Interview: Nuclearia talks freight trains, riffs, and their new single “Blood and Borders”

Few bands are brave enough to make as bold a genre transition as going from easy listening indie rock to crushing, drop-tuned modern grunge. As one of the tightest and most ambitious bands in the Los Angeles rock scene, the guys of Nuclēaria have done just that, and are making waves doing so. 

A little over two years ago, Los Angeles-based act Nuclēaria released an EP consisting of clean vocals and pop chord progressions. This month, the same band debuted a heavy-as-hell single with a brand-new lineup and a brand-new look. Who are these guys, how did they get here, and why does it work so damn well? I was determined to find out.

Nuclēaria makes their debut at the world-famous Whisky a Go-Go in October. Photo by Zoë Gallagher @zoegallagher

I meet the guys at their Van Nuys rehearsal studio on a warm October night to talk about their latest release, “Blood and Borders,” and the heavy new direction the band has taken. As they set up their gear, I feel a buzz of energy between them. There’s a familiar rhythm to their dynamic and banter. They prep for rehearsal and riff back and forth with each other just like they play: quick, loud, irreverent. 

I’ve been a friend and fan of Nuclēaria for a while, jamming out at their shows, witnessing different iterations of their lineup. But this particular group, their new songs, and the way they play demonstrates a very rare and special kind of chemistry – one only found in a band that is beginning to tap into their potential.

I ask the members of Nuclēaria to introduce themselves to our readers with a simple question – “Why do you play music?” Sean Connelly, Nuclēaria’s powerhouse behind the kit, starts us off. Sean is usually seen with a beer in hand and a thoroughly stoked demeanor. Tonight is no exception.

“Music gives me the energy I need to release,” he laughs, polishing off his IPA. 

Frontman Conner Gossman, Nuclēaria’s warm and driven founding member, credits the beginning of his music career to a baseball-related injury. A torn elbow took Conner off the field, but toward his guitar, and the rest is history.

Bassist Raul “Perro” Murillo, with his punk leather jacket and bass guitar strapped up high, explains that “I kind of fell in love with what music brought out in me as a person. So I kept doing it.” 

Finally, lead guitarist Jayson Loput, a stoic giant with maybe the best guitar stance in the scene speaks up, although he usually lets his G&L Fallout axe do the talking. “I started playing because music is the most important thing to me. It has been, and always will be,” he says.

Jayson Loput demonstrates said perfect guitar stance at the San Diego House of Blues. Photo by Will Graczewski @wgraczewski

I ask Conner to dive into Nuclēaria’s history to answer my burning question: how did the band become what it is now?

“It’s a long story. It's a friend of mine named Aria who I knew from preschool… She got cancer at about the same time that I tore my elbow pitching. So I picked up a guitar and wrote a song for her when she got sick, and I never got to play it for her. I felt really bad about it. So I named the band after her, Nuclēaria,” Conner says.

While the band’s namesake and inspiration has remained the same, Conner’s songwriting process has recently gone through an evolution.

“It was kind of stupid. I used to just write. I didn't really learn any other songs. And when you're doing that, it's hard to know what you like… But now I’ve learned I just really like riffs. So, I started writing with riffs instead of chords… It's just heavier because the riffs are heavy. I still think that ‘Blood and Borders’ has kind of that second catchy chorus. I still think that ‘Goodbye Julio’ has some melody to it. But the verses are kind of weighed down heavy. I just love a good riff. And so, I try to incorporate one into every song,” Conner explains. With that, the key to Nuclēaria’s new sound and style is found.

Nuclēaria takes the stage together for the first time. Photo by Will Graczewski @wgraczewski

All members seem to agree that the first gig the four of them played together, a night that is “impossible to forget” according to Jayson, was the genesis of Nuclēaria as they are today. Nuclēaria secured an opening slot on a mini tour of Southern California with the popular Linkin Park tribute In the End. Not only were they on stage together for the first time, but they were also in front of almost 1,500 people.

“What was it like, stepping out on that stage? Was it scary, overwhelming, awesome?” I asked.

“What's the best part about all of those types of shows is that it's everything you just said in one. It's crazy. It's insane. It's nerve-wracking, but you're at peace with it because it's what you do. You've done it a million times. Why not just do it in front of all these people?” Sean recalls.

“Not only was it just a great, great crowd, great energy, but it was kind of the first time that the live sound was just massive and felt like this… We always say it's like a freight train. We just reached new speeds with the four of us,” Perro explains. I love the analogy of the freight train because it’s one of the only ways you can explain how it feels to be hit by the music when Nuclēaria plays live.

