Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Bite The Boxer

Bite The Boxer - Haunted Remains Pt. 2

The new full-length album ‘Haunted Remains, Pt. 2’ contains previously released singles including YoY, Rituals and Venom Test, alongside a handful of new tracks. Despite the breadth of influences and genres within Park’s music, there is a consistency and thread of cohesion, that he often likens to the themes often found in post-apocalyptic movies, such as a glimmer of hope while being surrounded by desolation.

Atmospheric, intricate and genre-fluid music producer Bite The Boxer started releasing music in 2020. Since then he has made an impact with songs that range from industrial, alt-pop, trip-hop and ambient lo-fi. Taking inspiration from his background in a wealth of previous music projects which range from punk to indie rock and metal, Bite The Boxer (aka Matt Park) has a sound that has hooked-in not just the casual listener but also the music press and local, national and international radio stations across the world.

There is a common theme to the music of Bite The Boxer, despite the fluidity of genres, which is encapsulated perfectly on latest singles Fearful Hope and YoY. The feeling of impending doom but with just a glimmer of hope is inspired by horror video games and dystopian, post-apocalyptic films and this is present throughout most of the artist's back catalogue.

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Interview with Bite The Boxer

(•)> How did the concept of ‘Haunted Remains, Pt. 2’ develop, and what ties the singles and new tracks together?

The songs were written and produced over the last two years. I decided to release them as an album because I felt that they were consistent in their themes, and tone, and sounded great next to each other. In the “streaming era” of music, I think it is important for independent artists to release songs regularly, to keep the audience engaged, but I think it is also important to keep hold of albums. I love listening to whole albums and seeing a large body of work play out.

(•)> How do you balance desolation and glimmers of hope across your music?

There is something hopeful about the sound of the human voice, also simple piano lines, so I try to get these elements in my music to play against distorted synths and drums.

(•)> How do post-apocalyptic movie themes influence your songwriting and production choices?

I love the sound of the classic movie scores and the big orchestral strings and the tension that they can bring. Then give that a post-apocalyptic twist by using distortion and unorthodox techniques that you wouldn’t usually appear on a classic film soundtrack.

(•)> How do Trent Reznor, The Cure, and Aphex Twin inspire your soundscapes?

All of these guys have a way of using repetition of simple riffs, motifs and themes but developing them through the course of the songs. In particular, Trent Reznor is a master of making the listener feel uncomfortable by taking repetition and luring you in with a false sense of comfort and then taking it away.

(•)> How do horror video games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil shape your atmospheric approach?

These games were huge when they came out and they really pioneered not just gaming but the horror genre as a whole. It is similar to what I was saying about people like Trent Reznor that there is a sense of comfort in horror games because you control the character but anything can happen at any minute to disrupt and disturb.

(•)> How do you integrate elements of post-rock, IDM, industrial, trip hop, and cinematic scores into a cohesive sound?

Despite there being a wide variety of sounds covered by those genres, there are still core elements that are amongst them. I listen to a lot of different music and really enjoy picking things apart and putting them back together in a strange Frankenstein’s monster kind of way.

(•)> How do you approach blending emotion and tension in instrumental versus vocal tracks?

In the instrumental tracks there are still subtle human voice sounds, which I try to get into most songs because I like the level of emotion that they bring.I can also hear human-like phrasing in other instruments and sometimes treat them like characters within the development of a song.

(•)> How has your sound evolved since your first release in 2020?

When I started making music as Bite The Boxer I was not sure where it was going and what I wanted to do with it. So, I have always made the most of being an independent artist and made music for myself and what I wanted to make. Over time I feel it has become more consistent and have found my sound in the last few years, although there has been an underlying thread of themes and tones throughout.

(•)> How do you maintain a consistent identity while exploring multiple genres and textures?

This is something that I have been trying to be more mindful of in the last 2 years or so, especially on social media which plays a huge role in getting my music in front of people (especially because I do not gig or perform Bite The Boxer). I think the key is just being genuine and playing to the strengths of the music.

(•)> How do you craft tracks that resonate on both a cinematic and a personal, emotional level?

Choice of sounds and tones is very important. I like to blend classic cinematic sounds with darker elements of IDM and experimental music. I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse but I struggle to find another artist that has a similar palette to me. It’s great to be original but it's a real struggle for marketing and describing to people new to my music.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Bite The Boxer on the Pigeon Spins Playlist