The Bad Penny (beta)

Strange as it may sound, metal band Heavy Heavy Low Low from San Jose, California enjoyed a rather effervescent and extended era between the time they formed in 2004 and went on hiatus six years later. The band had a reputation for shenanigans but was never considered malicious or destructive — simply a badass, must-see group of lads who made three records that many considered to be “screamo” essentials: 2005’s Courtside Seats…, 2005’s Everything’s Watched, Everyone’s Watching and 2008’s Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock.

There was certainly disappointment when the band went away in 2010, but no TMZ-worthy drama to speak of. But as their records became even more appreciated in the ensuing years, Heavy Heavy Low Low’s decision to get back in the game in 2019 was met with great joy and fanfare. The reception at their reunion shows was so positive, in fact, that it led the band to create a new studio album, Pain Olympics, that came out earlier this year. They toured extensively in support of it up till recently.

But when The Bad Penny checked in with vocalist Robbie Smith, we discovered there was far more beneath the surface of what otherwise seemed like a breeze of a reunion. Pain Olympics documents a heavy dose of grief the band members suffered through over the years and in many ways functions more as an exercise in healing than simply a comeback album. Take a seat and a few deep breaths before reading this extensive interview with Smith, a gentle and candid artist who is also a filmmaker and a genuinely good man.