As you enter the Epitaph office in Los Angeles, there is an almost life-size photograph of the Motion City Soundtrack boys mounted on the wall of the reception area. It is obvious that their label is proud of them, and they should be. Their latest release, Commit This To Memory received critical success, with tracks like Everything Is Alright and When You’re Around. Tonight the boys are playing to a sold-out headlining show at the Tribeca Rock Club in NY, before heading off to Europe to complete their tour. They were recently out in Australia touring with pop-punkers, MXPX.

“It was great, it was our first time in Australia” says the band’s keyboardist, Jesse Johnson “I got to hold a koala and Tony (drummer, Tony Thaxton) and I got to hangout with kangaroos at a koala sanctuary just outside of Brisbane”, bassist Matthew Taylor adds, “It wasn’t too different for us down there, and it actually felt kind of like home.” 

 ”It was home, but it was cleaner, and it had an accent…” Johnson adds, “other than that, it was pretty awesome. I think that everything was pretty nice… like have you been outside? (referring to NYC) They put the trash on the street here! And they don’t do that in Australia!”

Yes, that is true, but you have squirrels here. ”I saw an albino squirrel here yesterday…” Taylor excitedly says, “It was all white, and very strange…” “Well, you don’t have squirrels,” Johnson concurs, “but you have cool birds though. You have wombats?!? And furry tailed possums… and they’re pretty cute!”

The boys’ extensive knowledge of local fauna and flora is just an endearing element of their infectious personality that exudes on their latest album, Commit This To Memory. Formed in Minneapolis almost seven years ago, Motion City Soundtrack started out being a side-project band for vocalist, Justin Pierre and guitarist, Joshua Cain, and eventually they were joined by Jesse Johnson, Tony Thaxton and later Matthew Taylor. Having the experience of being in other bands, the boys were able to develop a strong group dynamic.

“No one actually ever says, this is my song, and I wrote it” says Taylor on the band’s writing process, “One person will bring in an idea and we’ll all develop it together. It’s kind of how we work -’equal people’. And it never gets weird – ever. We think it’s more fun that way if everybody contributes.”

“We were all in other bands for years, ever since we were younger” Johnson adds, “I was in hardcore bands, and punk rock bands. And the first band was with my father, and we covered Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice In Chains, and Faith No More.” Johnson hesitates for a moment “And I believe, the first time I played a show with my father, I was wearing purple pants and yellow suspenders!”

“I did not know that!!!” laughs Taylor who seems genuinely surprised. ”And I had green Doc Martens boots” Johnson confesses. “Basically I thought I was a clown, I think!” 

“So you were a clown!” Taylor confirms, as they continue to laugh at each other for the next few minutes.

While touring Europe with Blink 182 for their previous album, I Am The Movie, the boys were asked by Blink 182’s bassist, Mark Hoppus if they were interested to work with him. Hoppus used Motion City Soundtrack’s second album Commit This To Memory as his producing debut.

“He was really easy going, really easy to communicate with, we could really talk about ideas with him.” recalls Taylor on working with Hoppus.

“If he had an idea we’d play on that, and if we had an idea he’d play on that” Johnson says “And I think he did a really great job on hearing things that we wouldn’t have been able to pick up or heard on our own.”

“Aside from all of that, he was obviously very ridiculously funny” recounts Taylor “I would always have to run to the Starbucks around the corner to get him a baby cup with cappuccino – it’s a cappuccino in the smallest cup they had. He always made me get that, Splenda, and a straw. I couldn’t get a wooden stirrer because it was unhygienic, so a sealed straw that no one would’ve touched. So he’s very weird about things and very finicky about all that stuff!”

“But he would always tell stories, like if I was playing bass and I couldn’t get a part nailed, he would right away say, ‘let me tell you a story…’ I was like, sure! So we’d stop and he’d tell me some random story that he’d make up and then go ‘alright now try the part’, and I’d nail it! So I don’t know what it was about these stories, but it worked!”

The result is an album that’s honest, heartrending and hopeful all at the same time. It’s what makes Motion City Soundtrack’s style so unique, and it’s not just because of their band name. “To the best of my knowledge, Josh’s brother was going to open a boutique and he was going to call it ‘Motion City Soundtrack’,” explains Johnson “and that never happened so they took their name from them. Well, ‘borrowed’ it.”

That’s until you follow Mark Hoppus’ footsteps and launch your own clothing line…? “Right…” Johnson laughs “and then we will sell purple pants and yellow suspenders…” Taylor adds, “and maybe some green boots too!”

Motion City Soundtrack’s Commit This To Memory is a little bit emo, a little bit punk, a little bit melancholy and a little bit bittersweet, but most of all, it leaves us with the feeling that indeed, Everything Is Alright.