Memphis May Fire: “I hope the concepts on this record encourage people to be themselves…”

By now fans of US metalcore outfit Memphis May Fire will have heard 80% of the band’s upcoming new album, Shapeshifter courtesy of a slew of singles dropped by the band throughout 2024 and into 2025.

Despite keeping the final tracks under wraps until the release of the full album, anyone who has heard the multitude of singles released to date will be fully versed in Shapeshifter and vocalist Matty Mullins exploration of resilience, learning to accept who you and what your flaws are.

For our latest Cover Story, V13 sat down with frontman Matty Mullins who told us how he hopes that their new album Shapeshifter can be the album fans turn to to help them through tough times…

Shapeshifter is out this week, there’s been a lot of singles drop over the last year which gave fans a good taste of what the record sounds like. What was the thought process behind releasing so many singles?

“We did the same thing for our previous album, Remade in Misery. The idea is to look at the current way that music is consumed and cater to how that’s happening. Singles are always the majority of the focus, and you can only do so much playlisting when you release an album of songs all at once and that’s the majority of the way music is consumed. For us to write an album that we don’t feel has any fillers on it and want every song to have its spotlight, we choose to do it that way.

It does take away from the element of surprise when it comes to a full album but is there any value anymore on the surprise of a full album except for the small portion of people that want to consume music that way? So, just looking at it analytically and wanting each song to have its own life, its spotlight, that’s the thought process behind it. To be honest, it’s been cool so far.”

You talk quite heavily there about the way music’s consumed and the way the way people digest albums and singles. A lot has changed in the music industry since you formed, especially in the last couple of years. As a musician, do those changes excite you?

“I don’t know if excite would be the right word. I love things to stay the way that they are, just in my personality, in general. When I was, you know, growing up… 5, 6, 7 years old, my grandma got new placemats on her table in the kitchen and it upset me. I think with so much of my life being crazy, the more that I can have that stays consistent, the better.

The reality is that it won’t, nothing will ever stay the same so for us to adapt and change is vital. Exciting… I can’t say for my specific personality if that’s the case, but we are aware of how quickly things change and how often they change and that we will not die as a band just because things don’t stay the way that we’re comfortable with them, you know?”

V13 Cover Story – Issue 085 – Memphis May Fire

Is that how you will approach writing music then?

“Absolutely. Who knows what it’s going to look like at that point but, whatever it is, we will do whatever is best for our songs to be heard by the most people possible or to have the biggest impact possible.”

You spent a good percentage of 2024 on the road and still managed to find time to release a bunch of singles. How did you find time first, and how did the writing process as a whole work?

“We would’ve done some writing in 2024, but we will make sure that we have written and recorded everything before it comes time to start rolling songs out. On this album, there was some mixing that was happening on the fly like when we released “Chaotic”. I was still mixing the remaining songs on the record as we were putting them out but once we’re on tour all bets are off for writing, recording, mixing, mastering, whatever. It’s just too much. We try to prepare in advance for what we are going to be doing when we’re on tour.”

The last single that dropped was “The Other Side” a song you’ve described as being about resilience when facing despair. Lyrically, is that a theme that is common throughout the album?

“Definitely. Resilience and also, the title Shapeshifter because the song is so finger pointy and I think it will serve its purpose as people who have dealt with two-faced people in their lives or people who have dealt with friends, family that have betrayed them or acted differently with this group of people than they have with this group of people. It’s important for that but, really, the ultimate focus for that song, for me, is to look at myself and to say ‘What masks am I wearing in front of this person, in front of this group of people, right in front of the general public, to our fan base, to my family? What is it that I’m hiding that I feel makes me unlovable?’

Ultimately I want to get to the point where we realize that we are allowed to be fully human, to be flawed, to be not perfect, and to still be fully worthy of all good things in life. I want that for myself and so naturally I want that for my fans too hopefully just being honest, forthcoming, and transparent in a lot of the concepts on this record will encourage people to feel like they are allowed to be themselves, that is the ultimate goal.”

Is songwriting quite cathartic for you?

“Absolutely. Conversations that you don’t even know if you’re allowed to have often become songs and that is the beautiful part about it for me.”

