YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN LA'S FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD EMO BAND: GOOD TERMS
Photo: Casey Chen IG: @lyingawakeatnight / (@goodtermsband) From Left: Ivan (@ivanbarry13), Geo (@_bygeo) , Zach (@zachjboucher), Brian (@newsgit)
It's a beautiful quarantined evening, and all four members of LA's Good Terms sit with me and discuss their latest artistry over Zoom. Dressed in a tye-dyed long-sleeved tee and old skool Van's, guitarist and vocalist Zach Boucher sits on a chair next to his long time pal guitarist and vocalist, Ivan Barry. The guys snuggle up on a couch that is placed in front of an acoustic piano. Lead vocalist and guitarist Brian McShea sits cross-legged with an acoustic guitar on his lap. He plunks on the guitar as they all get comfy in their East Hollywood home, with bassist and vocalist Geo Botelho casually sprawled at the end of the seating arrangement.
The quartet identifies themselves as your “friendly neighborhood emo rock band”, and at first glance, they are exactly that. It doesn’t take long to notice the guys have a deeply rooted brotherhood. There is a safe space and honesty within each member. This is a comfortable set up for them, as they often credit their band's success to their friendship and the conversations they have on that very couch. These guys aren’t strangers to the music industry. From touring and writing sessions, to stage management and studio engineering, they individually have maintained steadfast careers in almost every facet of the industry. The band truly embraces a D.I.Y spirit and continues to optimize its craft as an independently managed band.
Throughout their accolades in the industry, they seem to have had one thing moving in constant motion: the support of one another. Members Zach and Ivan grew up in Northern Virginia, going as far back as childhood. Zach and Ivan embarked on their first creative endeavor with a middle school band charm-fully named "Llama X-ing". The guys laugh at this buried fun fact dug out of Zach and Ivan's youth. Geo excitedly proclaims, "NO WAY, I DID NOT KNOW THAT!" Brian, a few years younger than Zach and Ivan, met at a music camp where he blew away the camp counselors with his guitar skills. Skipping meals to jam, Brian inevitably won the heart of Zach, a camp counselor at the time.
As the guys pursued their musical dreams, Zach and Geo attended the prestigious Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. The two participated in a myriad of musical groups that helped them gain experience, knowledge, and a platform to network. After Berklee, they journeyed away from Bean Town and into the Los Angeles sun. A common professional choice after Berklee is to choose Los Angeles, New York, or Nashville to pursue a career. A mutual friend of Zach and Ivan was attending USC at the time, and Geo had already moved to Los Angeles from Berklee, so it was only natural that the boys ended up in the City Of Angels. However, in the early stages of their California journey, their city was one angel short with member Ivan Barry residing in Charlottesville. Running a distillery and eager to pursue his musical dreams, Barry decided to make a change. In 2019 the boys all came together as an official group. Finally reunited after all this time, they were ready to embark on their newest project, Good Terms.
When asked what inspired their choice in the Emo genre, Zach answers without missing a beat, "um, I mean... daily life". The group breaks out into laughter, bringing a whole new energy into the room. "It wasn't inspired as much as it was dragged out of me", Zach continues. "This was sort of my initial brainchild but I always wanted to make a band with my best friends which is what we have." The guys all look at Zach fondly with a smile on their faces, revealing a small preview of the love and affection they have for one another. Zach contributes a lot of his influence to one of his favorite band's Periphery, an American progressive metal band formed in Washington, D.C. Periphery is considered one of the pioneers of the djent movement within progressive metal. But settling on the rock genre didn’t happen right away. Zach had tried other genres in his past, "I tried making terrible hip hop music, that's what Ivan and I tried to do in High School. I've played with my friend who's a pop artist and she's doing super well. All of these things gave me a good experience, but I was like 'this isn't me'. Every time I felt kind of like a liar. This isn't in my heart and I knew what was." Zach takes a beat and glances down at his shoes as if to reflect. "Really we're just a rock band and that's the brand term that we decided to use."
