Interview: Sweet Pill @ 2000trees
Sweet Pill by Jez Pennington
Catching up with the energetic and talented Sweet Pill during their first UK tour was an absolute pleasure. The band, who recently signed with the iconic Hopeless Records, has been making waves with their unique sonic blend. As they navigated the UK for the first time, we had the chance to talk about their experiences, from playing intimate venues to hitting some big festival stages.
Throughout the conversation, Zayna and Jayce shared their excitement and humility, reflecting on how their unexpected journey continues to shape their growth. They also opened up about musical influences, the surreal experience of playing festivals alongside bands they’ve long admired, and the warm reception they’ve received from UK fans. Their authenticity and down-to-earth nature make it clear that they’re not just here to play music—they’re here to connect with people and create lasting memories.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. You're here on your first UK tour; unexpectedly we’ve had our team following the tour. How's it going?
Zayna: I've been called out because pretty much every show I've been saying I had low expectations coming here because I didn’t know what to expect, but they've been exceeded. Everyone has been so kind. SUDS is like my favorite band in the entire world—they're so good. And not only are they a great band, but they're amazing humans. They treated us so well. We made some friends for life. It just made the tour that much sweeter and being here so much better.
Jayce: They made us feel at home, for sure, and we're gonna return the favor and bring them to the U.S.
Please do! We love SUDS.
Jayce: Touring with SUDS, you know what I've been telling people after the show is that they’ve been listening to us for years, but they come in and they’re like, “Why are you playing in such a small room? We expected to see you in these big rooms like you do in the U.S.” And I have to remind them that we're still a new band. In the grand scheme of things, we've only been touring full-time for just over two and a half years, and we’ve been touring so much in the U.S. that we haven’t had a chance to be over here. Now that we finally have the chance, it's humbling to start over, and it’s been re-inspiring for me to tour.
That’s so nice. I mean, Hopeless is a huge, iconic label, right? But you didn’t sign with them that long ago.
Jayce: It was very recent.
Sweet Pill by Jez Pennington
Zayna: Yeah, it’s been since pretty much the EP came out—that was when we announced signing with Hopeless. So, that was this year, spring of 2024. It’s been pretty crazy, and Hopeless is a big deal for us as well.
Zayna: We all grew up listening to Hopeless bands, and now we're one of them.
That must feel kind of surreal?
Zayna: Definitely. I have imposter syndrome almost every day of my life.
Not long ago we were speaking to Slow Joy, Esteban Flores, and he said something along the lines of, “I never want to stop feeling like they have imposter syndrome because it keeps them grateful.” That’s just really stuck with me.
Zayna: Exactly. Every day, I’m excited—I’m excited to do things, to meet people, and to do these crazy things like playing 2000trees. If I’m not excited anymore, something’s wrong.
Jayce: The music industry—it’ll eat you up, chew you up and spit you out. It can be hard to remind yourself that this is what we love to do, but this tour did it for me.
So almost immediately after you arrived in the UK, you played Outbreak Fest. How was it doing the tour versus the festivals? How was a UK festival different from a U.S. festival?
Zayna: Well, that was our first festival—ever. So, it was a lot at once. We were in a new country, playing this festival with all these big bands that we really like, and then we somehow ended up playing the main stage on the first day. That was crazy because I was standing there like, “Oh my God, we’re not supposed to be up here right now.”
Jayce: It was our first show in the UK, and we were the first band to ever play two sets at Outbreak Fest.
That’s massive! How did that come about?
Zayna: We just showed up with our instruments.
Jayce: We have insane luck when it comes to stuff like that. Our first major tour was with La Dispute, and that really put us on the map. We were just attending When We Were Young Fest, watching them, and there was a sandstorm in Las Vegas, so the fest got canceled. We were the only band with all our gear outside the festival grounds. So all these bands from the fest were running around trying to find a venue to set up a show, and we were like, “We have gear; we can do it.” So we got to play with The Wonder Years, La Dispute, and Mom Jeans.
Zayna: And then us, then later getting to on our our first full U.S. tour…
Jayce: We were babies
Zayna: …playing with those bands? We were like, “ha uh…okay.? How?”
Jayce: The fact that it happened once was crazy, but it keeps happening over and over again. Outbreak was another example of that.
What is it been like building up, and building a new fan base, in the UK?
Sweet Pill by Jez Pennington
Zayna: You know, in the UK, the folks here are very attentive. Everyone is watching. Even if they’re just there to see a show and may not necessarily know us, everyone is watching. After we’re done playing, people come up saying, “This is my first time seeing you, and that was really awesome.” I think the next time we come around, those folks will come again and maybe bring a buddy. And I think that cycle will keep happening. It’s kind of like at home when we first did a DIY tour, playing to a bunch people who are hearing you for the first time. We haven’t really done that in a year and a half.
Jayce: We’ve been reminded, time and time again, by all these legacy bands we’ve toured with in the U.S. that our come-up is not how it usually goes. We grew really quickly, and there's been growing pains because of that. One of those being that we haven't had the chance to tour in the UK in the three years that we've been touring. So it’s really great to finally be here.
