Anurag Tagat: Originally, there was an EP in the works - how has that turned into a decision to release a full-length album?

Grammy Winning Effort: When we were planning the release for the EP, it was pretty much spilling over into album territory. We had roughly six tracks down and two others which we were going to leave out. After all the bouncing back and forth and everything that's been happening over the last year, we decided to just put everything we had ready into it and call it our first full length album.

AT: There’s some interesting artwork for this album. What else can you tell me about it?

GWE: There are eight tracks excluding the intro. We've always liked pigs and the idea of a pig dressed up in punk attire, so we went with that for the album artwork. We had planned for a bunch of different titles for this album like Pigstinction and some other stuff that didn't make much sense, but ultimately we decided to go simple and leave it self-titled.

AT: Who's been working on this album with you guys in terms of producing? What has the entire recording process been like?

GWE: It's all being produced, mixed, mastered by us, DIY style. Dayus (Madhan, vocalist) is taking care of all the studio work. The guitars were recorded back in 2012 in Dayus' old house in Vasant Kunj with Sanchal’s (Malhar, frontman of Superfuzz) Orange rockreverb amp and an old Kustom Sound bass amp. You'd be surprised at the kind of tone you can get out of that cheap Kustom Sound amp with an SM57 in front of it.

The vocals were recorded in Delhi at Kaizad's studio in sainik farms called 'Perilous Possum Studios'. He's got a great set up for recording and he's a very old friend of Dayus' so it made sense to get his help with putting the vocal parts down. The drums were recorded at (Advaita keyboardist) Anindo Bose's studio called 'Plug n Play' and we managed to track all the drums within one day. That was one of the most hectic recording sessions for Suyash (Gabriel), his legs barely worked by the end of it.

The mixing and mastering has been a long process because we're being very picky about this album because it's our first release and you only get one shot at a good first impression. It has to be perfect and we're not too upset at how long it's taken.

AT: What is it like managing the band and recording this album when members were in different cities?

GWE: Jaidev (guitarist) just moved to Boston. It's definitely a huge difference from how we started. We used to all meet up at Dayus' place in Vasant Kunj and drink beers and just play music all day. That was a great setting for composing. It's definitely a lot different now because we have to put our ideas down and then email them across to each other.

For future composing we're probably all gonna meet up and spend a couple of months in the same city just writing new material. That's the best way to get organic compositions out of us. 

AT: What are some of the songs on this album about?

GWE: ‘Sheen like Charlie’ is a tribute to how candid Charlie Sheen is about the life he leads. No holds barred, shameless, 100% organic. He really doesn't care about what people think about him and how they're going to judge them. In our eyes he's a lesson that the world needs. We don't condone the awesome act of drinking, we don't encourage people to do cocaine, and we do not advise people to hire hookers. But we want people to stop giving a shit about how they're going to be judged. We want people to be true to themselves. 

‘Drop Dead, Gorgeous’ (which has nothing to do with the band of the same name) is a short story about a guy stuck in his ways of going to work 9 to 5 and in a dead end, loveless marriage. He did all these things because they were the "right" thing to do. He goes to work one day and there's a new intern who's this smoking hot college chick. She wears cheap perfume and just a bit too much lipstick. Things heat up in the janitor's room and he has a great day at work for the first time in years. He goes home and his wife smells the cheap perfume on him. She asks for a divorce and he agrees with enthusiasm. They then go on to wage war on each other with their respective lawyers. 

AT: What’s your launch gig on October 15 at Antisocial going to be like?

GWE: Apart from practicing by ourselves as much as we can (since we're in different cities), we're more concerned about what we're going to do on stage. I mean this is our album launch. Our usual antics aren't going to cut it. We must step up our game! It's a stressful time to be alive.

AT: What's the best setting to hear this album? Parking lot? At home? Rush-hour train commute?

GWE: The best setting for this album is wherever you are when life is trying to shove a lemon down your facehole. You need to remember where you are, why you're there, and what you did right or wrong along the way. Correct your bearings and head to your true North. This album is a fun way of reminding you about what is really worth it in life. However you want to interpret that (bleat).

Grammy Winning Effort launch their album alongside Pangea and SundogProject as part of Ribbit at Antisocial on October 15. Event details here.