Mit „Talk About It“ veröffentlichen Grade 2 am 3. April über Hellcat Records ihr viertes Studioalbum. Mehr als zwölf Jahre nach den ersten Proben im Musikraum ihrer Schule auf der Isle of Wight verarbeitet die britische Punkband darin ihre Erfahrungen zwischen intensiven Tourjahren, persönlichen Herausforderungen und dem Erwachsenwerden in einer Band. Wir haben mit Sänger Sid Ryan über die Entstehung des Albums, die Themen hinter den Songs und die Entwicklung von Grade 2 gesprochen.
Frontstage Magazine: Your new album “Talk About It” feels very personal and reflects many experiences from the past few years. At what point did you realize that these themes – emotions, doubts, and growing into adulthood – would become the central thread of the album?
Sid: I think it happened quite naturally once we started writing. The last few years were intense for us, touring a lot, spending time away from home and going through that transition from being teenagers in a band to actually becoming adults with real-life challenges. When we began putting ideas together, we realised the songs kept circling around the same themes: communication, mental health, and figuring yourself out. Instead of fighting that, we leaned into it. It felt honest, and that honesty ended up shaping the whole record.
Frontstage Magazine: You started making music together as teenagers and have now been a band for more than a decade. How has your perspective on punk and on life in a band changed since those early days when you were 14 rehearsing in the school music room?
Sid: Back then it was just about the excitement of playing loud music with your mates. We weren’t thinking about careers or the wider scene, we just wanted to play gigs and have fun. Over time, our understanding of punk has definitely evolved. The DIY spirit and the sense of community still mean everything to us.
Frontstage Magazine: After years of intense touring – including shows with bands like Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, and even supporting Guns N’ Roses – you returned to your home island to write the album. How did being back there influence your creative process?
Sid: Going back home gave us the space to slow down and reconnect with where we started. Touring is amazing, but it’s also chaotic! You’re constantly moving and rarely have time to process anything. Being on the island again brought a kind of clarity. It reminded us of why we started the band in the first place.That environment allowed us to reflect on everything that had happened over the last few years. A lot of the emotion on the record definitely comes from that period of stepping back.
Frontstage Magazine: The album touches a lot on communication, especially the idea that many people – particularly men – struggle to talk openly about their emotions. Why was it important for you to address this topic so directly on “Talk About It”?
Sid: It’s something we’ve all experienced ourselves and seen in people around us. There’s still this stigma, especially among men, about being open with your feelings. We wanted to challenge that a bit. Punk has always been about honesty and this felt like a topic worth talking about. If the songs encourage even a few people to open up or start conversations they might otherwise avoid, then that means a lot to us.
Frontstage Magazine: The punk and hardcore scene is currently experiencing a strong resurgence, partly thanks to bands like Turnstile, Amyl & The Sniffers, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Soft Play, and Fontaines D.C. How do you view this development, and where do you see Grade 2 fitting into this new wave of guitar music?
Sid: It’s exciting to see guitar music getting that energy again. All those bands bring something different to the table, which shows how diverse punk and hardcore can be right now. For us, it’s less about fitting into a specific movement and more about staying true to what we do. We grew up on classic street punk and Oi!, and that’s always going to be part of our sound. But we also want to push ourselves and keep evolving. If there’s a new wave happening, we’re just happy to be part of the conversation.
Frontstage Magazine: Looking back on your journey from early local shows to major festivals like Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, what does the album “Talk About It” represent for you in the context of your band’s story so far – is it more of a transitional chapter or the beginning of a new era for Grade 2?
Sid: I guess it feels like a bit of both. In one sense, it’s a reflection on everything we’ve been through up to this point, the touring, the growing up, the lessons we’ve learned along the way. But at the same time, it also feels like a new starting point. We’ve become more confident in who we are as a band and what we want to say. So “Talk About It” kind of bridges those two worlds: it closes one chapter of our story while opening the door to whatever comes next.
Fotocredit: Christopher Bethell