Like Zayna said, we all come from DIY, and we get asked at pretty much every show what it’s like playing the main stage of Outbreak Fest and then playing a 150-cap pub. I always express that they’re two different things, and they’re both individually special. But to me, playing an intimate show for people who are new to us and are inspired to help us grow is a lot different than playing a festival. The festival might be more important to our growth in the grand scheme of things, but you actually see it happening in real-time when you’re playing a small room. You see the people right in front of you enjoying the thing that they came out of their way to see.
I can say I do feel pretty lucky that we got to see you in such a small venue for our first time. That Reading show was so fun. And now getting to see a festival set, being a whole different experience.
Zayna: A lot of folks have been saying to us, “I can’t believe you’re in Ramsgate. I can’t believe you’re playing here in my hometown bar. My band just played here last week, and here you guys are playing.” That’s really heartwarming to me because I am that person. When I’m at home and I see a band I really like play at a bar that I frequent, it’s a special feeling. I hope that we’re making good connections with people. We don’t want to seem like an out-of-reach band; we’re very much about people coming to talk to us and hanging out with us. Because we do the same thing at home with the people we admire.
I’m so interested in your influences. You’ve got such a range in your sound that is so interesting to see pulled together whether it be the more classic Hopeless pop-punk thing, Midwest emo sounds in the guitars, I’m sure super powerful frontwomen…can you tell us about your influences?
Jayce: Well, I’ll start with the Midwest stuff. We get labeled as an emo band, a pop-punk band, post-hardcore—we get a lot of different titles. To be honest, I love that we’re out here playing festivals like 2000trees with such a diverse lineup, because we can fit in anywhere. We’re an amalgamation of all those things, but we’re not just an emo band or just a pop-punk band. And we don’t want to be. We want to have our own sound, and that allows us to have a much broader audience.
I grew up listening to, like the worst emo bands. I shouldn’t say the bands are bad; they’re great. The production is not the best. They’re a little rough, but they’re my favorite. Algernon Cadwallader is one of my favorite bands. Joe Reinhardt’s guitar playing in that band and Hop Along has been a big inspiration for me. I discovered open tunings through them. That’s a very unpolished world of music; it’s cool to sound a bit off and gritty. But Zayna, you can talk about your influences.
Zayna: Have you ever heard of the band Paramore?
Oh I don’t know…are they new?
Zayna: They’re kind of new right? Obviously, I grew up on Paramore. I was like 11 years old when I first heard them, and it was around the time Riot! was coming out. And I just…there was Avril Lavigne, and there was No Doubt—Gwen Stefani is amazing. But to see someone like Hayley Williams being unapologetically herself, as much as you can be in the limelight, it made me feel insane. It made my heart race. I remember getting Riot! at Hot Topic the day it came out because they had a deal: buy one, get one half-off shirt. So, I got two Paramore shirts and the album. That night, I was listening to it on my Walkman. I had a little CD player, and I just remember repeating "Crushcrushcrush" over and over. I was like, I didn’t know this could exist!
I was listening to Circa Survive and Armor for Sleep around the same time—these emo bands with dudes—and then I’m like, “Wow, this girl is cooler than all these guys right now.” It just made me feel amazing. Obviously, Paramore was a huge influence to me.
But even outside of the rock world, I love pop singers. One of my favorite singers is Kimbra, who’s from New Zealand.
She has such a powerful voice!
Zayna: And she just does it herself. She plays with bands, but some of my favorite videos of her are just her recording herself, looping herself, and making music with her voice. That takes guts, you know? I love Kimbra, Paramore, and all of the emo world in general, like the third wave emo—Taking Back Sunday and all that stuff.
Jayce: Are we 6th wave emo?
Zayna: I think we’re fifth. According to the edge lords on Reddit, they’ve deemed us 5th wave. But yeah, all those women. And Gwen Stefani too? Come ooon.
I was just thinking about Gwen Stefani the other day. It’s become such a thing to rag on her and No Doubt, which is so not cool. And I was remembering being this little 10 year old, already a few years late on No Doubt and already so full of rage, listening to this woman singing about being overlooked and ignored for being ‘just a girl’. And being so blown away by that.
Zayna: Oh, she’s so cool. And she has a six-pack after having three kids. I saw them live once with Paramore—and it was crazy. I was in seventh grade, it was raining and it was an outdoor concert, and it was the first time I saw an unsolicited pair of boobs, just out and about in the mud. I turned to my older brother and was like, “This is awesome!” I definitely shouldn’t have been there in the seventh grade, but whatever.
Sweet Pill by Jez Pennington
We have a slightly different vibe here at 2000trees. One of the things I wrote down is not a question at all. It’s just the line from ‘Star Child’, “I’m not so sure, not really sure anymore.” And oh my God, if I don’t feel that very deeply. Are you sure? I am not sure ever.
