MISSIO – AN INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW BRUE AND DAVID BUTLER

By Ralph Beauchamp

So this one is huge. I got to sit down. via Zoom, with Matthew Brue and David Butler from the transcendent Missio for this in-depth interview. First of all, we at AMP are big fans. Their music stirs embers in our souls. The incomparable duo write songs that are both singular and genre-bending while continuing to expand the horizons of today’s music. Tracks like “Middle Fingers”, “I See You” and “Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea” established Missio as ferocious musical explorers. They are purveyors of dark and menacing soundscapes as well as brazen funky grooves of insatiable delight.

Matthew Brue (Vocalist/Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer) and David Butler (Engineer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer) released their debut Missio album, Loner, in 2017. They have since released three full-length albums, garnering six #1’s on SiriusXM’s Alt-Nation. The Darker The Weather//The Better The Man (2017), Can You Feel The Sun (2019) and VILLAIN (2022) all positioned Missio as an act who constantly break boundaries and defies classification.

Missio have just released three ambitious singles. “Time”, “Fuck It” and the newly dropped “Aztec Death Whistle” are all off their EP, I Am Angry. This EP is included in their upcoming mega-album I Am Cinco which will encompass a gargantuan 26 songs. The band fearlessly breaks the rules as they fuse elements of rock, electronic, indie, and hip-hop into an unmatched and uncompromising hybrid on the full length (out May 3rd) that collates 5 EPs (I Am Sad, I Am High, I Am Awesome, I Am Angry, and I Am Crazy) and 5 moods into an unparalleled expedition of sound.

AMP: Your new singles including “Aztec Death Whistle” seem to be darker and more turbulent than most of your previous material. Is that a current trend?

DAVID: We just released a series of themed EPs where we cover the spectrum of human emotions. There is I Am Sad, which emotes a somber vibe and I Am High which is our treatise to an elated state. Our recent EP is I Am Angry which explores our more darker and sinister side. Our writing has always been determined by how we are feeling at that moment and these EPs have been a total cathartic discharge for us.

MATTHEW: Also, songs like “Aztec Death Whistle” and “Fuck It” allows us to let go of all that angst that dwelled inside. In addition, they gave us the opportunity to tune into our metal and harder grooves. The one thing about Missio is the fact that we are constantly evolving. We never stay static. That’s how we want it.

AMP: I Am Cinco is your new album that drops in May. It delivers 26 ambitious tracks. What are your thoughts on this epic release?

DAVID: We had just got off the road and happily scheduled some down time. We needed a break. Just because that is what we love to do, we wrote a bevy of new songs during the hiatus. When we got back together and started to look at some of the songs we had already finished and some of the new ones, there were like 40-50 tune which we eventually narrowed down for the album but there still were a bunch we wanted to put out.

By now, I was truly getting inspired. It’s a true double album like some of my favorite records growing up like Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. These were massive undertakings that were great start to finish. So, we decided if we were going to have a fifth album, let’s go all the way. Let’s flex our songwriting skills and flex how far we want to take this. We hit a lot of genres and do a deep dive into each one of them. It was a lot of fun as songwriters and musicians because it let us explore the profound corners of each space.

MATTHEW: I’m kind of on the opposite side of the fence. I love that we have this under our belt but will we ever do this again, HELL NO!

DAVE: Hey bro, same page. Never again. This is the last.

MATTHEW: The biggest difference concerning those double albums from back then is the fact that you didn’t need video content for every song. Today, everything is so video focused. You have to do a video, photo shoots and other promo for practically every song especially the singles. That’s an aspect we didn’t take into account. Our workflow over the past year has been insane.

AMP: Your creativity is through the roof. Your jumbling of genres is exhilarating. How does your songwriting process work?

MATTHEW: The vision we had from the very beginning was to be as authentic as possible. In previous projects we had before Missio and seeing how other bands work, the norm is to bring in a producer. It’s a very cohesive process. The writing starts with this full circle spectrum that sounds similar with similar tones. For us, it’s always been a little more messy. We start with a blank canvas and what comes out, comes out. So as David previously stated, most of the time what we are writing is contingent on how we are currently feeling.

Some days it could be a real down tempo song like “Time”. Other days, it could be the crazy that is “Aztec Death Whistle”. Instead of worrying that they are so different, we embrace the dichotomy. That’s all part of the quirky and kitschy apparatus that makes up Missio. I feel our fans really resonate with our spontaneity because we offer differences. There’s a new journey every time we put out an album. That’s what we want to embody.

