MEET THE BAND ROCKING THE STAGE ON THE CHARLOTTE SANDS 'CAN WE START OVER?' TOUR: A CHAT WITH POP-PUNK DUO SENSES
Photo baby Alex Lyon
LA-based pop-punk duo senses, comprised of vocalist Madison Taylor and drummer Nick Sampson, have had many reasons to celebrate over the last few months.
At the end of February, they released their brand new single "Better Than This," which, while being upbeat, touches upon important subjects revolving around mental health and entering adulthood. Lyrically, it comforts the listener because it makes you feel like you're not alone; the song gives you hope that even through the toughest days, there are reasons to keep getting up in the morning and trying again. This is their first new single since they dropped their EP take me out of here last year.
They also spent 2023 on the road, completing three tours where they supported artists Leah Kate, Carlie Hanson, and Boys Like Girls. Now they are back at it again, this time opening for the Can We Start Over Tour alongside Cloe Wilder for Charlotte Sands. They will be hitting cities across the US during the next two months. We caught up with Madison to dive into the creation of "Better Than This" and get her thoughts about the tour.
Your track “Better Than This” is the young adult anthem we all needed. Was this track written about a certain period of your life and how do the themes in the song personally connect to you?
Well, the period in our life it’s written about is right now haha. We were talking with our producer just about some of the struggles we had been facing and felt like so many people could relate to them. Everyday things like paying rent, mental health struggles, trying to stay positive when things seem low. We just wanted to spin it on its head and make a fun carefree track even though the lyrics are more serious.
“Better Than This” was produced with Keith Varon who has worked with artists such as Joji, Travis Barker, and MGK. What was that collaboration like and in general what stood out the most to you in the recording/mixing process that you were surprised by?
Keith is so fun to work with. He really doesn’t settle and doesn’t stop until it’s right. We could be down to the last couple lines and have been there all day but we will keep going until we all feel that spark about it, down to the last word. He also just works so so fast. I remember recording vocals with him for the first time -- he just flies and I was doing take after take and I loved how fast-paced it was and the workflow. We love his process and how it gets done.
Photo by Alex Lyon
Being an LA-based band, does the city's culture and community inspire your music in any way? How so?
Honestly, it definitely helped inspire this last song for sure. LA is such an expensive place and even though it’s so big and there are so many people it can start to feel lonely and isolated. Everyone’s focusing on their own lives and careers and it can be hard to connect with people there. It’s such a great place but I think sometimes it can be very overwhelming. Now on the other side of that there can also be this community of artists that always just pushes you to keep going and keep doing your thing.
You're currently opening for Charlotte Sands alongside Cloe Wilder. Do you guys have any pre-show/after-show rituals you follow on tour? And overall how do you take care of yourself on tour physically and emotionally?
We like to give ourselves a good 20 minutes before the show to just kind of zen out and get into focus. Nick does some push-ups to get his blood flowing and I always do my vocal warm-ups before soundcheck to give my voice a chance to warm up but also rest right before the show. I like to space it out a little so it’s not just all at once. Since we do our own load-ins and merch, a lot of that process can be ritualistic as well. I love to go in and get the merch set up all nice and ready so that right after our set I know exactly where to go and how it’s all set up.
In general, on the road, we definitely make sure we are getting enough sleep and taking vitamins. Emergency-C is a big hit among the bus for sure. Other than that we just give each other our space when we need it and that always helps. We also drive ourselves so that can be a super meditative time too. Behind the wheel of this big bus kind of makes you zone out and get some of that much-needed alone time.
What song are you the most excited to play on tour and why?
We’re really excited to play our new single “Better Than This” because we haven’t had a chance to show people live yet and love that it’s a way for us to change up our set from previous tours and add new music. So far, in the last few shows, it's been really fun to see how much the crowd gets into it and let's go and dance with us.
What is one goal you hope to achieve as a band by the end of the year and why?
We would love to release a handful of songs throughout the year, and hopefully get on another tour! Touring is honestly the best way to get in front of fans and make more and more new fans. We love making that personal connection and bringing the music to life in front of people. We don’t ever grow as much in almost every way as we do when we’re on tour.
Photo by Alex Lyon
Thank you so much, Madison, for giving us a glimpse of your music and tour life. We are so excited to see senses live at The Echoplex Theater in Los Angeles on March 15th. It's going to be an exciting show! Keep an eye out on our Instagram for photo coverage of the tour! "Better Than This" is now available on all major streaming platforms, so don't forget to add it to your playlist!
To find out more information about senses and to purchase a ticket to see them live on tour visit:
