While music can be an amazing escape from reality, sometimes it’s most poignant when you’re facing that reality head-on, refusing to let it define you while also acknowledging the scary effects it’s had on you. Such projects allow for a deeper connection with anyone who listens and a more rewarding creative process for the artists themselves, and that’s remarkably true on Joe Piotrowski’s new album, ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT. “Some things, they never change, even when you pray to God to make it go away,” he admits on the energetic “DONNIE DARKO.” ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT is an introspective journal of those prayers and the moments when Joe wants to change the narrative, ultimately seeing him rise above it to stand in his own power.
“I named my very first album that I made at 15 Catharsis because that’s what I thought I was feeling,” Joe tells TREMG. “The making of this album was a true catharsis in the way it helped me move past so many different and difficult things going on in my personal life that I was able to not only express, but convey sonically, which was something very important to me for this record.”
From “REVENGE” fantasies to reflective moments like “I Still Think Of That Night,” ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT covers each stage of the healing process in such a beautiful way that’s guaranteed to make you feel less alone in your own journey. You root for Joe to overcome his past and present struggles from the very first lyric, and his vulnerable honesty makes you feel like a friend he’s confiding in along the way.
“A big thank you to anyone who takes the time to listen, share the songs with your friends, or live with these songs in your lives,” Joe says. “There is a lot of media out there nowadays and to be able to cut through the noise to some people with my music is mind-blowing.”
You can find ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT on your favorite streaming services now, and get to know Joe Piotrowski on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter! Keep reading for more from our Q&A with this dynamic singer-songwriter.
Hi Joe, congrats on your new album, ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT! How does it feel to finally share the project with the world and see what fans think?
Thank you so much! I’m really excited, it feels like this album has been a long time coming and being able to finally share it after holding to so close to my chest for the past year has me really excited to see what people think!
There are so many amazing lyrics on this album, with one of my favorites being “you’ll never win because you never started this game” from “Hallelujah (We Still Sing).” Is there a certain lyric or verse that you’re especially proud of?
Definitely! Either “Sick of performance art / I need something real, I’ve been on the run for what feels like years / Since I lost my dog, I’ve felt nothing real. The hum in my head makes sure the weapons concealed” from “Color Me Blue” or the second half of “The Other Side.” I feel like both of those really sum up what the album is really about.
Another lyric that really stood out to me was “not gonna try to break the chains, I’m taking this feeling to the grave, I wish there was another way” from “Tell ‘Em All I Said,” which is the last song on the album. Was making the album a way for you to work on breaking those chains and letting those feelings out?
Absolutely, I named my very first album that I made at 15 Catharsis because that’s what I thought I was feeling. The making of this album was a true catharsis in the way it helped me move past so many different and difficult things going on in my personal life that I was able to not only express, but convey sonically, which was something very important to me for this record.
Which songs on ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT took the most and least amount of time to make? Were there any challenges you faced during the creative process?
The song that took the most time to get right was definitely “Revenge.” That song started off as an acoustic demo that was very similar to “Something in the Way” by Nirvana or an acoustic version of “Black Hole Sun,” but I knew I wanted it a little faster on record. The production came very quick and seemed pretty natural to me as this is the music I grew up on, but it was the delivery of the vocal I couldn’t figure out until I screamed the chorus which opened up a whole set of doors for the album. I had never sung on a song like that before. Getting Tendz on it too did the same thing, it made it a whole other song.
“I Still Think of That Night” was probably the easiest. I was in a fit of writer’s block for over a year and had recently gotten a new guitar and rig setup and was laying on my back playing in an open tuning and the chorus of the song just came out of me. The rest of it came very fast afterwards.
Which song on ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT means the most to you and why?
Either “The Other Side” or “Tell ‘Em All I Said.” Those songs are me flipping the script of what happened in real life and being able to change the ending and take back my own narrative.
One of the main themes I noticed on ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT is ghosts and feeling haunted, which comes up on songs like “Living With Ghosts” and “DONNIE DARKO.” How did that theme come about, and what does it mean to you?
Definitely by feeling trapped in the past, feeling like I was stuck somewhere physically and mentally that I couldn’t shake. The ghosts were given to kind of give a “face” to those things and people that were bringing me back to that place.
The album title and the idea of seeking something to drown different feelings out comes up on songs like “The Other Side” and “I Still Think Of That Night.” What made you choose ANYTHING TO DROWN IT OUT as the title? Which came first, the title idea or those lyrics?
The title came first, pretty much before I even had an idea of what this album was. But the phrase had stuck with me and I really resonated with it in what I was going through and dealing with at the time, the lyrics came later after I wantednit to kind of make a reoccurring motif throughout the record.
As a fellow My Chemical Romance fan, “Revenge” instantly reminded me of “Cemetery Drive” and their Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge album! What about their work has inspired you, especially for this record?
I’m honestly not sure if there’s a band that has inspired me more than My Chemical Romance. When I discovered them when I was 11 or 12 and first starting to learn how to play the guitar, they changed my life. They were my Metallica, I was learning their riffs and solos every day and playing their drum beats on my legs to and from school while simultaneously burning out all their CDs that I had. Their energy in their music and live performance is unmatched and that feel is something I wanted to capture for this album, the feeling you were actually at a live show.
You also added artists like Foo Fighters, Turnstile, and twentyonepilots to your playlist of the album’s influences, as well as softer songs from artists like Taylor Swift and Chris Stapleton. Were there different things you drew from each genre/vibe of music you were listening to while making this album?
Each of those artists in their own respects have influenced me and changed the way I write and thing about music forever. At the end of the day, it is the songwriting that I care about and each of those artists and groups have changed the game in their abilities and development over the years. It’s truly something I admire about all of them and strive to be like one day. But this album, I was definitely focusing on the heavier side of things, but that’s not to say there isn’t a Taylor Swift or Chris Stapleton moment here or there.
Inspired by “Color Me Blue,” if you had to assign this album a color that you feel matches its energy, which would you choose and why?
This album is red. A dark, fiery, burning red.
Our last interview was in late 2021, around the release of your Are You Still Listening? album. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since then? Has your creative process changed?
I’m definitely a lot more secure in my creative process and my songwriting abilities.
What can your fans look forward to in the rest of 2024?
More music and hopefully some live shows!!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on?
Just a big thank you to anyone who takes the time to listen, share the songs with your friends, or live with these songs in your lives. There is a lot of media out there nowadays and to be able to cut through the noise to some people with my music is mind-blowing.
By Madison Murray
Featured Image: Anything To Drown It Out Cover Art, via Joe Piotrowski
