Semi Trucks: "'Georgia Overdrive' Brings the Rock and the Pain More Acutely Heard"

Initially beginning as a songwriting vehicle for Southern California native Brendan Sepe, Semi Trucks took shape during the pandemic, but didn't take long for his vision to outgrow the four walls and tape hiss. Fronted by Sepe and rounded out by guitarist-vocalist Finn Beard, bassist-vocalist Bronwyn Bradshaw, and drummer Ian Collins, the group's latest album Georgia Overdrive is a blistering, unfiltered transmission of pop melancholia featuring jagged guitar textures and heart-on-sleeve lyricism that brims with the spirit of spontaneous creation. The album marks the group's first full-band release, following 2021's Vs. California, a more raw, intimate lo-fi affair. In this interview, the group reflects on their unconventional formation, the full-blown rock epics behind Georgia Overdrive, and the improvisational energy that fuels their sonic intensity.

Hot Sounds: First, where did you all grow up and get into playing music around Los Angeles? 

Brendan Sepe: I grew up all around OC and spent some time in the inland empire, I got into music around 15-16 years old and had a high school band and we started playing in L.A. then 3000 (idk how many really) bands later ya know one thing to the next.

Ian Collins: I grew up in the IE and played around L.A. in various bands as a teenager. Spots like The Smell and Pehrspace.

Bronwyn Bradshaw: I grew up in San Juan Capistrano, a couple miles from the OC beach town where the band has its roots. Prior to the trucks, I had a summer long stint in an all girl punk band who recorded some demos but never played shows. Semi Trucks is my first real band. I didn't even move to la until one year ago- spent the first few years of the band driving back and forth for practice and shows.

HS: For our readers unfamiliar, tell us about the origins of Semi Trucks. How did it start and eventually evolve into a full band? How did you all meet each other?

BS: It started as a Covid era thing just and I was just recording on this janky 8 track, made the first album then Meritorio Records put it out to my surprise and just ran with it from there. Once the Covid restrictions ended, I thought okay cool time to get a band together play some shows. I met Ian in San Francisco at the Hit Gallery and Finn and Bronwyn down south in OC.

IC: I wasn't in the original formation of the band, but I filled in on bass for one show and the feeling was pretty electric. The band eventually asked me to play drums after doing a gig or two on tambo.

BB: I met Sepe years ago, but we reconnected right before Covid hit. We jammed and recorded a couple covers in his parents' garage before the Vs. California record came out. Pretty much everybody we knew in OC was a musician or in a band. I had just met Finn [Beard] around that time, but he and Sepe were surfers going back a while, and Sepe introduced me to Ian in L.A. Sepe strung together a group to play the first Semi Trucks show, with Finn on bass, me on acoustic guitar, and our friend Bryan on drums. We shuffled instruments, and drummers, around, until Ian came along, and the band finally felt like what it was meant to be.

HS: What are your thoughts looking back on your catalog? Do you still like or relate to your past releases?

BS: Yeah I do, but I honestly just try not to think too hard about past releases — no point in looking back ya know? If I thought it was cool enough to release then I'm like okay at some point I liked this enough to release it. Just let them sit in the universe where they found there place and enjoy the endeavor of making art.

HS: What can you tell me about your latest album, Georgia Overdrive, and what insight can you share about how and where it was recorded and what were some of the highlights putting it together?

BS: It was recorded in East L.A. at our friend Robbie Cody's spot and was for the most part recorded live in three days, all done pretty fast though — the sessions were like ten hours long. It was really fun to just bang it out like that. Robbie rocks and it was fun just hanging with him and the band.

IC: Robbie is a super insightful engineer who also plays guitar in some of our favorite bands in LA: Pink Trash Can, Behavior, Itasca, etc. We thought in order to capture the noisy off-the-cuff energy we've been cultivating it would have to be recorded live in studio. Minimal overdubs. Tonight's the Night style. Robbie did us right.