Each member’s musical taste ranges far and wide. Geo has a great love for Boston hardcore and Brian expresses his passion for the contemporary alt-rock band Fall Out Boy. "I didn't use to like anything new", says Brian. "It wasn't until [Fall Out Boy] went away that I gave them the time and I was like, 'this is everything'". He continues to list other influences and mentions American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. "She's a genuine vocalist, you're not listening to an old jazz record, you're listening to Ella, a person”. Brian hugs his guitar and you can see a sparkling glimmer in his eye as he continues to make a statement that perfectly sums up the emo culture: “And that's something I really want to do. Whatever that means in emo music. I want to transcend a genre or singing style to show an honest, emotional experience that the other person on the other side of the speaker feels and gets." Ivan proclaims himself to be the 'resident sad boy ' of the group. Claiming artists like Hot Mulligan, The 1975, and Phoebe Bridgers as some of his favorites. He says that he's moved by "anything extremely heartbreaking lyrically". However, there's one band that takes the cake for all of them, and that's California pop-punk band The Story So Far.
Zach digs a bit deeper into his influences, taking us all the way back to his Warped Tour days. "I'm definitely like, the most heavy-music-loving of all of us. Underoath is my all-time favorite band. They’re what got me to think, 'oh you can just do this?'" The guys chuckle, thinking fondly on the time they too came to that epiphany. Zach continues, "When I was in 8th grade I went to Warped Tour and it was like going to Hogwarts and like, discovering that magic is real! I immediately went home and listened to their song "Reinventing Your Exit" and that opened pandora's box. That's the feeling I'm always chasing: it's heavy and intense but the lyrics hit home. You just have a feeling when you listen to it. You wanna sing along and dance in your room, that's the foundation of what I want to do".
“All of these things gave me a good experience, but I was like 'this isn't me'. Every time I felt kind of like a liar. This isn't in my heart and I knew what was”. -Zach
Photo: Brian Robert Jones IG: @brianrobertjones / From Left: Geo, Ivan, Zach, Brian
Publically, Good Terms has been an official band for only a month. The four of them had been writing together as far back as 2017, and they became an official unit in December of 2018. After much anticipation, 2020 arrived and the boys were ready to hit the road and bring their music to the stage. Unfortunately, their plans were canceled due to COVID-19. "We're figuring out how to release our big batch of songs", says Zach. "We tracked everything, hired our friend Brendan to play drums, Geo mixed all the songs, our friend Allan Douches mastered it and we have a total of 9 songs that aren't released".
As far as writing goes, Ivan says it's "extremely collaborative, everyone puts in on music, everyone puts in on lyrics". To some, that process is incredibly daunting and stressful. The thought of everyone having a direction for each song can seem like a breeding ground for possible conflict. However, Zach reassures us that their writing process is incredibly healthy. "There are sometimes where you can tell who started a song, but then it goes through everybody, there's no majority rule. If somebody doesn't like something we work together to see if everyone is cool with it. That's the freedom we have because we record ourselves and Geo makes my 'okay' production sound way better than it is", he says with a smile on his face. They take this teamwork mentality into their performances as well, "Someone will play the lead when they're not singing, or two will double the rhythm. If someone is singing a lot, they won't have to play a difficult guitar. We switch a lot", says Zach.
The name Good Terms seems like the quintessential emo rock name, but surprisingly, it took a while for the band to settle on it. "We went through like, 60 names," Ivan says. "We just toiled over it forever." With a giggle, Zach chimes in saying, "I'd love to say we had some sort of profound meaning behind it, but we just had a bunch of names! We gave ourselves a deadline and we were just called 'the band' for a while". The boys go through a list of ridiculously funny pseudo names and stated that they were constantly running the risk of settling on a joke. They didn't feel like Good Terms was right until they were together for a photoshoot, and bassist Geo proclaimed, "Guys, I like our band name". The guys laugh admitting that they all initially thought the bassist was being facetious, when in fact, he meant it. The rest of the guys sank into the name and ultimately with time, it felt right.
