ON OUR RADAR: 4th & ORANGE
With straight pop-punk melodies infused with reggae-rock beats, 4th and Orange are certainly one to watch over the next few years.
4th & Orange are pretty new to the scene, only establishing in the summer of 2019, but by no means lack experience – with co-founding members Garrett Douglas and Chris Garcia already well-known in the music industry and the band have made major waves already. We caught up with vocalist Garrett Douglas to ask what inspired beginnings 4th & Orange (especially the name), if they expected the success they’ve had already and what it’s been like being a new band during a global lockdown.
First, I have to ask, what’s the story behind the name?
I’ve been “homeless” since I was 16 – never really had a place of my own that felt like home without drama or issues. When my manager (Chuck Chavez) signed us to Latium which led to Atlantic Records, I finally earned enough to get a place called home – and that was at the intersection of 4th and Orange in Long Beach. I felt like I should never forget where I came from and never forget home.
What influenced the pop-punk and reggae sound?
Regarding the pop influence – I listened to Max Martin and loved his sound. The punk influence came from listening and wanting to be in Linkin Park! Lastly, growing up in Long Beach and being raised sonically by Sublime really helped us create this melting pot sound we have.
What made you want to start the band in the first place, after already being in the industry for a decade already?
After I did my first reggae song “Chances” with DJ Irey (keys in 4th & Orange), it showed a whole new side of songwriting as far as expressing myself. I fell in love with it. And doing reggae means you need a band because you can’t just find those beats online.
Has this previous experience helped when forming the band or have you found yourself learning a lot more than you expected?
Always learning! No matter how good I get at something, there’s always more to learn. Hats off to my manager (Chuck Chavez) for teaching me the business side of this industry. Producers I’ve never worked with before this are also opening me up to new sides of music as well.
What inspired the ‘Only You’ (Originally by Yazoo) cover you released last summer?
Julie Greenwald of Atlantic Records reached out to our manager about having an artist reimagine “Only You” because it’s one of her favourite songs. We played the track, and all remembered hearing it from our childhoods, and we heard it with a reggae take.
It’s been around a year since you were signed to Atlantic and you’re tracks have racked up millions of views on YouTube, been featured in TMRW Magazine and headlined Reggae 360’s Virtual Ascension Festival, did you expect to have the success you’ve had in your first year of being signed?
Absolutely! When people work hard with a machine-like Atlantic Records behind them, good things happen. Good things come out of working hard and we signed knowing that’s what we’d do.
How did it feel to work with Lucas Secon on your latest single ‘Story Of My Life’, who has also produced for the likes of The Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera?
It’s an honor to have anyone with those pieces of work in want to be involved with us. We appreciate it and love accepting other art forms from different sources to make it into our own.
What’s your favourite single you’ve released so far? And what’s the story behind it?
My favorite single is “Not The End.” I wrote the song because I felt that things in America were uneasy and it felt like something big was coming. I put pen to paper pre-covid to get those feelings out and then it happened.
The music industry has been hit especially hard during COVID, how difficult has it been being a new and emerging bad during a pandemic?
It’s been as difficult as anyone would think, but we really just try to roll with the punches. It’s opened up so many opportunities that we didn’t have before. Live virtual performances have been really fun for us as a band, and we’ve been able to connect with so many new people.
As a band, what are you looking forward to the most once COVID is over?
We’re definitely the most excited about getting back on a real stage and performing in a real beach environment to give those 4th & Orange vibes in real-time. We’re in album mode, so we’re also looking forward to releasing our debut album. Sooner rather than later, that’s all we can say!
Check out 4th & Orange’s latest acoustic rendition of their latest single, ‘Story Of My Life’ below.
INTERVIEW BY CHLOE LOUISE MAXWELL