BB: The album was recorded in the fall of 2023. We tracked 14 live instrumentals on the first day, only two or three takes each. That was a thrill. Robbie's studio at ABC even had the glass window control room and all — felt real professional-like. He helped us capture the chaos of our live performances that we were looking for in a recording. 

HS: How did you approach the songwriting on this album? Did improvisation have any role and how different was the approach compared to Vs. California?

BS: Writing these songs included lots of improvising and lots of different lyrics and stuff, we never really know what we’re gonna do instrument wise live as it's always different at least for me anyways [laughs].

IC: Sepe brings the proper songs which we then collectively thrash and burn.

BB: What Ian said. Sepe and Finn were the primary songwriters. The album's recordings were full of brand new elements that could only happen in a live spontaneous recording session, like solos, instruments being introduced, even harmonies. A lot of them are different every time we play them judging by the guitars alone. I know Vs. California was recorded solely by Brendan, but how would you compare it to this new album? 

BS: They both rock. The new one just recorded nicer, louder, and faster

BB: Vs. California was soft and sweet. Georgia Overdrive brings the rock and the pain more acutely heard.

HS: Diving into some of the highlights, what can you tell me about the opening cut "Flower" and what went into the making of that one? 

BS: "Flower" was a song i originally wrote as a slower piano kind of song like a Spacemen 3 type of thing and then it just turned into a rocker I don’t know why or how, it just did.

BB: I think it was one of those moments where during practice someone said, "What if we play it fast," and after that, the rocker version just stuck. 

HS: What's the story behind "Motorbike Riding Star"?

BS: I used to be obsessed with dirt bikes as a kid and this song is about James "Bubba" Stewart, who was my favorite motocross rider growing up — it’s my love song to him. Bubba, If you ever read this, I love you.

HS: How about "Darker Than The Night"? 

BS: That’s my favorite on the record, the saddest too [laughs]. It's about love and loss and missing and feeling betrayed you know. Universal young love and heartbreak stuff. Dramatic as hell. I like stuff like that though in pop songs.

BB: It's my favorite song to sing staring longingly into the crowd.

HS: What inspired "Lou and Edie"? 

BS: I had a crush on this girl and we were hanging out and I knew she was way to cool for me and eventually would realize that. It's loosely based around that, with parts from other people and places and times.

HS: How did "Hey Lover" come about? 

BS: Bronwyn did a cover herself way before Semi Trucks so we brought it back, tell 'em Bron.

BB: I made a cover of "Hey Lover" on my iPhone one day studying abroad in Bordeaux. It was the first song I ever recorded by myself. The recording made its way to Sepe somehow before the band started and he really dug it. We all kind of forgot about the song for a while, but wanting another song for me to sing, we dusted it off the shelf and the boys immediately ripped into its demented Neil Young style instrumentation. It's definitely a crowd favorite now.

HS: What can you tell me about the closer "Birthday Song"? 

BS: Finn wrote this one and it's my other favorite one on the record, he can tell ya more.

BB: Finn had it almost ready, and we wrote some lyrics for it together on his porch one afternoon. It gets pretty explosive live but the subdued demo is what made the cut. This song always feels very powerful to me. 

Finn Beard: It's a finishing note that touches different emotions than the rest of the songs. We like to play it as a closer at shows to leave a lasting feeling when you walk out of the room.

HS: What are some future plans for Semi Trucks?

BS: Buy a semi truck.

IC: (After Sepe's answer): Send it into the LA river.

BB: First time bringing the freak show to the East Coast. See you in June New York <3.

HS: Any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?

BS: Be kind, stay open minded, and make more art as the world needs that most nowadays.

IC: Listen to Robbie's bands listed above. Kern, who mastered the record, plays in Agriculture and Los Angeles Office of Improvisation, and Dean Spunt who runs the label releases music under his own name, not to mention No Age. Check out all of these.

BB: Stop and smell the jasmine.

Georgia Overdrive is out now on Post Present Medium.