Since August, the band has been releasing a myriad of singles beginning with their first debut single "Wither Away". The single is upbeat and jam-packed with dueling guitars, poppy lyric structure, and screamed vocals. The single was born out of the desperation the guys felt from wasting their early twenties living lifestyles that routinely depleted their creativity and inspiration. “Wither Away” is meant to inspire you. It’s meant to motivate you to get up out of your dreaded nine to five and go out and pursue your dreams. Zach wrote most of the lyrics, but says that "Brian added the most important line of the song, 'What happened/ What happened to me?'", stating that that's exactly what he wanted to say all along.
"I was working at a record company at the time and I felt like I was a liar, this wasn't me", says Zach. Ivan piggybacks on that and says, "I moved out here 2 years ago and everyone else did not. I was just like, what am I doing?! I don't have any peers my age, and every time I open my phone I see everyone else doing their thing and I was truly miserable". All of the guys look fondly at the band member, exuding their gratitude and respect for him. "It feels strange to be dramatic about," says Zach. "It comes from such a place of privilege to be like 'oh I have a job that pays me a decent wage and I don't like it'. Obviously, there are people who are going through far worse situations than that, but you know..." Ivan interrupts by saying, " It's crazy to do the thing you were told everyone's supposed to do for so long, and then you get to the top and you think I thought everything would change! And you realize it's all just a big sham!" The guys all nod in empathetic agreement. Ivan concludes his thought by saying, "No one would be happy if I didn't take this chance". A pause dances through the room. A sense of conviction is established and we reflect on our own journey that’s led us to this big comfy couch in their East Hollywood home.
"I remember there was an artist that we were recording at the label I worked at", Zach begins, "They needed an acoustic guitar, so I brought one and the artist asked why I had the guitar and I said “Oh yeah, I used to be a musician”. As soon as that came out of my mouth, I realized I gotta make a change." All four of them have a pretty big soft spot for the guy stuck in his nine to five. When asked what their biggest piece of advice is for that 'guy' stuck at his desk, the band says, "Literally, be like Shia LaBeouf and 'JUST DO IT!'" The guys laugh, "whatever it is you want to do, just stop complaining, stop wishing, and literally do it." Ivan takes a moment to speak to the main insecurities that hold a person in an unhappy place; "you're not going to make a change if you don't just do it. Most people will take security over what they actually want, and now it's like 'you have to do it'". Implying that you have to sometimes put yourself in a place where you have no other choice but to make it work. Together they reach the bottom line, "I get it, it can be hard. But just do it".
“No one would be happy if I didn't take this chance.”-Ivan
Their second single, "All I Can" does not disappoint. The hook will be stuck in your head all day, it’s filled with catchy guitar licks, roaring bass lines, and of course, it wouldn’t be a Good Terms song without screaming. “All I Can” is dedicated to their partners who love them despite their chaotic musical lives and frequently anxious demeanor. "There are few things more difficult than accepting that your dreams and the reality of achieving them will directly conflict with the ease and success of your relationship", says the band. "'All I Can' is a plea for patience, a promise for the future, and the belief that there can be more to a long-distance relationship than just asking your partner to wait for you".
Diving into the process, Zach reveals that “All I Can” had a co-writer outside of the band. Their similar relationship status of having to tour all the time without their partner gave them the inspiration for the song. "My best friend Sam DeRosa and I wrote this together based on a common experience we were both going through. My girlfriend was in college at the time, and the same with Sam and her relationship. It was like, this is me being at my best, and it’s the only way I know how to do it. If you know what that thing is for you and you're on that path, let me help you and let’s find it together”. He emphasizes that keeping a relationship strong while on tour is much harder than it seems, “this is the journey of happiness that we are on together and unfortunately, mine takes me away from you in the present time. But I have the big picture in my head, and that's what this is all about." The band lets out a mutual, soft sigh, and Brian chimes in. "Love is sacrificial. And we all make certain sacrifices for our partners. I think if we needed to, we probably all would sacrifice this stuff. I'll do anything for the person I love. But it will eventually crush me not to do this. To not love myself to the fullest extent… it's better for our relationship if I nurtured this." Ivan swoops in with passionate conviction, "it goes to both sides. We talk about how our partners need to see their own dreams through because in the end, if we're both steadfast in who we are and have that solidarity by ourselves, we are even more solid together".
