OTHERWISE and Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group have announced the release of a new studio album titled “Gawdzillionaire” on March 10, 2023. To kick things off they present the official music video for “New Way To Hate,” which can be previewed below.
Adrian Patrick shares, “’New Way To Hate’ is basically confronting the divisiveness of our current socio-political landscape in the world. Thanks largely in part to the slanted approach of mainstream media. It’s become quite obvious that fear is the tactic & unity is the enemy. Every click of the remote control, every publication, is presenting us with something new to be afraid of, something new to hate.”
“We’re bringing some serious issues to light,” exclaims Adrian. “Everybody is going through shit—whether it be macro and socio-economic or personal with their relationships. We needed to present it all in a bigger picture. At the same time, it’s fun—which is why we came up with this “Gawdzillionaire” character who’s present in us and all around us. We love video games, comic books, and super villains. Who controls us from within? Who plays the game we’re a part of? Who runs the cool kids table on planet Earth? That’s the “Gawdzillionaire”. We slip the message in there. We’re the type of people who are not going to give up on the message, because it has been instilled in us by our immigrant parents. We’re not going to give up on fighting the good fight.”
“After all of these years, the train is still chugging,” agrees Ryan. “It felt like a release to sing about this evil character who we see in society and business. We’re pondering what this crazy thing called money does to us as humans. Sometimes, aspects of society weigh you down so much. We’re flooded with content and numbers. We’re issuing a call to say, ‘Don’t just blindly follow’. Why don’t we all wake up and things might change.”
Pre-order “Gawdzillionaire” HERE.
During 2021, OTHERWISE assembled what would become “Gawdzillionaire” with producer Matt Good [Asking Alexandria, Hollywood Undead]. This time around, they “dialed up the attitude” and everything else for that matter.
“Honestly, we have lived every single note and each f**king lyric we’ve written,” Adrian declares. “We don’t have costumes or a gimmick. We’re just dudes on stage singing about what we’ve gone through.”
“A hummable bassline gives way to propulsive guitar on the single “Exit Wound” before crashing into a clean bridge as Adrian confesses, “I don’t regret all of that time I wasted. It’s all in your head, so don’t come at me.” “It’s basically a synopsis of what the rock ‘n’ roll pursuit has done to me personally,” the frontman reveals. “Because of rock ‘n’ roll, my life is over. My youth is over. Many of my relationships are over. I don’t regret any of it. Since it’s like I’m already dead, I’m living my life like an exit wound.”
On “Full Disclosure,” clean guitar snaps into a rip-roaring refrain uplifted by a bold declaration, “I ain’t like them other motherf**kers I’m a warrior.” “We’ve met people who are different from their stage persona,” observes Ryan. “It’s genuine frustration with people who aren’t what they seem. This is who we are.”
“To sum it up as a former business law major-slash-minor, ‘Full Disclosure’ is a legal term, and it means what you see is what you f**king get,” grins Adrian. Then, there’s “Failure.” It feels tailor-made for victory on the field—sports, battle, or others. Adrian’s kids sing “Failure is not an option” before the band charges to the finish line between gang vocals and the guitar slams.
“Gawdzillionaire” Album Artwork
“Our dad is an immigrant who became a university regent,” notes Adrian. “The crazy old pitbull used to say ‘Failure is not an option to us’ all the time like a mantra. I want to instill it in my sons. They’ll hear themselves singing it until the end of time. It’s a message for them to never give up themselves. It’s the next generation of our clan,” smiles Ryan. “They’re keeping this crazy dream alive, and they’ll hopefully find strength in what their dad and his brother did.”
The album culminates on a raucous cover of the Blind Melon classic “No Rain.” The band gin up the energy, and it pops off with punchy punk prowess. “We thought, ‘What would ‘No Rain’ sound like if it was on the Boondock Saints Soundtrack?’,” says Adrian. “That’s what we were going for.”
Simultaneously, OTHERWISE inspire change in the world at large. Ryan and Adrian lead the 501c3 Life By Music, which supplies music programs with instruments. The guys visit schools, initiated a partnership with Gibson Guitars, and even have created the Guitar Magic coloring book. “Hopefully, we’re creating an empowering environment where kids get the spark like I remember when music affected my soul,” Ryan goes on. “There’s nothing like seeing that. It’s cooler than anything we’ve done. It brings back the purity.”
In the end, OTHERWISE is winning this fight. “We have this karmic, eternal debt to our parents and our family,” Ryan leaves off. “I hope what we’re doing makes them proud. Their investment was never in vain. We’ll never give up. We believe we’re meant to be on the biggest stages. We’ll do whatever it takes. OTHERWISE is alive, and we’re kicking ass.”
