May 27th, 2015 
Dana Reandelar 
Having recently released their stellar debut EP, Ultraviolet Disguise, 81twentythree’s very own The Technicolors set out on a full U.S. tour alongside label-mates The Maine, Real Friends, and Knuckle Puck.
Under The Gun got to catch up with the Phoenix natives before they played their New York City show.
The garage rock/90s Brit-pop-inspired three-piece talked with us about the inception of the band, how much they love being on tour, and their favorite cities thus far. Head below to get acquainted with them.
UTG: Hi, guys! Before we get started, can you go around and say your names and what you do for the band?
Brennan Smiley: I’m Brennan, I do vocals and guitar.
Troy Lowney: I’m Troy, I play keys.
Mike (Nico) Nicolette: I’m Nico, I play bass.
UTG: How are you guys liking tour so far?
BS: It’s been really awesome. Kind of a whirlwind in a good way. We’ve never been on a tour this big before.
TL: I love it, too.
BS: All about the road life.
MN: I don’t wanna go home!
UTG: You guys got a day off yesterday. Did you do anything fun?
BS: Yeah, we went in and saw some friends from Arizona and we went into Bushwick and hung out.
TL: Then we went to the village after that. Alphabet City. Lower East Side. Went to all of those places and spent all of our money.
BS: It’s all gone. [laughs]
UTG: Do you guys have a particular favorite show yet?
TL: I did have a surprisingly great time in Phoenix. That was our first show. It was a hometown one. It’s the most memorable one for me. Toronto was really awesome, too. Good show.
BS: Toronto was maybe my favorite, too. That or Boston.
MN: Yeah, I was gonna say Boston.
UTG: Did you guys enjoy the food anywhere particular?
BS: Something that stands out is this Korean barbecue joint in Los Angeles.
TL: Yeah! And we’ve had a bunch of Viet food from all over.
UTG: So you, Brennan, started out as an acoustic solo endeavor of sorts, right?
BS: Yeah. The band was built out of the progression of me trying to learn to write songs. Once that was there, I kept wanting to do more. Playing locally, there isn’t really much you can do alone on an acoustic guitar. At least at that time. It kind of kept growing and growing. We became a band and started booking our own tours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2MWpd1Dx-I
UTG: When did you bring everybody else on board?
BS: Not too long after. Right after I graduated high school in 2008, I started writing demos and stuff. My dad sort of inspired me to go into it. And then shortly after it turned into a full band thing, then from there on out it became The Technicolors. That whole thing transpired within about two years.
UTG: So from that, I’m assuming you do all the songwriting?
BS: Yeah. I do the lyrics and the tune and bring it to the boys and we work it out and transform it into something different.
UTG: How would you describe your overall sound in terms of your new EP?
BS: Uh.. I would say “sneaky.”
TL: Yeah, that’s exactly what we were going for.
MN: It’s very spy-esque.
BS: We’ve always been a band rooted in rock and roll and elements of that, but we’ve always tried to reach outside that box and have a good time. The people we were working with allowed for that to happen.
UTG: This EP is called Ultraviolet Disguise, correct?
BS: Yup, that’s correct.
UTG: What’s behind that title?
BS: It’s actually a lyric from one of our songs, “Tonight You Are Mine,” and it just felt very appropriate to name the EP after it. For me, I felt like I reached the point where I was comfortable enough to write new things without it feeling trite or like I was putting on a façade. It was very reflective of everything happening in our lives. The name framed this body of work pretty well.
UTG: When I look at the artwork and listen to the music, it definitely goes with each other very well.
B: Oh yeah, for sure. There’s not really a story behind it, but we have a friend who’s a talented photographer and a great musician in this band called The Chain Game of 1974 and we sent him the tunes and he snapped a few photos. I’m very sensitive to things like aesthetic and what you would imagine listening to the songs. This one happened to work really well.
UTG: How did you guys get on board with 81twentythree?
BS: We’ve kind of just always known people within the crew. Being in Arizona, there really isn’t much happening musically. They happened to be there and we were in a massive transition period. It all clicked together and it was really natural and exciting.
TL: It was like early last summer.
UTG: What are you guys looking forward to for the rest of the year?
BS: More touring.
MN: More music to be put out, hopefully.
UTG: Are we aiming for a full-length?
TL: We’re not really sure, but we’re definitely trying to sneak it in there. Keep it “sneaky,” you know? [laughs]
BS: Yeah. We’re definitely going to write and record more in between the touring. We don’t know what that’ll turn into, but it’ll be something.
UTG: If you guys could get anyone in the world to listen to Ultraviolet Disguise, who would it be?
MN: Wow. Um, I’d say Maynard Keenan. The lead singer of Tool. He’s the biggest critic in the world. If that dude likes our music, I’m happy.
TL: I’d have to go with Dave Mustaine (Megadeth). I’d love for him to hear our stuff. I think he’d enjoy it.
BS: Peter Frampton. That would be a moment.
Interview written and conducted by Dana Reandelar
‘Ultraviolet Disguise’ was officially released on April 7. Digital copies are available here.
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