AMP: What kind of themes do you incorporate in your song?

DAVID: That’s an interesting question that took my mind in different directions because it’s so open ended. The first place my brain went to was lyrical themes. I think Matthew and I have, through our own very specific individual experiences, ended up with a similar world view where we question a lot of things. Even as little children, we both rebelled against authority. A theme that constantly runs through our music and our live shows is to have an open mind. To allow music and information to be the impetus that gives you the strength to think for yourself.

Our first album was Loner. There’s a loneliness when you witness all the hate in the world. Hopefully, our music gives you a connection to a community that helps you works through all this.

MATTHEW: Some of our themes deal with sobriety and recovery. The phrase may be a little cheesy but “it’s okay not to be okay” especially with all the social media chatter. People need to hear that. Everyone is looking at everybody else’s lives and questioning why their lives are not as happy not realizing that’s most of it is fake. We have songs like “Sing To Me” which is about sensitivity. It’s a tome to the realization that you may not be doing that well and need someone to sit with you during this uncomfortable period.

Another song is “I See You” which is about feeling like you are invisible. We want our listeners to know we see them and understand their pain. To David’s point, there aren’t any connections happening anymore. Everything is online. Not having personal contact can be tough because that’s how we emotionally connect. We tap into some of those themes as well. We want our fans to know that we see and accept them as they are.

AMP: How would you describe Missio’s internal energy?

DAVID: It definitely involves passion. We are very passionate about every part of Missio. It all centers around the thing we love the most which is songwriting. We both have little tolerance for things we don’t need to stress about. Everybody has parts of their job that they don’t like. This is truly hard. There is a grind to what we do. Every musician that’s been in a band as long as we have understands that there are ups and down but our passion for songwriting and music becomes our fuel to balance out the crap we don’t like. Being stuck on the road and being away from home and your family blows.

But when you realize that our lives are all about writing music that is constantly giving us these organic highs, then you know you can endure. We still get goose bumps in the studio when we’ve cracked a code on a song. We just look at each other in amazement. That passion is legit. Our relationship is not common. That’s is truly one of our super powers. We are constantly fighting for that singularity because people either want us to chase the wrong thing or conform to the norm. We want to do our thing, our way. That’s what makes Missio unique.

MATTHEW: I’ll add gratitude to that. We are extremely thankful for the opportunities we have received. We are grateful for each other. The admiration we have for each other’s skills is really strong. It creates a solid bond.

AMP: What are your favorite activities when not in the studio or on the road? What do you do to unwind?

DAVID: That’s an easy one for me. It’s my season, early spring. I love being in the garden. My wife and I grow mainly vegetables but also a bunch of other stuff like peppers, potatoes and onions. We also grow a lot of flowers which we have all over the place. I just spend time on my patio enjoying the garden when I”m not working in it.

MATTHEW: I just got back from camping this weekend. I enjoy camping, fishing and appreciating nature. It’s not often I get to go because Texas’ weather is always so fucking hot but there is a couple of months when it’s awesome to be outdoors. I try to get there whenever I can.

AMP: Is there something about Missio nobody knows?

MATTHEW: We’re pretty open about most things.

DAVID: The only thing that comes to mind, which is not out there yet, is the fact that Matthew and I may be living in another country. It hasn’t been made public but we think it can happen.

AMP: What’s next for Missio?

MATTHEW: We’ve been in a phase these last few years where we have been taking control of the business side of things. Once Covid past through, we’ve added some new team members which has been great for us. Now, we can focus more on the art. We are also going to do a headlining tour of Europe with a few festivals and possibly China in July which would be amazing. I believe travelling around the world enhances our artistry. Both of us love to experience other cultures and mindsets. We try to get outside of what we feel is normal or comfortable on tour. We come back having grown personally from all those interactions.

DAVID: We have been doing a lot of growing as artists due to our new team members. There is also a lot of stuff coming up. Both of us are excited about touring both here in the US and abroad. We really haven’t toured since the release of our second album. There’s been quite a bit of music since then and I’ve been looking over our set lists. I’m really thinking about how much fun it is going to be to expose to the world our last three records. The gigs are going to be monumental. I’m excited to get out there.

AMP: Any last words for your fans?

MATTHEW: I say it all the time and once again it sounds cheesy but the only reason we get to do what we do is because of our fans. We get to write music every single day due to the fact that you people are listening to it. So, it’s a genuine thank you from both of us to all of you for understanding and digging our sound. Your support means everything!

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