Dead Poet Society's Jack Underkofler talks "Lost", the Monarch sessions and the band's start in Mexico

Dead Poet Society frontman Jack Underkofler spoke with Alternative Press about the making of the band's new album, Monarch, the studio standoff behind the song "Lost", and how the Boston rock group first found an audience outside the United States. The interview, conducted by Nick Gray, comes as the band continues its North American tour with Honey Revenge and prepares to head to Europe to open for Muse.

Underkofler said that while In Too Deep was the record that built momentum in the U.S. and Europe, the band's first real traction came years earlier with an older song called "Sound and Silence", around 2013 and 2014. A Mexican YouTuber named Joe filmed a video using the track, and the group put all $300 it had for ads into Mexico. The gamble paid off, and Dead Poet Society ended up touring the country nine times.

The singer declined to explain the meaning of "Lost", saying that once a song is released the interpretation no longer belongs to the writer. He did describe the friction around it: once the demo reached the studio, the beat, feel and arrangement were immediately taken apart. Underkofler called Paul and asked the band to trust him despite how rough the demo sounded. The track was adjusted where it bothered people most, and he believes standing his ground helped the album.

On Monarch, Underkofler called it the purest version of what the band feels it should sound like, built on taking as many risks as possible instead of chasing outside reference points. He also argued for staying open in the studio, noting that a good producer can improve something a writer already loves, even when the suggestion stings at first. The band recently wrapped a run with Highly Suspect, its third or fourth tour together.