Joshua Evans said he occasionally wishes he only communicated through landlines and written letters.
Evans is the vocalist for Muuy Biien, a punk band from Atlanta, Georgia.
Muuy Biien is headlining a show at the Bishop Bar on Thursday.
The band is on tour to promote the release of its upcoming album, which is scheduled to come out in the summer.
“It was just what we felt like, you know, going back to real music,” he said.
Evans said Muuy Biien is an attempt to return to authentic music making in a world sorely lacking it.
He writes his lyrics based on conversations and relationships that aren’t controlled by technology.
“You’ve got all this technology, and it tells you how to feel,” he said. “You don’t even know if you really f eel it.”
He often feels nostalgic for the days when communication required a lot of effort, he said.
Evans said he likes to recall the time before online conversations took the place of verbal ones.
He said listening to someone talk can affect him in the same way music does.
“We want to talk about people connecting,” he said.
This nostalgia plays a big role in his inspiration, he said.
He wants to write songs similar to the music of punk movements from the 1970s to 1990s, Evans said.
Evans said his curious mind and thirst for honest music are what bring him back to older eras.
Even early 2000s music can feel more honest than much of what he hears today, he said.
“You kind of find that you listen to those bands, and they take you back even further,” he said.
He said Muuy Biien’s new album will continue to showcase this throwback style.
However, the band added more piano and vocals to create a slight shift in their sound.
“We’re not just going to abandon the sound completely,” he said. “We don’t want to be doing one thing forever. No one does.”
It’s been two years since the band released its last album, “DYI.”
Instead of their usual do-it-yourself recording style, Evans said they’ve been tracking in a studio for the first time.
This transition was a big reason for the two-year gap, he said.
“We’re excited for it,” he said. “It’s another opportunity for us to express ourselves.”
As for the rest of the tour, he said the band is excited about performing a mix of content.
Muuy Biien’s set lists represent where they’ve been and where they want to be, he said.
They perform both old and new tracks at each show.
Evans said the band is looking forward to performing in new cities as well.
Their previous tours focused on the East Coast.
They’re looking forward to introducing Midwestern audiences to Muuy Biien’s style, he said.
“If they miss when music was music, that’s why they need to come — to be reminded,” he said.
