Laughing At Mean Stickers: An Interview With Egg!
Egg! is a noisy alternative rock trio from Bristol, CT. Formed in 2017, their sound draws from a broad number of influences including punk, emo, psychedelic, progressive rock, and post-hardcore. They have released three EPs and one single, with a second single planned for 2026. In addition to countless local shows, they have done two small tours through the New England and New York areas, always looking to go further. The band encourages people to come out and see them live if you really want to get a feel for what they sound like. And, they ask you to fart if you like them.
Since you formed in 2017, how has the band's core identity and sound evolved from your earliest days to the "noisy alternative rock trio" you are today?
Tim Johnson, bass/vocals: I wouldn't say our core identity has changed at all. Still trying to emote anger and sadness and perseverance and all the in betweens. We’re evolving by trying to be more ambitious and adventurous with our music, be it through more technical riffs or odd time changes or guitar tones. We’re also becoming more understanding and flexible to each other’s ideas artistically.
Pete Munn, drums: We've been playing music together in different bands for like two decades now so there's definitely been evolution in our sound and we've certainly just become more capable and well-rounded musicians, but as far as our identity as a band I think we're very much still the same three rejects we've always been.
Bristol, CT is your home base. What impact has the local Connecticut music scene had on Egg!, and how do you feel you fit into or stand out from it?
Don Aliff, guitar/vocals: There's a vibrant punk and metal scene in CT that we are all fond of, there are so many good bands. INTERCOURSE! Minor Inconveniences, Burying Point, The Human Fund, Shame Penguin, She Walks Without Legs, Mantle, Cry Havoc!, Sentiments, Big Moon, holy fuck we could go on and on for days. The interesting thing with EGG! is that the way we blend genres under this general hard rock milieu and that makes us adjacent to both punk and metal. We don't always entirely fit in on any given bill but it always somehow works!
Pete: Yeah, we kind of exist both within and outside of the local scene. We don't really fall into the punk genre, but punks dig us. We're not a metal band by any means, but metalheads fucking love us for some reason.
You’ve worked with some artists we’ve previously profiled, such as Jon “Soda” James of Coventry Carols. How did you connect with him, and what’s it like playing with him?
We first met Coventry Carols when we were billed together for a mashup show at The Cellar On Treadwell. The six of us clicked immediately. Our styles blend together very well and they're just the best dudes ever. A year later we put together a little gig swap with them in NY and CT, and they invite us out to play Long Island whenever they can. Soda has this insane old school hardcore punk energy but he writes these beautiful dark melancholy tunes, and his stage presence is like Guy Piccioto from Fugazi. Screaming and climbing all over the other band members and causing mayhem, meanwhile off stage he's just an absolute sweetheart.
You list a wide range of influences, including punk, emo, psychedelic, progressive rock, and post-hardcore. If you had to narrow it down to one song that embodies the unique mashup of all those genres in the Egg! sound, what would it be and why?
Tim: I would say it'd have to be two songs. ‘Change and Let Go’ which I wrote and is the penultimate track on our first EP “BAIT” and ‘A Say 1000 Hail Marys And Hit Yourself In The Face With A Brick,’ which Don wrote and is the second track our latest single “TWO.”
As a trio, what are the distinct roles and strengths that each member brings to the band, both creatively and practically?
Pete: Don is riff lord and noisemaker. His songwriting and performance style are punk as fuck, but he also has this Mountain Goats element to his lyrics and he also loves stoner metal and my god can he scream. Don likes being sad and angry and loud and right, and he's very good at all four.
Tim’s style is different. He's got the funk hands. Huge Incubus fan, but also loves Porcupine Tree and The Dear Hunter. And of the three of us he's most often the one to come into a writing session with some out of pocket ideas.
What I try to do on drums is sort of bridge the gap between where these two maniacs are coming from. Don and Tim are both music theory nerds and I am…not. But they trust me for some reason, so they basically let me play whatever I want. The three of us all kind of play in between and around each other, which is part of why this band is so much fun.
Your sound is described as "noisy." How do you balance that intensity and raw energy with the underlying structure and musicality, especially given the progressive influences?