The guys all have such a healthy understanding of their romantic relationships and their friendships with one another. But admittedly, they all agree that's no small feat. Brian adds the cherry on top stating, "yeah, it's about love". With lyrics like, “‘Cause I promise later on/ When these times are done and gone/ And life plays out the way we planned/ I’ll give you all I can”, we can feel the love. The music video for "All I Can" is for the light-hearted, canine loving rocker in all of us. "The first video that we did was for "Wither Away", Ivan says, "and that was basically all B Roll we took from the studio. 'All I Can' was filmed in April when quarantine was at it’s most max lockdown state, like, TP was still nonexistent. We thought, how fun would it be if we took the song from the perspective of a dog? Like, the dog waits around for his owner wondering if they'll ever come back, and you're thinking 'when I get home I'll give you all I can'".
“Love is sacrificial. And we all make certain sacrifices for our partners. I think if we needed to, we probably all would sacrifice this stuff. I'll do anything for the person I love.”-Brian
Their mental health is reflected as a whole in their latest single, "Light At The End". The single is the band's greatest attempt at "keeping it together” despite the current state of the world. "When faced with periods of declining self-worth, financial hardship, and disillusion with adulthood, happiness can feel like a destination that is impossible to reach", says the band. "Especially in 2020, the path that we once hoped could take us there has become increasingly difficult to visualize. In “Light At The End”, we remind ourselves that when life continues to offer nothing but defeat and despair from every direction, we must believe, even blindly, that things can get better". The single is "the most recent song written in this batch" says Ivan. “Light At The End” is a song full of questions and no answer. There’s a sense of desperation in attempts to accept care. Fully equipped with Brian’s screaming, an epic breakdown at the bridge, and pristine bathroom-recorded gang vocals, it’s truly a shiny gem birthed into the world of emo rock.
"I made this skeleton of the track because I hadn't made something in a while." Says Zach. "It was me, Brian and Ivan sitting in this exact room. Ivan wasn't living here yet but he was in town. I showed them the vibe, we put on a voice memo and we just talked for hours. I still have the voice memo, that's how we write most of our songs." The trio began discussing how they felt mentally, and Ivan admitted that he was "miserable", fumbling through whether or not things would get better for him. After some explanation, he made a passionate confession, "You know the light at the end of the tunnel? I don't need to see it, I just need to know it's there". Zach jumped up in excitement, pointed at Ivan, and said, "THAT! THAT'S IT!"
"I feel like I write songs for this band that could only be for this band," says Brian. "I wouldn't have written a song about a dark time like that for just any other band. Something about this band just draws these things out of me". A mutual nod is shared with a profound gaze from his fellow brothers in song. Zach digresses, "that's not to say that we write negative and purely cathartic things. But the thing is, we are always searching, and we want to be as honest as possible. We want to tell the story of what we've been through in the most unfiltered way because that's what we want to hear."
The band says their writing process can be quite therapeutic. Summoning their bassist Geo to admit, "therapy is... the best thing I do. Everyone should do therapy". They admit that when they talk things through together as a band, whether writing or not, it helps them honestly understand themselves in a deeper way. "Good Terms is about what all of us are dealing with", Zach says "collectively and individually". Brian stops playing the guitar and says, "these are important things that everyone should be thinking about. They should be thinking about their own mental upkeep, their decisions, and the paths they choose to take in this life. We want to provide an environment to help you healthily address yourself and celebrate yourself". With bright eyes, Brian returns to lightly plucking his guitar. Zach nods in agreement adding, "and love yourself in the process, despite."
