Examining the “Rock and Roll Way” with The Backfires at Gov Ball 2026

Courtesy of The Governors Ball: Ismael Quintanilla

Spanning across the Atlantic, The Backfires are a rock band composed of Alex Gomez (vocals), Harry Ruprecht (guitar), Matt Walter (bass), and Dylan Spiro (drums). The charming four-piece took to the Gov Ball stage with a strong opening set, predicting the musical ecstasy that would follow into the night. By fine-tuning that classic rock sound, The Backfires easily captivated music lovers across crowds. Whether it be barricading campers or wandering newcomers.

Off the Record had a chance to sit with the Backfires following their Gov Ball set.

You guys really rocked the Snapchat stage this morning! What's something that stood out particularly about this performance?

Alex: We played two new songs today, one of which just came out last week, “Super 8,” and then we played one at the end of the set, “I Want You,” which got the crowd singing along with us, and that was really cool. That was a lot of fun.

Harry: The ego platform- the bit of the stage that goes out, and you can walk out into the crowd.

Alex: We've never experienced that before.

Matt: We need more ego stages in the future.

You guys have been teasing a new album, and although we don't know too much, there's this sort of analog warmth surrounding it. I know that, with the “Super 8” music video, some actual film stills are incorporated, alongside the vocals being tracked live onto tape. Additionally, you all burned over 1,000 CD’s and mailed them out to fans. Are these details meant solely to create the atmosphere of this new album, or is this something that's rooted in the band's identity?

Harry: Both.

Alex: I think the point of the record in a way is asking what it means to be a rock band in 2026. Being a rock band is inherently nostalgic; it's a genre that's existed for 70 years and nowadays everyone says rock is dead. So, it's sort of like, all right, if you're gonna be a rock band in 2026, you might as well do it the rock and roll way, record on tape. I think with that mindset as well, in contrast with a lot of the AI generated art and music these days, AI, can't record on tape. It can't recreate film photos or tape recordings. And so I think there's an interest in being analog with the intention of the album. There's something a little bit more authentic about that right now, there's more imperfections, but that's part of what makes us people, right?

With that, how does this album translate in terms of this band’s storyline?

Photo by Lexi Yob.

Matt: We've definitely matured a lot as a band in between the first record and our second record, which is coming out soon. I feel like with the first one, we didn't really know that we were making a record, and it was the culmination of us being a band in New York City, writing a lot of songs, playing a lot of shows, playing new songs at shows, kind of like ad hoc. With this record, we’ve definitely matured. We knew we were going in to make a record. It was very intentional that the order of the songs and the story that you're trying to tell is cohesive. I'm really proud of that. 

Alex: I would say, in the story of our band, it is a giant leap forward.

In your Instagram series, “Recording an Album” Matt, you mentioned going into this process with 14 songs. When a demo or idea doesn't translate in the studio, are you all quick to scrap it or do you try to adjust it?

Matt: It's a case-by-case. I think I'm the prime offender of liking our demos and wanting the songs on the record to sound like the demo, but sometimes when you get into the studio, the high fidelity aspect of it gets in the way and it's not really about being in your rehearsal room and it's more about making a lasting piece of media.

Harry: Depends if anyone individually likes it and they're championing it for a long time until it gets killed eventually. Usually.

Matt: There's obviously compromises, and like any good relationship, any good band, like you gotta give-and-pull.

With that, where do scrap songs live? Are they saved for singles? Or are they molded into new ideas completely?

Alex: Oh boy. I would say that all the songs that we've cut in the history have never come back. But the final song to get cut-

Harry: It was hanging on.

Dylan: It was hanging on for dear life.

Alex: I was excited about the song. And then three weeks into recording everyone was like, yeah, I think we should cut that song. And I was like, ‘oh, what?’ But it’s just part of it.

Matt: It got released on Discord. I don't know who leaked it on Discord.

Alex: I leaked it on Discord. Cause I was like, it's never coming out, and we've got a really cool community of people around us. Like if you're following along and watching us make this record, have a song that we're never going to put out. 

Alex: We believe in the integrity of an album; songs get cut for a reason, you know? 

Lastly, the question we're all wondering, is it real or is it fake?

Harry: Real.

Dylan: It's real.

Matt: It's cake, actually.

Alex: The Backfires are real.

Listen to The Backfires below