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<\/p>\nJune 14th, 2013<\/p>\n
by Lily Rothman<\/p>\n
Yes, that\u2019s as in Hanson, the Oklahoma-bred trio that\u2019s now in its third decade of pop-music production. Middle brother Taylor, 30, is still making music with Isaac and Zac: their latest album is out June 18, and\u00a0that\u2019s not all they\u2019ve got going on. He recently spoke with TIME.<\/p>\n
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TIME: I wanted to ask you about the album title \u00a0\u2014 why Anthem<\/em>?<\/b><\/p>\n TAYLOR HANSON:\u00a0<\/b>Picking an album title is always somewhat treacherous because you have to live with it forever. When making this album there were several themes which we could never put aside, and one of them was the sense of size, that the whole album had this sense of being an album that we felt was meant for an audience. Sometimes you write a song and it just feels epic. Or you imagine it in a certain type of venue and you can hear the voices of the audience singing along.<\/p>\n So is this album more epic than your past work? <\/b><\/p>\n We hope so. The other aspect of the word anthem<\/em>, if you look at the definition, it\u2019s an uplifting song. And what better message to send when you\u2019re putting out an album? Our goal has always been to write and create songs that become anthems for others.<\/p>\n <\/strong>How does producing your own work affect what you end up making?<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s much like the question of how does running your own label affect what you come out with. It requires a discipline where you force yourself to genuinely be your worst critic \u2014 which, most of the time, can be very painful. As the record label-producer-artist, you\u2019re wearing three different hats on \u2014 and the ultimate question has to be, is this the best song?<\/em>\u00a0You can\u2019t let one hat outweigh the others. It\u2019s challenging, but the thing that I find now more than ever, as a resource, is the ability to really pull on your experience.<\/p>\n I have to ask you about \u201cMMMBop.\u201d What are your feelings about the song today?<\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019m proud of it, more proud now that ever.<\/p>\n How often do you hear the word? Every day?<\/b><\/p>\n It comes up very often, let\u2019s say that. Thankfully, it\u2019s a calling card we\u2019re not embarrassed of, and never have been, because it\u2019s our song<\/i>. It\u2019s three young brothers that performed in a garage and recorded this very simple song that then became a little more shiny and polished and was heard by millions of people. When we perform it now and we see people singing it, it has a whole different life and we\u2019re more proud of the fact that it has maintained a kind of freshness.<\/p>\n It was just in Hangover III<\/i>.<\/b><\/p>\n Exactly. Which we love.<\/p>\n How did you decide how many Ms would be in MMM?<\/b><\/p>\n We were very specific about that actually. There is the quality that there\u2019s three of us, which is always kind of nice, and it\u2019s a timing thing. The rhythm feels like three.<\/p>\n Doesn\u2019t that change with the tempo?<\/b><\/p>\n No. Even if you speed it up, the percentage which the MMMs are lasting is the same percentage it would be in a shorter time. Basically it\u2019s math.<\/p>\n That\u2019s very well thought-out.<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s funny, like, \u201cisn\u2019t \u2018MMMBop\u2019 just a throw-away thing?\u201d But, like a lot of stuff in our wheelhouse, we\u2019re craftsmen first.<\/p>\n Speaking of craft, you now have a beer called Mmmhops. Have you had this idea from the beginning, just waiting for the right moment?<\/b><\/p>\n