“Ultimately I want to get to the point where we realize that we are allowed to be fully human, to be flawed, to be not perfect”

Each of the songs has been released as standalone singles. Do they connect and what about the remaining tracks? Do they follow similar patterns regarding the themes?

“Yes. The remaining two songs on the album are so special to me. They were very intentionally left as the final two songs to be heard. It’s cool to think about people experiencing those for the first time, having heard the other songs, but not knowing how the album’s going to finish. Without saying too much, I want people to discover that for themselves. It is a special way to end the record and was an intentional thing.”

How much of the planning was done in terms of those two tracks at the beginning of the record when you started writing?

“The final track on the record, ‘Love is War’ is one of the first ones that we finished and one that we knew was going to be the album closer. When all is said and done the singles are out and this thing is packaged as one, this will be the final taste that is delivered at the end of the album. That was known even before writing some of the other songs.”

Memphis May Fire “Shapeshifter” Album Artwork

When you heard the final record as a complete package, what were your feelings?

“I think it was surprising. We’ve never been a concept album band so, to listen to it as a whole, it feels like it came together as something that works cohesively without us intentionally trying to do that. Conceptually, we knew where we were headed, but not that every song was going to work together then, once you listen to it as a whole, it does and that wasn’t something that we were trying to do. Maybe it was just because writing all of the songs in this season of life that we were in at the time makes it feel cohesive in a way that even we were surprised by.”

What do you think fans will take away from the record both musically and lyrically?

“Musically, it is the most exciting thing that we’ve ever done as a band. I’m proud of Kellen and what he was able to create instrumentally. Lyrically, I think the thing that I want to be taken away from this record is not that it feels hopeful but that it offers hope.”

I’ve never once in my life been going through something awful and had somebody pat me on the back and say, It’s gonna be okay and have that be the thing that makes everything okay. What I want and what I need as a human is for other people who have experienced similar things and have gone through other things to just say, I know how bad that is. I know how that feels. I want this album to be that.

I want this album to be the thing that people in the worst moments of their life go and they listen to these songs and say, ‘Okay, somebody gets it.’ That is the tone. That’s what I want the takeaway to be. There’s not a single degree of separation between us as the artist and you as the listener. We are both human, fully experiencing life as it comes our way, and I want you to know that you’re not alone.”

You said there’s no separation between you as a band and artist and fans, what does that feel like when somebody connects with what you do?

“It’s the coolest thing in the world. That’s the magic of music. Without that, we’re just making noise. When you feel a spiritual connection between you and someone that you’ve never met, that you don’t know personally, because of a song that was written, that is magic and that is the driving force behind why we even do what we do.”

We’ve also talked about resilience. The lineup of the band has been fairly consistent since the start. What do you put that down to and how has that helped you build that resilience in your own lives?

“I think there’s a lot of people skills that are developed on tour when you are confined in a small space with that many people for that long of a period. You just start to understand how people operate and you know what pushes this person’s buttons and what this person needs I’m an extrovert and I love being around people whereas some of the other members of the band need their personal space, need alone time, and need to get off the bus and go and just be by themselves.

I need that sometimes too but just understanding what people need and how to nourish that rather than diminish that is the secret to longevity. Even though this person doesn’t need the same things that I need, how can I be that for them? How, how can I do that for them? Respecting boundaries and making everybody feel involved is an important part of the whole process. That’s a valuable thing to do.”

“When you feel a spiritual connection between you and someone that you’ve never met because of a song that was written, that is magic…”

Knowing what presses each other’s buttons, and when to give people space, must help deal with challenges and difficult situations.

“What happens now is significantly less of a big deal than it was if it was happening 10 years ago or 15 years ago. You just learn each other and we learn how to overcome things together as a unit, as a band, and as a family. It feels like anything can be thrown our way we’re at the point where, as a team, we can handle just about anything.”

How have those relationships changed over the last 15 years, 16 years?

“I would say that fewer words need to be exchanged and that there are oftentimes we can just almost telepathically know how someone is doing just based on the environment, based on the feeling, the vibe in the room. You can almost read the minds of the other people in the band and what it is that they need and just naturally gravitate towards that rather than having to feel like you’re forcing something. We’re very much in tune with each other.”

