Review Fix Exclusive: Before Nitrogen’s Sean McGibany Talks ‘Floodplains’ And More

Review Fix chats with Nitrogen’s Sean McGibany, who discusses the band’s signature sound. goals 

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Sean McGibany: We all grew up together, but never had any idea of starting a band. Sean (our lead singer) was seriously involved in music starting at age 8 playing guitar and writing songs, and he started performing as a solo act in high school. Jack (our guitarist) also played throughout high school, but didn’t really have time to continue in college. Joe (sample pad/drum machine) had no previous musical experience whatsoever but has been Sean’s friend since Kindergarten and always involved in his projects. Eventually, the stars aligned and we all got together to start Before Nitrogen.

Review Fix: How did the band get together?

McGibany: Sean started floating the “Before Nitrogen” idea back in 2016, and Jack was one of the first to sign on, but we could never tie down the rest of the lineup. Joe had been involved as a “creative consultant” throughout, and Sean wanted to bring him into the band but there was a problem: Joe didn’t play any instruments. So, we envisioned a role for him as the “machine master” – controlling our electronic beats and synth sounds from a sample pad. Joe’s addition was what really got the band off the ground and gave us a unique sound and image.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

McGibany: Lately we’ve been trying to make sure each song/project we put out is part of a larger narrative. Our message as a band is “Hope is Not Lost,” and we want that theme to be present in everything we do. For instance, on our new EP Elements we follow a character through the four seasons as he reflects on a lost relationship. Despite the fact that it’s more than likely that the cycle will repeat again in his new relationship (just like the seasons themselves), he refuses to let it get him down and looks to future with optimism. And who knows, maybe this time it will work out. That’s the kind of story we try to tell.

Review Fix: What makes Milwaukee music special?

McGibany: One of the best things about Milwaukee music is that there’s so much waiting to be discovered. Milwaukee isn’t known as a center for music, which means so many bands slip under the radar. This can be annoying for a band trying to get attention, but it’s great for listeners looking for new music. The Milwaukee scene is incredibly eclectic, and you’ll find something to love no matter what you listen to. Not to mention all the musicians here are incredibly nice and so many of them have been willing to talk with us and take us under their wing!

Review Fix: What inspires you?

McGibany: Stories of perseverance are very inspiring. This band has been a long time coming – we didn’t form overnight, and this EP certainly didn’t either. But we think we have a story to tell, and we’re going to try our best to get it out. So many of our favorite bands like twenty one pilots, Green Day, and Luke Combs have experienced similar struggles and came out on top. We find that very inspiring and hope to follow in their example. 

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

McGibany: We can comfortably be described as what would happen if James Taylor was produced by Owl City.

Review Fix: How was “Floodplains” written?

McGibany: “Floodplains” is the really key song on the new EP Elements, it’s where the “Hope is Not Lost” aspect comes in. Our character has just been through three songs of crushed dreams, but on “Floodplains” he’s got a new person in his life and it’s making him believe that he might have someone on his side now. Is he right? We don’t know, but he’s taking the leap anyways. 


Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

McGibany: We like to have fun onstage and really push ourselves to be dynamic performers. The EP will give you a great baseline, but we really encourage folks to come see us live – we put a lot of work into creating the show. We try to give the audience everything we have and find ways to get them involved at every turn.


Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2019?/What’s next?

McGibany: We have a batch of shows lined up around Milwaukee this summer, which will be our first time playing full setlists together as a band. It’s been a lot of work getting all of our new songs prepared, but we think we’re ready. After that, we’re hoping to be back in the studio for a new project in the fall.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

McGibany: If anyone in the Milwaukee area happens to be seeing this, we’re very excited to be playing July 12 at Bastille Days, and we’d love to see you there!

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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