Growing Through Love and Loss: Tyler Armstrong on The Band Feel’s Debut LP
Interview ★ C.L. Wages ★ @soundslikecl ★ 4 Minutes
Good morning, afternoon, and evening, it's C.L. back with another article. In anticipation of their first full length album release, I sat down with Tyler Armstrong of The Band Feel to discuss just what that means for the band. The LP, titled What of Now, released August 21st, 2026 is a wonderful introduction to The Band Feel and their sound. Tyler describes this album as "The most Feel sound they've made together."
(left) The Band Feel (right) What of Now album art, photographers unknownThe album itself contains 13 tracks and has a runtime of about 51 minutes. Four songs that were released as singles, as Tyler tells me, gives a good sneak peek into the sound of the album as a whole. As I am writing this I have not listened to the album in its entirety, but based off the four songs I have heard, those being Twice Alive, Better Days, Summer Song, and Stay Around, I can tell we are in for a treat. It seems as this album is going to have a great diversity of songs, from acoustic instrumentals, and heavier guitar, all the way to Summer Song that sounds a little ‘Bossa Nova’ to me. But this isn't an album review so I'll stop there and move on to my discussion with Tyler.
During this conversation, Tyler spoke about the creative process, and the differences between writing an EP and a full length LP. He says that with The Band Feel in particular, they don't sit and "jam together" as often as some other bands may. Because they live in separate cities, each member has the space for their own creativity, and when they come together, it's about fitting those puzzle pieces together to make something beautiful and uniquely Feel. He expressed that this physical distance between each member is what works for the band as it gives them space to come back down to earth, so to speak.
This was intriguing to me to say the least. A majority of bands that you see, just starting out like they are (in a way), typically live close together and are always practicing and having "jam sessions" to figure out their sound. Tyler stated being that himself and drummer of the band, TJ Steinwart, have previous experience of being in bands and participating in the industry, it was easier for them to kind of fall into a routine of sending things back and forth over email, text, or what have you. Tyler expressed that this space and routine was important to him, as it gives him the clarity and the distance to write before sharing it with the band.
The lyricism is mostly written by Tyler himself or Garrett Barcus, the lead singer. During this part of our conversation he added that a majority of their past songs are projects that have been written for years, and The Band Feel was able to come together to record and release them.
As for What Of Now, Tyler shared that most of these songs are new, a lot of them being written, recorded, and released within about a year’s time. Tyler shared that this aspect made this release a bit more nerve wracking as they haven't had a chance to perform the songs live as much as they have done for previous releases. He says these songs are "new to fans, and new to the band."
One of the things Tyler said during this interview that struck me as especially interesting, is that much of the inspiration for this sound came from other forms of media. He recounts finding muses in things like movies and physical art. From this point in the conversation, I asked Tyler if there was a message that they wanted fans to hear while listening to What Of Now. He defined the album as "growing through love and loss, but mostly love."
As we ended our conversation, I asked Tyler if he could name one specific guitar riff that encapsulates The Band Feel, a guitar riff that they've written, something they've taken inspiration from, or even a riff they just admire. He told me that the riff in Thousand Mornings, track one of What Of Now, is the most Feel riff they've written to date.
For his closing remarks, Tyler expressed that this album is shifting into something that feels more like them as a collective, rather than songs each of them brought from previous projects. He recalls the great response they got on the singles they released, and hopes that What Of Now will continue to receive a positive response. He said that this momentum they've picked up feels unreal, and that he hasn't quite taken a step back yet and seen just how much they've grown as a band and how their audience has grown with them.
This conversation was incredible. I feel lucky to have been able to sit down with Tyler and pick his brain about all things music, The Band Feel, and what's next for them. I would’ve loved to include our whole conversation as it was just an amazing flow, but unfortunately technology evades me and there is no sound in the recording.
On another note, keep your eyes out for potential tour announcements, and consider attending their album release party on September 19th, at Dreamland in Nashville, TN. Be sure to check out their instagram @thebandfeel to stay up to date on all things Feel.
Listen to What Of Now if you haven't yet and while you're at it stream their previous releases too.
