We caught up with lead guitarist Dan Fuson and bassist/producer Austin Luther of Winona Fighter, fresh from their Slam Dunk set, to discuss the band’s sound, how they recorded their debut album, and where the title “My Apologies to the Chef” came from. You can watch the full interview here. 

Winona Fighter pride themselves on being the angry voice we’ve been taught to suppress. Their debut album, My Apologies to the Chef, brings that punk sound and angst in full force. It’s fun, energetic, defiant, and designed for playing live to a crowd that’s going completely nuts.

The album opens with “JUMPERCABLES”, which immediately introduces us to the band’s loud, enraged, untamed vibe. Rhythm and melody go hand in hand here, as lead singer Coco Kinnon is also the drummer – so that uncontrollable unleashing of fury is matched across the vocals and percussion.

“HAMMS IN A GLASS” is particularly heavy, which makes sense as it was written by Kinnon after being pulled over by a police officer one day while rushing to meet her managers. In fact, the band touches on everything, from frustrating, relatable experiences like these to deeper, more sensitive issues like substance abuse.

Don’t believe that My Apologies to the Chef is where it starts and ends, though.

The band have been shamelessly working hard to get their music the recognition it deserves; they even stood outside a festival they weren’t playing at to promote “Johnny’s Dead”. This is what “DON’T WALLOW” is all about – the graft, discomfort, and slightly cringey moments that come with trying to get your voice heard as an emerging artist. And they won’t be slowing down any time soon.

Their writing process can start in a number of ways, as Austin Luther explained to us in a tent at Slam Dunk Festival. Recording then takes place in Luther’s home studio, known as Studio A (“A” for Austin), as opposed to the spare bedroom they used to record their first few singles. To keep things consistent, they re-recorded these singles for their debut album, bringing in live drums rather than triggers.

The result is an on-point album, with crisp drums and crunchy guitars, that still has that DIY, punk feel all the way through. And did we not mention? The home studio is in a garage – perfectly imperfect for a punk album.

“Sorry, mum and dad… we’re going to go do this.” – Austin Luther on becoming a punk musician

My Apologies to the Chef is a witty title that came about accidentally. It started right back at the beginning of the recording process; whenever Coco Kinnon messed up a drum part, she would say, “My apologies to the chef”. It caught on, so much so that when it came to naming the album, the band knew this had to be it.

There’s a deeper meaning, too, Luther explains that the title captures the idea of the musicians doing something completely different to what their parents expected: “Our parents [are] the chefs and worked their whole lives to make a good life for their kids… and we were like, we want to be punk musicians. Sorry, mum and dad… but we’re going to go do this.”

Luckily, their parents are supportive, but it’s an amusingly accurate take!

Their new label, Rise Records, is equally supportive, allowing them to pretty much have free rein over their sound. “When we were recording,” Luther says, “they were just like, let us know when it’s done.” This is ideal for a band who have such a “DIY” way of making music, who cover tough topics, and who essentially write music with live gigs in mind.

“It’s very rare, but in a great way… It’s worked out perfectly for us.” Fuson remarks.