Perro Murillo and Conner Gossman celebrate backstage after an electric show. Photo by Will Graczewski @wgraczewski

The finale of these incendiary live shows for the past few months has been their newly released single, “Blood and Borders”. It’s a dynamic, high-energy song that pushes the band’s boundaries musically and lyrically. The tom-heavy opening of the song creates a quick, thumping pulse and anticipates the explosive main riff. Nuclēaria plays the song with every ounce of passion they’ve got – especially Sean behind the kit.

“There's nothing else to say besides that it's a fuckin’ badass fuckin’ song. I'm more than ecstatic that it's out. And yeah, it's a freakin’ workout for me. But it's a relieving workout. When we end that song, everybody goes, whoop, whoop!!! And I feel it, because I earned it,” he says.

Sean Connelly tears up the house kit in Anaheim. Photo by Will Graczewski @wgraczewski

“Blood and Borders” was written by Conner before Nuclēaria’s current members had been added to the roster. Jayson recalls hearing “Blood and Borders” in its early stages of development.

“The song was actually one of the first things I'd ever heard from when Conner was showing me demos… I heard it and I was like, ‘I want to be a part of that’,” he says. It’s easy to understand why a guitar player, especially one with Jayson’s affinity for heavy riffs, would be attracted to a song like this.

And while Jayson gets plenty of opportunity to show off his chops throughout the song, a lot of the magic of “Blood and Borders” lies in the open space between the heavy riffs. In the verses, while Sean carries the beat on the toms, both Jayson and Conner’s guitars ring out over the vocals and bass. The energy feels just barely contained, as we wait for the gigantic riff we were teased with in the opening to be unleashed in the chorus.

“Blood and Borders,” and its sister song “Goodbye Julio” seem to define Nuclēaria’s future direction.

“I think they’re great teasers, you know, for what we got cooking going forward. And we have the new new song that we have that we haven’t released, it would fit perfectly with the other two. So, you know, we're starting to create a cohesive sound,” Sean says. “We're excited to move forward. We just got to keep doing what bands do and work our asses off and keep writing, you know what I mean?”

Conner Gossman sings at one of Nuclearia’s early shows. Photo by Will Graczewski @wgraczewski

While their singles give a glimpse to listeners at home of Nuclēaria’s power and potential, witnessing their live gigs are essential to knowing the extent of it – notably, Jayson’s dynamic solos and Sean’s full-throttle drumming. 

Jayson discusses his gear that defines Nuclēaria’s live guitar sound. “The most significant piece of equipment that I use is my wah pedal. That's not something that I was ever really that familiar with beforehand. But once we started to play live and jam as a band, I was like, OK, I have to start putting some thought into my lead guitar sound. I had to work at that, and I'm still working at it,” Jayson recalls. He cites guitar legend Slash as an inspiration for his sound, so I bring up the solo from one of Nuclēaria’s iconic covers, Velvet Revolver’s “Slither.” He lights up at the mention. “It’s one of my high points of the set, I would say.” I couldn’t agree more.

I ask Sean, an incredibly accomplished and well-connected drummer, what defines drumming for Nuclēaria. “I play in bands that always kick ass to me, but they have just a little bit more of a clean-cut guitar sound, where Nuclēaria is like, look, we're playing drop D. We're putting on the distortion pedal the whole way through the set, and it's balls-to-the-wall drumming… This is more like, who am I? Let's see how crazy we can get with it,” he explains.

The guys huddle up for “band prayer” before taking the stage in Bakersfield. Photo by Will Graczewski @wgraczewski

So, what’s next for Nuclēaria, I ask? Conner rattles off a long list of exciting upcoming gigs, from reuniting with In the End in Riverside to manifesting a gig at the Roxy with up-and-coming metal band Return to Dust, which has now become reality! Conner also mentions plans for a music video for “Blood and Borders,” along with writing an album around their two singles with the rest of the band, and Jayson puts in his two cents about its content.

“I think I speak on behalf of the entire band when I say that we want more stuff in drop D,” Jayson muses. “For people that don't know what that means, it just means that it's heavier. It's more sludgy, just drop tunings in general.”

By the end of the interview, not only have I gotten to know the great guys that my current favorite band comprises, but my essential questions have been answered. Who are these guys? Four dudes who love to play heavy music. How did they get here? Hard work, unbeatable chemistry, and some well-written riffs. And why does it work so damn well? Because between their well-written songs and incredibly talented members, Nuclēaria is executing a vision for the future of rock music.

Follow Nuclēaria on Instagram @nucleariamusic for show and release updates!