INTERVIEW: POP EVIL IN CONVERSATION WITH LEIGH KAKATY
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
POP EVIL’s Resilience in “What Remains”
No Barriers caught up with POP EVIL’s songwriter and vocalist Leigh Kakaty about the band’s new album and EP ‘Unleaded’ and possible return to Australia.
Pop Evil’s new album 2025’s ‘What Remains’ is their eighth record and one of the best rock albums I have heard this year. If you’re a Pop Evil fan, or just a music fan, this album is a perfect song cycle about how life is a lottery and how you have to learn to live through both the dark and light times. And, it is all underscored with a great fusion of heavy nu-metal and modern melodic rock. ‘What Remains’ really is a faultless collection of ten arena-ready modern rock and metal songs that as Leigh Kakaty states: “pulls no punches and takes no prisoners”.
Leigh Kakaty delivers a raw and impassioned performance, channelling his personal and professional struggles into ‘What Remains’ where the songs lay bare the challenges of life in general, the struggles with the music industry and what Pop Evil’s place is within it. It is a story of survival – of what remains – the band, the songs and the fans. In fact, the album ‘What Remains’ is the culmination of Pop Evil’s story that started with 2023’s critically acclaimed ‘Skeletons’ and 2021’s ‘Verstaile’: their journey and their personal and musical career growth. This new record, while is both sonically and thematically Pop Evil’s heaviest ever offering, the songs offer catharsis, as Leigh Kakaty lyricism exposes his heart, mind, and soul. And, if you want to hear the song writing quality, then listen to the stripped back versions of the great songs in the new EP ‘Unleaded’ and a brilliant cover of Simple Minds ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ that matches the sentiments in their songs. It was so good, I felt goosebumps when I first heard it.
“Lyrically, I wanted to dive into issues around my mental health and life – you know song writing - it’s a way to heal off stage so you can be better on stage as a performer and musician. If I can write songs, that give voice to experience and help someone else, or let others know, that I get what they are going through – then I have reached out and hope we can help each other through the music. The sense of community is so important in the songs and in bringing people together with the music” says Leigh Kakaty. “Pop Evil music, and music in general, is my church. When, I see those fists in the air, I know I am not alone and others feel like me and I hope the songs can help others heal”.
Leigh Kakaty’s observations of life are honest and speak to truth with a real message for our times. The songs like ‘Wishing Thinking’, the title track ‘What Remains’, ‘The Bullet That Missed’ and the fabulous ‘Side Effects’ take us into deep understanding about life being a ‘Zero To None’ game and peppered with ‘Overkill’. “You cannot deny the truth” states Leigh Kakaty. “You can’t control what is going on. You just have to do your best. Life is dark and hard – but are you going to be a better version of yourself? Or take it out on other people? The choice is corruption or being positive. I’ll take being positive. I will play my guitar, scream and yell – and get it out. I hope our fans like that and can come to a gig or listen and sing along to our songs with those feelings”.
Like Odysseus and his men, Pop Evil have taken the long road home. They are pushing back and gathering strength as they fight their way back - like many other bands from the COVID-19 lockdowns - with renewed vigour in a changing music scene. “Yeah. We are tighter and wiser. We are barking now” says Leigh Kakaty. “We want our music to reflect and speak to our heavy metal community. I want to go to gigs where we shout out lyrics together. I want people to know that we appreciate how they have our backs and we have their backs. I want to celebrate music and make it priority to get to fans and perform high quality concerts for them – and do it right”.
“Getting to Australia as an American band is a huge financial commitment, and we want to do it the right way. It’s not just about coming back, it’s about ensuring we can deliver the full Pop Evil experience, just like we do in the U.S,” states Leigh Kakaty. “We’re really hoping to make it happen”.
While we wait there are the albums and new EP. “The writing of the EP ‘Unleaded’ and ‘What Remains’ was a therapeutic process for me,” say Leigh Kakaty. “And, we would love to tour the songs and album in Australia. But we want to do it right. Australia is always top of the list whenever we discuss where we want to play next. Every single one of us wants to get back there as soon as possible. The love we get from our Australian fans means the world to us, and we’re actively working on making it happen. It’s all about locking in the right timing—but hopefully, this album cycle will be the one that brings us back”.
Pop Evil are a band that rose up from the grass roots of community radio. Their background has also been firmly planted in the heavy rock and nu-metal scenes in the US, especially Michigan. If the past albums were good, then this new album ‘What Remains’ and the new EP ‘Unleaded’ are next level as they are filled with songs born of authentic experience and hopefully new and old fans will hear the band’s growth. Let’s hope Pop Evil get to Australian shores soon to show us. They will be unmissable!
Pop Evil’s new EP ‘Unleaded’ and album ‘What Remains’ is out now, get your copy from all streaming services. Stream album here
WHAT REMAINS TRACK LISTING:
The Bullet That Missed
Deathwalk
What Remains
Wishful Thinking
Side Effects
Criminal
Enough Is Enough
Zero To None
Knife For The Butcher
Overkill
