Last year was more than just a great 2019 for Fort Worth rockers The Unlikely Candidates. Kyle Morris [vocals], Brenton Carney [guitar], Cole Male [guitar], Kevin Goddard [drums], and Jared Hornbeek [bass] officially formed their band in 2013 and have cranked out hit after hit and had one of their biggest years yet, touring the country with acts like The Goo Goo Dolls, Mariana’s Trench and The Score.
The group also swam up the alternative charts with their well-loved single “Novocaine.” Black Squirrel Radio had the chance to catch up with TUC in Buffalo, NY to talk about the guys’ rise in the rock scene.
“Novocaine” garnered millions of views in weeks with its aesthetically pleasing cinematography and powerfully pleasant instrumentals and haunting vocals.
“We had never gotten that many views on a video in that amount of time, just in general. I think we were really surprised because a song has never taken off that quick,” said Male.
Making music videos hasn’t always been smooth sailing for this band, however.
“As far as videos, we’ve had nothing but bad luck. The first video we did went over budget and we ended up having to do the behind-the-scenes video for the actual video. They had us on green screen with wires flying through the air and stuff,” said Morris.
“We knew that [Novocaine] was catchy, so I expected it to do well, but you never have any idea. The love for the video was a total surprise,” Morris went on.
The video now has well over 13 million hits in less than 10 months and it is being shared every single day. In fact, “Novocaine” cracked Pandora’s Top 50 Alt/Indie songs of 2019 and they were named YouTube Music’s Artist on the Rise in September.
The group caters to people of all ages, races, etc. and even created a goofy lyric video of “Novocaine” for their Spanish speaking fans.
The indie rock quintet is beginning their year by finishing off their national tour with Columbus natives The Orphan The Poet and doing a few gigs for beloved Cleveland rock band Welshly Arms. Check out the band’s website for tickets to their upcoming shows.
Jan. 13 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation 27
Jan. 15 – Columbia, SC @ The Senate
Jan. 17 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Jan. 18 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
Jan. 19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
Jan. 21 – Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
Jan. 22 – Ybor City, FL @ Crowbar
Be sure to follow the guys on their social media. This year is sure to bring lots of great shows… and maybe even new music!
Instagram: theunlikelycandidates
Twitter: @TUCBand
Facebook: The Unlikely Candidates
