
Justin Furstenfeld is keenly aware that not all people are huge fans of his band, but hes OK with that.
Theres a broad hatred for our band, said the leader of Texas-born Blue October. I think the reason people like us is because we arent singing about glamorous things ... depression and things like that, divorce and custody battles. We pride ourselves on being honest with everything we do.
The group broke through with its fourth studio album, 2006s Foiled, but struck a weird ground, lyrically similar to angsty metal acts like Puddle of Mudd and Creed, while stylistically closer to Dashboard Confessional or the poppier side of The Flaming Lips.
Still, fueled by the breakout hit, Hate Me, Blue October assembled a fan base that embraces Furstenfelds powerful, personal messages.
That message grew darker, messier and all the more intimate with its latest disc, 2011s Any Man in America, written over the course of an ugly separation between Furstenfeld and his now ex-wife that lasted nearly three years.
It became a drain on my money and on the little time I
got to spend with my daughter. Still, to this day, its hell just trying
to create a relationship with my little girl, he said.
Theres
so many guys that are going through that same thing. Its a bonding
experience being able to share in that circumstance. Its like you are
walking on eggshells all the time.
The
battle brought a new focus to his professional self, and the album
benefited from Furstenfelds burst of creative energy and concentration.
I
contemplated each song as a producer and songwriter, he said. Each
song had its own storyboard, its own reason. The entire effort was
really thought out.
Through
all of heartache and introspection, Furstenfeld and company finally may
have emerged with a more steady identity. Hopefully, that hate will
start to wane, too.
It really touched the
critics hearts, and it wasnt so all over the place, Furstenfeld said.
They used to call our records bipolar. This one, we found our
musical niche.
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