With lyrics like, “Is my lack of faith misplaced?/ Have I caught up to my mistakes?”, you may draw the conclusion that this song comes from a spiritual place. But the band seems to have a faith comprised not of a supernatural source, but a faith made from the combined love and support of those surrounding them. "I would not call myself a spiritual person", says Ivan. "But there's a certain kind of faith I have in myself and I need to make the decision to believe what everyone else says they see in me. I need to fight the lies I tell myself". His voice becomes passionate and poignant. "Bottom line, I can't believe that the people who believe in me are good people, but also think they're lying to me. It’s either one or the other. If I trust their opinion, then that's where my faith comes from. For me, my faith and hope is derived solely from the network of people that I choose to be around". The band all look at Ivan with a smile and open heart. "You have the capacity to make yourself happy. What I think we can offer people with this song is being positive despite negative circumstances," Zach adds.
The band considers “Light At The End” as the perfect third single "because it’s the most collaborative" says Ivan. Brian’s vocals specifically shine through in the song. His voice goes from screaming to flawlessly singing all on the same word, "up". "There is a way to scream, but I will say it took like, a year being in rush hour traffic until I eventually figured out how to do it in a way that doesn't hurt -- and most of all sing well after it," says the vocalist. “‘Light At The End’ was the first song we used the screams for", he continues. "And then we had to go back and replace all the screams after he did it, cause they sounded so good!" Zach adds. "If you can do a 'Marge Simpson'”, Brian says, "you can scream!" Ivan digresses, "It's vocal fry and compressed rage!" Geo chimes in, "If you have Dad stuff, that helps. But! It's not as heavy as just like, childhood trauma!" The group lets out a burst of boisterous laughter, and we are once again swooned by the beautiful and honest friendship that makes this band so great.
“We want to tell the story of what we've been through in the most unfiltered way because that's what we want to hear.”-Zach
Photo: Casey Chen IG: @lyingawakeatnight / From left: Geo, Brian, Zach, Ivan
Good Terms is excited to release the video for "Light At The End", a long-awaited cinematic treat based on the popularity of their previous videos. "We just rented a place for 6 hours to film the video, and they had a wedding dress. Geo just put it on”, laughs Zach. Geo begins to laugh and continues, "I think I tried on... there were.... two wedding dresses? It was so hot! I found a silk one and I ended up in it for hours. I love that for us, and mostly for me when it was 98 degrees!" The conversation pauses as the guys all let out loud and joyful laughter. Zach takes a moment to be honest, "It shows how intense we can be and how intense we feel about one another. It also is like, dude, you gotta just jump around with a guitar and put on a dress because who cares, it's fun!" That’s exactly what the video is, fun! From sucking on ring pops and dramatically fanned hair to musical chairs and of course, Geo’s fashion choices, the band has you smiling the whole time. Laughing along with them is a long time buddy who, coincidentally, is also named Brian. Brian helps the band with their creative content. All together they combine the forces of a Nikon camera, GoPro, and phone capabilities to make everything come together.
Brian sets his guitar to the side again and says, "Overall, a big part of all this is… this!" Brian leans over to his right and wraps himself around Ivan, giving him a huge bear hug. Ivan happily accepts the love and Brian enthusiastically adds, "But also, OPEN UP THIS F%@!NG PIT!" The group laughs. "If someone wants to cry along, you can do that. If someone wants to punch a wall, you can do that too!", Zach says. Good Terms is there for you when you can't see the light. Good Terms is there to jump in the pit with you and help you find the way out. They want to remind you that in the darkest of times, you are loved and that you’ll laugh again. But most of all, they want you to know you have a friend in them. Ivan says, "Hopefully when anyone hears it's like, yeah man we are right down in it with you, you've got a friend in me".
Photo: Casey Chen IG: @lyingawakeatnight / From Left: Ivan, Geo, Zach, Brian
Special thanks: Photography Casey Chen, Brian Robert Jones/Introduction Ryan Ainsworth/and “The Guys of Good Terms” Zach, Ivan, Brian, and Geo.