THE TAKE 5 SERIES
Bonded by a mutual love for madness and flammability, Young Bombs became instant friends and started a creative collaboration that has withstood everything else!
Young Bombs is a Canadian duo of Martin Kottmeier and Tristan Norton. They first gained fame as jingle composers and remixers before leaping to composing and producing original music. That leap continues to be propelled by the creative and personal chemistry created in their high school in Vancouver, where they first met.
The duo remixed songs by Carly Rae Jepsen, Selena Gomez, Christina Aguilera, Billie Eilish, and numerous more artists throughout the 2010s in anthemic yet atmospheric ways. Not to mention, Young Bombs launched a highly sought-after residency at Drai’s Beachclub in Las Vegas and toured the world with The Chainsmokers, Galantis, R3hab, and Adventure Club. Their productions, which touch on genres like trap and tropical house, are blatantly joyful with a hint of sorrow and always presented with a youthful flair.
Following their success as in-demand remixers and appearances at major music festivals like Lollapalooza and Ultra Music Festival, Young Bombs released original music in 2019, with “Starry Eyes.” That same year, they won the iHeart Radio Ones to Watch award, which meant that “Starry Eyes” was going to be played everywhere, giving them their first taste of hearing their song on the radio and experiencing it as part of the culture.
Today, the duo has quickly risen to prominence as one of the most prominent musicians, with over 159 million streams and a JUNO nomination.
You can experience more of Young Bombs’ high spirits and learn what’s next for them by reading the full Take-5 Interview.
Q: Before we dig in, what’s next for you?
MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC. We are so excited to start releasing all of these records we have been cooking up over the last several months and couldn’t be more stoked to kick things off with Kinda Funny. It’s the first record we wrote since moving down to LA in April, and it was SO fun to make. We had this idea for a song and already had the instrumental, so we booked a studio, got together with some of our favorite people, and wrote what we think, in our own biased opinion; lol, is our most substantial record to date. We’ve always tried to maintain the balance of keeping the records in the dance world and having melodies and stories at the center. We’ve always admired guys like Calvin Harris, his music crosses over so well, and we feel like this song walks that fine line. We’re so fired up! Besides that, we hope to tour as much as possible and eat as many tacos as possible. Whichever comes first.
Q: What does music mean to you?
Music is expression. Music is art. Music is a feeling. Music is a memory. Music is everything. Music is TIK TOK. JK….
Q: Is there a song that makes you emotional?
Master Of Puppets by Metallica. When James sang: “I’m your source of self-destruction,” and Lars hit it with that off-beat snare fill… I felt that.
Q: How important are lyrics?
As a producer, it’s so easy to get lost in the soundscapes, arrangement, melodies, etc., that lyrics get lost in the “mix,” no pun intended. However, lyrics are a massive part of music, it’s how the listener relates to the song, and they should always be at the forefront of importance.
Q: Which musical era would you visit if you could travel back in time?
I would love to hit the baroque period and crash a few parties. It will probably be pretty lit.
Hey, you might want to check this out
Q: Who was your role model while growing up?
Pretty sure it’s safe to say we idolized Blink 182. That’s how we even met, playing in pop punk bands. But, something about them was so refreshing; they had the melodic sensibility of pop music but were just drenched in personality and penis jokes.
Q: What makes you feel unstoppable?
Eight caramel macchiatos. No, though, we’d have to say release day. There is no better feeling than releasing new music into the world. There is always this feeling of untainted optimism.
Q: What would be on the gag reel of your life?
Probably the time Martin got pink eye on his 30th birthday and had to DJ a show. He looked like Quasimodo on 85 Red Bull vodkas. It was a site to beeeehhooold.
Q: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?
How big is the tongue tho? If Gene Simmons is licking it, then like one?
Q: Would you travel to space?
YES. FUCK YES. I always wanted to go to space and seriously FOMOing that our boys, the Chainsmokers, would be the first act to perform at the edge of the area. So if they are reading this and want to go b2b, hit us up!