Zayna: Yeah, I’m glad you pointed that out. At first, when I was writing that lyric, I wondered about them because they’re such straightforward words. I had a hard time writing this EP. I had a bit of writer’s block, and I try not to be so negative when I write. But it was inevitable. I was feeling pretty bad about myself. So those four songs are kind of like a little inside look at the demons in my brain. But that chorus, specifically, is open-ended—like, what is it? And then I kind of define it in the bridge, saying well, it’s pretty much everything. It’s my heart, my head, secrets…“my will, my intent, is there even any left?” Come on!
Zayna: I will be dreaming about that this afternoon. We are definitely playing it. I mean, It’s interesting you say that about writing straightforward lyrics because it’s something I love about Paramore. There’s a line—can’t remember which one—but it’s just really straightforward, and you’re like, “No, I feel that. I’m not sure anymore.” Right? I so feel that.
It’s interesting you say that about writing straightforward lyrics because it’s something I love about Paramore. There’s a line I keep coming back to in “Crave”...
Zayna: Oh “Crave” is soo good.
It’s so good. And it’s also really straightforward, but also not. Like that song in particular, I know so deeply what it means to say you “crave” these past moments. Beyond just nostalgia.
Zayna: You don’t have to beat around the bush sometimes. People need to hear exactly that—those straightforward words. And like I said with Paramore, Hayley was doing that, and it made my heart on fire. I needed to hear that from her specifically, you know?
I totally know. Last thing I’ve got for you—what are you listening to right now, especially through this UK tour?
Jayce: I discovered this band, through Outbreak kind of, called Bug Bath. They’re from Reno, Nevada, really small band. I don’t know how they got on Outbreak, but they should be so big. They are doing the perfect mesh of hardcore energy with excellent melody—no screaming, just beautiful songwriting.
Zayna: I’ve been turned on to a lot of UK bands. We just did that tour with SUDS, like we mentioned. If you’ve never listened to SUDS, please do—amazing lyrics. Mae is such a great singer; it’s incredible. They turned me on to a band called Fez, and they’re amazing. Kirk has been turning us on to a band called Black Fish. I have to look this one up, but it’s all these older UK bands. You Win Again Gravity—that’s another one we really liked. So yeah, I’ve been kind of putting those in the rotation. But yeah, SUDS recommended Fez, and they’re great. I’d recommend Fez to anyone—great music, incredible singing.
Incredible. This will be late to publish, but you’ve still got a couple more UK dates, right?
Zayna: Yeah, we’ve got another tour with Into It. Over It. We’re starting on Sunday, and it got moved to a matinee because England…
Jayce: It’s coming hoooome.
Zayna: Yeah, we have about two weeks with Into It. Over It. and then we have one more festival—Strange Overtones Festival—which has a very diverse lineup, if you ask me. But we’re very excited to check it out.
Jayce: A lot of electronic music. I don’t know how it’s gonna work, but we’re excited. It’s a good way to end the tour.
Zayna: We’re like one of the harder bands that are playing, and we’re not even that hard.
Jayce: There are like 20 artists, and I think only three of them actually have real drums.
Nice. That’s all I’ve got. Is there anything I didn’t ask that I should have?
Jayce: Where to get a cheesesteak in Philly? Well, actually, I don’t know if this is being broadcast in the UK. It’s a good question.
That’s okay, We have a lot of U.S. readers, don’t worry.
Sweet Pill by Jez Pennington
Zayna: You know they don’t have ranch here?
I’m so aware. I literally get Hidden Valley sachets shipped over. It’s not the same but it’s something.
Zayna: I was telling SUDS I need their address because we went to Taco Bell—which, by the way, the fast food here is real food. Levels better than fast food in America. But we went to Taco Bell.
I went to Taco Bell last week.
Zayna: It was good, right? And we got us a side of ranch to make them try it. And Dan from SUDS tried it and was like, “Oh my God, I want to drink this.” I’m gonna make them a care package with Hidden Valley Ranch.
Jayce: Our other guitar player, Sean, just entered the chat, and I have one question for you: What do you think about Taco Bell in the UK?
Sean: I gotta say, Taco Bell in the UK—I had low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. Much better ingredients.
Zayna: There’s chicken tenders!
Sean: And there’s a fried chicken taco!
That spicy chicken taco is where it’s at.
Jayce: Real quick, but there are no potatoes here, I noticed. So it’s not great.
Sean: There are potatoes here, just not at Taco Bell. Trust me, I had so many different variations of potatoes on this trip.
Have you had any culture shock moments?
Zayna: Yes! When somebody comes up and asks, “You okay?” I’m like, “Is something wrong?” And they’re literally just saying, “How you doing?” And I’m translating it like, what is something on my face?
Jayce: We always thank the venue staff, because it’s great to work with these people, and I’ll say, “Oh, thank you so much for your help.” And they go, “You alright?” and I feel like I did something bad. What do I do?
Zayna: The last thing is that we’re driving ourselves, so driving has been a culture shock. I totally knocked the mirror off our van.
Jayce: When I go back to the U.S., I’m gonna have to adjust again.
Thanks so much to Sweet Pill for taking the time to chat at Trees. You catch Sweet Pill on tour this September as well at Loneliest Place On Earth Fest, Riot Fest, Best Friends Forever Fest, and a support date with American Football.