Pete: I think I mainly use the term “noisy alternative” so people know right off the bat that we're way closer to Dinosaur Jr or Sonic Youth or Hum than we are to say Third Eye Blind or Matchbox 20. Aesthetically, the sounds that Don gets out of the guitar are noisy and he loves getting loud and weird. I think all three of us do. But we also have bits in our songs that sound like Porcupine Tree or The Mars Volta so you kind of never know which direction a song is going to go in.
Could you walk us through your songwriting process? Does a riff, a lyrical idea, or a jam session usually serve as the starting point for an Egg! song?
It kinda comes from all over. Sometimes it's a riff that we jam on, sometimes one of us will have at least a verse or chorus idea written and we'll flesh it out, and sometimes it's even an entire song structure that just needs a little bit of EGG!
You've released three EPs and one single, with another single planned for 2026. How do you decide on the format for a release—why an EP versus a full-length album, or a single?
Don: We are working class heroes (it's something to be). We all work day jobs, whether it be factory work (Tim), foodservice/bartending (Pete), or killing rats (me). The only limit we have is time and money, so EPs and singles just make more financial and practical sense.
Music is our passion and we would do it for free (and we have, quite often!) but sadly money is a thing.
The planned 2026 single will be your newest music. How does this upcoming single differ from or build upon your previous EPs?
Pete: We're doing it with Sam Carlson from the New Haven-based Sans Serif Recording. He did our last single ‘TWO’ so in terms of production this one is gonna be very similar. Musically it's pretty different than anything else we've done. One song is kind of like an emo Soundgarden tune and the other is like a fucking post-hardcore bossa nova with lots of Donny screams. I'm super pumped for this record.
You’ve mentioned that people should "come out and see us live if they really want to get a feel for what we sound like." What is it about the live experience that captures the essence of Egg in a way that recordings don't?
The three of us have been together for so long in so many different formats we have built up a kind of chemistry and playing off of one another that you don't get much of a sense of on a recording where things are more separate tracked and overdubbed etc. Seeing us live let's people more into our worlds a little bit
Describe the energy and atmosphere of an Egg! show. What do you hope the audience takes away from your performance?
Super informal. Very intimate. Very silly. But we are always focused on playing to the best of our ability. We encourage people to steal our merch. Deep down we just hope people stay for our set.
You've completed two small tours through New England and New York. What was the biggest lesson you learned about touring as an independent band on those initial runs?
Don: it's not that hard. Anyone can do it. Even idiots like us.
Pete: Don't book at the Lewiston-Auburn Super 8 because they will give you one bed for three grown ass adults.
You're always looking to "go further" with touring. What is your ideal next step in terms of geographic reach, and what are the logistical challenges of making that happen?
We'd love to get further down the east coast and play Jersey/Philly, etc. Also we’ve chatted with a few bands from Illinois and Ohio about touring out there. But again it comes down to time and money. So buy our dumb merch everybody and help us get back on the road!
Beyond the 2026 single, what are the long-term goals for Egg? Is a full-length album in the cards, or will you continue to focus on EPs and singles?
After “Another Two” is done we're gonna get back to playing shows for a while, then eventually do another ‘double single’ called “Two More.” Those will all be digital. If all goes according to plan we will be releasing all six tracks on a physical format called “RELEASE.” A full length is a nice idea, but fuck man who's got the time?
The Mr. Bungle song Egg - what do you think? Too weird?
Pete: Oh man Mr. Bungle rules. This tune is a little long, but as Mike Patton material goes, it's actually relatively accessible! A lot of his stuff is like…WAY out there. This kind of reminds me of an old Bristol band from back in the day called Sugarfist. They were outrageous.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
Soda! Coventry Carols! Sam Carlson! Cheryl Johnson! Jamie Elsner! Ellion Woolworth! Ant Cistuli! Joaquin Gouin! Zach Fontanez! David Taylor Coffey! Liz and Worm!!!
Whoever vandalized our sticker in the shitter at Stella Blues and made it say “EGG! sucks dick”
And you guys, of course!
Links
http://eggmusicct.bandcamp.com
Facebook/insta: @eggbandct
Linktr.ee/eggbandct