Smile Empty Soul say hit song is tongue-in-cheek
By KELLY WILSON
Get Out

Smile Empty Soul singer Sean Danielsen barks the chorus “I do it for the drugs” in the group’s fist-pumping, head-banging first single, “Bottom of the Bottle,” but bassist Ryan Martin says the song isn’t necessarily referring to illegal substances.

“It's anything for anybody,’’ explains Martin, 22. “Something that gets them off and makes them really happy in their life when they go through all the bad times and unhappy times just to do this one thing. And for some people it’s music. For us it’s music.’’

When the Santa Clarita, Calif., alt-rock trio — which includes drummer Derek Gledhill — wrote the song, Martin says they weren’t expecting it to turn into a party anthem.

“As (we) get into the South, drunk-ass rednecks will be like, ‘Hey man, I do it for the (expletive) drugs, too, man,’ ’’ he says. “God, if I had a (expletive) nickel for every time I heard that (expletive). I wouldn’t need to tour in a band anymore.’’

The group recently released their third single, “Silhouettes,” a sensitive, more melodic track compared to ‘‘Bottom of the Bottle.’’ Similarly, Martin says the members of SES couldn’t be more different.

“I don’t think there could be anymore opposites in a band that I can see,” he says. “Sean is really only into rock ’n’ roll and likes to party and Derek is into ’80s music and all kinds of different stuff. He’s really into health and I like to smoke and I’m into hip-hop and jazz. We’re all completely different people, but I think that’s what really makes it work because it’s completely different ideas that work together some way.’’