Spring break. Austin, Texas.

Alex Sepassi and Justin Alvis meet through a mutual friend and bond over darts and Jameson. Sepassi asks Alvis to drum for him, but the offer was turned down due to school commitments. He stays persistent and asks again a year later. This time, Alvis moves down to Texas. Seven years later, and the band now known as Silver Relics can be found in New York City.

“Next time he asks me to move,” Alvis says, “he’s paying for the damn trailer.”

Sepassi was raised on British songwriters of the ‘60s and ‘70s but found himself stuck on an ‘80s influence, especially while recording their debut album, generic.

“The ‘80s influence connects the dots for me,” he said. “Especially with synth-oriented bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, New Order, etc. I listened to a lot of music in this decade while I was writing this record, so it's certainly a blend between classic and contemporary.”

Alvis’ background involves what he recalls as a tremendous experience touring with the Drum and Bugle Corps.

“12-hour days in the sun. Sleeping on buses and gym floors. Stink and sweat and some of the best times I’ve ever had,” he said. “If anyone doesn’t know about it, I’d suggest getting on them internets and searching ‘Drum Corps International’. Ultimately it informed my mindset regarding acceptable preparation for a performance. That whole ‘amateurs practice until they get it right; professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong’ thing.”

When it came time to create their debut album, their two backgrounds gave them the chance to explore their roles and how they play off of each other. They learned a lot about confidence and trust, and how those working conditions create a productive environment. They worked with producer Howie Beno at a rapid pace that gave them little time to second guess what they were creating.

“When you work at that speed you have to have a large level of trust in your team and in yourself,” Sepassi said. “And I think we all feel a large sense of accomplishment creating under those conditions.”

The message behind generic. is one that they won’t easily reveal, but one that they’re sure listeners will connect to and recognize as an emotion or time in their life that they have been through.

“generic. represents hope, desire and expectation among other things,” Sepassi said. “A place to escape without the feeling of abandonment. This record has a message. And it's there to mold however you'd like to make it appear to you. I want listeners to know I hear them too. That's a huge part of what I write so this isn't ever one sided. The conversations, experiences and thoughts we all share will find a way into the music.”