype to discuss this and other topics.

Side Stage Magazine: Exotype has been called an “Electronicore” band, “Progressive Metal” band, “part Deathcore and part Dubstep” band and a “Metalcore” band. What genre or sub-genre do you guys believe Exotype fits best in? Is it even possible to label Exotype given the various styles that you have historically played?

Matt Browning: Most of the time I say electronic rock. It’s a pretty broad term, but I think it gets our idea across pretty well.

Part of the reason that people have a hard time deciding how to categorize the band is because your first record, Exotype, is self-described as a “… unique blend of melodic hooks, hardcore breakdowns, electronic programming, and catchy, scream sing-alongs.” With that said, is the new music that the band is working on similar or completely different and how so?

The new record will have all the elements of the last. We hope to take all of the best aspects of the last and revamp them into catchier, heavier songs, with more mature electronics.

The new record is due to drop in 2016. How many songs are completely finished? How many do you think are left to go?

Writing songs isn’t a problem for us. The hardest part is picking which perfect ones will be for the album. Right now we have around 25 ideas and plan to have as many more as we can.

Any idea what you might call the new record?

We have a few ideas but nothing set in stone.

When is the expected release date?

There is no date as of now.

If you could record any cover song as part of the new record, what song would it be and why? 

We were all recently considering Incubus, but we’re not sure if a cover is something we wanna do at this time.

Given the wide range of influences that each of you have, if you could add a member of any band to Exotype who would you add and why?

I don’t think we would add anyone. We have a great lineup right now.

You guys are going out on tour again in January on “The Imminent Destruction Tour”. Is this a full headlining tour or will you jump on with a bigger national band as support?

It’s a short headlining run. We’ve been wanting to go out with our friends in Like Monroe for a while now so we’re glad we could make that happen.

I’ve also read that “The Imminent Destruction Tour” will start with Exotype performing 24 straight nights in row! That is an amazing schedule. How will you keep up your energy and focus while traveling from your home base in Orlando, Florida up the East Coast as far as Rhode Island and then across the Ohio Valley and into Missouri playing 24 nights in a row?

It’s not too difficult. Just live each day as it comes and try to push every one else to be on their grind.

What would you like to say to all of the Exotype fans reading this?

We appreciate all you guys! We would love for those who haven’t seen us to come out to a show in your area!

Exotype embarked on “The Imminent Destruction Tour” on January 13, 2016.  Be sure to check out their Facebook page for up to date information or catch them at one of the following shows:

1/13/16 Atlanta, GA | The Masquerade
1/14/16 Baltimore, MD | Soundstage
1/15/16 Trenton, NJ | Championship Bar
1/16/16 Watertown, NY | Flashback Lounge
1/17/16 Brooklyn, NY | Black Bear Bar (21+)
1/18/16 Providence, RI | Simons 677
1/19/16 Kent, OH | The Outpost
1/20/16 Berwyn, IL | The Wire
1/21/16 Pittsburgh, PA | Smiling Moose
1/22/16 Greenfield, IN | HJ Ricks Center For The Arts
1/23/16 St. Louis, MO | Fubar
1/24/16 Kansas City, MO | Riot Room