You’ve also stuck with Rise Records right from The Hollow. Do you like that kind of consistency in the band then?

“I do for sure. Rise is family to us. We’ve always felt Rise has always made us feel like a big fish in their pond that we are prioritized and that they’re willing to take risks for us. That’s been a big part of our ability to grow as a band is to say, ‘Hey, are you willing to risk this for us?.’ They do that well. Sean, who runs the whole label now, was not even running the label when we started with them. He was on staff, he was just A&R so he has grown with the label as we have grown with the label. It’s more of a family-oriented thing than maybe most artists label relationships would be.”

Going back to Shapeshifter then. You’ve had time for it to settle in and for you to listen to it. What’s the overall feeling you get when you listen to it now?

“I’m proud of it. From the time that you start the record to the time you finish, it feels and I haven’t felt necessarily proud to be a part of some of our bodies of work but with this one, it does. From start to finish, I’m happy that my name is on this. I’m happy that people will associate me with this because it was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that went into making it and it shows rather than it being something that I wish I could explain every aspect of this to our fans. I don’t even need to explain it. I think the story tells itself.”

There has been a selection of singles coming out. We’ve talked about people relating to the lyrics and connecting with you, have there been any fan favourites and what are yours?

“I would say a song that I didn’t think was going to be a fan favourite would be Overdose which seems to be very much a fan favourite. A song that I think is the most important song on the entire album is “The Other Side.” You don’t know until a song is out how it’s going to connect but what I am certain of, and what I mean by not a single degree of separation, is that I am going through the same emotional and mental battles that our fans are experiencing and we relate on that. So, if I’m writing a song that’s about me, it very much becomes about them. It very much is just as much for them as it is for me and that is a beautiful part of what we get to do.”

On the subject of ‘Overdose,’ that was a track you collaborated with Christian Lindskog from Blindside on. You talked about him being a bucket list vocalist for you to work with. What was that like?

“Without knowing it, Christian taught me how to sing and scream. Those albums Silence and About a Burning Fire I was driving around in my car learning how to go into a note and out into a scream and mimicking the things that he did. To collaborate with him was a bucket list thing that I’ve always wanted to do so, having it finally come to fruition, feels like one of those bucket list moments.”

“If I’m writing a song that’s about me, it very much becomes about them. It very much is just as much for them as it is for me.”

Who else is on your bucket list?

“I can’t say. I want them to be surprised. I will say that we’ve had Jacoby Shaddix. I’ve had Larry Soliman. We’ve had Christian, and a lot of my list has been worked through so now it’s more so ones that feel even more out of reach that I hope we can make happen in the future.”

Just before we wrap up, at the beginning we talked about the changes in the industry and the way people digest music. Following the release of Shapeshifter where do you see the future going for the band?

“The only thing I can say is I don’t see any signs of slowing down. I think that we have a big future ahead of us because of what these last two albums have done. Remade in Misery and Shapeshifter are statistically our most successful music and that’s crazy to say this far in. I think that we’re on the right track to continue making music and just hoping that people continue to love it. We have no intention of slowing down. We have no intention of stopping. We’re going to ride this thing until the wheels fall off.”

17 years is an incredible achievement for any band, especially in this genre…

“I think that when you start a band, you might have some sort of ignorant idea of what it could be like. You just don’t know. But… if somebody 17 years ago would’ve said, You’re still gonna be doing this in 17 years,… Even if that was my hopes and dreams and aspirations, it’s still insane.”

What are your hopes, dreams and aspirations?

“I want to take this thing to a level that people don’t think that it can be taken to. I want to expand our fanbase beyond what anybody thinks is possible and write music that hopefully can help a ton of people more than what people think we can do. That’s the goal for us. We want to turn heads. We want to change people’s minds. We want to do things differently.

I’m sure other bands are doing the singles releases, but we were certainly at the forefront of that, one of the very first to be willing to take the risk and all of the backlash from doing it that way. We’re just going to continue to try to be innovative and continue to try to write the best music of our career. That’s the goal.”