MEET: Trapdoor Social

words Jethro Bennett
photography Trapdoor Social

If you haven’t already, you need to meet Trapdoor Social - the indie rock band who truly care about the environment.

Environmental awareness is a hot topic of discussion in the world right now, as it should be. It is being brought to the forefront more and more and Trapdoor Social are using their platform to do the same, combining music with activism. It is something that perhaps has not been hugely explored in the music industry.

Based in L.A. and brought together in college, the band share a passion for the environment and performing. They created a solar trailer to tour with, putting on clean energy, solar-powered concerts around the U.S. The band also founded Sunstock Solar Festival, a solar-powered arts and music festival in Los Angeles, which ran for three years in a row, putting their message into practice. A wonderful synergy of music and activism.

Their first album, released in 2016, takes listeners on a journey with ascending vocals and high energy tracks with a powerful message. A perfectly balanced line between mainstream pop and indie rock, it is no wonder the band have a dedicated following.

Having already dropped three new singles from their upcoming album, ‘The Move’, ‘Truth’ and ‘Hold Me Down’, Trapdoor Social’s latest offering promises upbeat pop with rock undertones and bass synth riffs, a catchy, distinctive sound they have become known for.

Their new single ‘The Lie’ is out now.

We had the chance to ask Skylar Funk a few questions about their journey as a band and their much anticipated second album.

Before we get started can you introduce yourselves and tell the readers how you started?

Sure! Hey, I'm Skylar Funk (it's my mom's last name). I met Merritt Graves in 2008 at Pomona College - we were both doing environmental studies there but bonded over music too. Out of college a couple of years later, we decided to start a band and agreed that it should also be a platform to strive to affect change for a better future. Coming up on eight happy years later, here we are!

‘The Lie’ your new single for me treads the fine line of a new relationship, the will it work - won’t it work. Along with the bottling up of feelings and avoided big conversations. Maybe that’s just coming from my experiences. Can you tell us about your new single and what it means to you?

The Lie is near to my heart for a couple of reasons. First, it grew out of the first demo I made when I bought Logic and was long titled "Sesh1"... we actually almost left it with that name. Secondly, I find it particularly fun because this one has a dark twist, where a lot of our music has uplifting messages. It tells the story of a moment in the ups and downs of a relationship when one tells themselves that "this is gonna be alright" but... really just to hear the words. Not every story has a happy ending.

You are set to release your second album, has the process of creating this album differed from your first?

We worked with some different players, which is fun and keeps the process interesting. I love listening back and hearing the signatures of the different people that have been with us in the studio and on stage. We have some collaborative writing projects here (like Hold Me Down) and some more personal songs (like The Lie), though I suppose there's always been a mix there. We think it's a step forward but there are definitely a lot of common threads there... shouldn't be too unfamiliar to our listeners.

The creation of Sunstock Solar Festival really shows your enthusiasm and activism for the environment. How did creating the festival come about? And can you tell us a bit about it?

So, as I said, Merritt and I wanted the band to promote a message of sustainability and caution about some of the various ways humanity might accidentally/foolishly destroy itself and/or cause a profound amount of unnecessary suffering among living things like ourselves, our children, animals, etc. Well in 2015 we got our hands on a mobile solar generator we could drive around on tour and use to power a sound system, lights, and whatever else we needed to set up an outdoor music venue. We did this a little bit around the country and then returned to L.A., decided we needed a big 'ol hometown show, and honestly went off the deep end trying to create California's coolest eco-friendly music festival. We did it for three years in a row, which was very rewarding but also very difficult (I don't exactly recommend the festival organizer's lifestyle). Since the last one in October 2018, we've actually decided to give it a rest. It was a TON of work and we were losing money - less and less each year, but still way too much - so we decided to focus on music. I am hopeful that good things will come of this focus, and that we will find a way to get back into some serious activism again soon (besides our solar shows on tour)... These things seem to come in waves.

You are all passionate environmental activists. How has creating and performing music helped with this?

Hmm, that's a good question... Of course, Sunstock and the solar-powered shows on tour are a good crossover point between music and activism... but how much has that helped us? Not sure. To be honest, I thought it would help a lot more. I figured there were probably thousands of people concerned about environmental issues that would come out of the woodwork for Sunstock or these other solar shows... but I guess if they don't dig it, they don't dig it. So beyond that, we occasionally find some other bands who are fired up about this, and surely some of our listeners dig the cause... We've been gathering them over the years!

Do you have any plans for the rest of 2019?

A few! We have a couple shows coming up here around LA - namely the Hermosa Summer Concert Series on Saturday 8/24, and WAM Block Party 9/21 - and otherwise, we're working on releasing some more songs, and then we'll release the whole album before the end of the year.

You can find Trapdoor Social on Facebook/ Instagram/Twitter here @TrapdoorSocial.