Interview with The Jukebox Romantics

Calm melodic punk from the heart of New York. This year, 2025, they released a new album called This One Looks Cool, and we'll break it all down.
Alan – Hi guys. How long have you been on the scene?
Mike Terry – We started this journey in the Spring of 2008. So about 18 years without any real breaks?...FUCK. Where has the time gone?

Alan – How many songs/albums have you released during your existence? And on what media?
Mike – 
5 Full Length Albums on Vinyl/CD/Digital
3 Eps on 12” Inch/7” Vinyl/CD/Digital
3 Splits on 12”/7”/CD/Cassette/Digital
2 Cassette Single/Digital
1 Demo CD only
Total Song: 70

Alan - The latest album is This One Looks Cool at the moment. How long have you been working on the album? Who helped you with the album? Who is John Naclerio to you?
Mike – TOLC took about a year or less from start to finish, however some of the songs we had started writing about 6 years prior and then picked them up and reworked them. We recorded the songs at home studios but did the bulk of the tracking and vocals and production with the mentioned John Naclerio. John Naclerio is our spiritual 5th member. Working with John morphed from him just mastering songs and records for us to truly working together to get the best out of the songs and our performances. He’s a gem. Hardworker and talented as fuck.

Alan – The album was released by several publishers. Who arranged all this? For example, I have an album from David from Engineer Records.
Mike – A lot of that stuff comes from Andy from Sell The Heart Records who released it in the states and his relationships with David and other labels. The family of labels has become a collective and as a band/artists, it’s nice to work with people you trust and are honest. 

Alan – If we take the songs from the album, can you describe them to us? What are they about, and describe the music?
“Coffee, Cigarettes & Damp Church Basements”
“I wrote this song as more of a metamorphosis of the mind. On the surface, it seems like someone dealing with sobriety. When I was writing this 2 very close friends were battling demons with substances. Being in a relationship with someone 20+ years sober I guess some of their ethos rubbed off on me. There are lots of terms in the songs that are AA/NA things that I've never heard of. It just happened that way. Also a lot of punk shows happen in damp church basements so maybe its all about punk shows? It’s whatever you want it to be really. New beginnings and all that” -Terry
“Divey League Fools”
You ever spend your twenties busting your ass at work and then sitting around a bar with a close friend talking about how you could make your life better but you never do? This song is talking about just that. I kinda wrote it as a timeless conversation of loss and refusal to accept change while watching the world go by and feeling powerless to do anything about it. A way to get the negativity out, and at least scream about something. - James
“Packing Up My Knives”
A friend of ours was making a short indie horror-comedy film about cannibals. He commissioned this song for the film with the notes “Make it sound like JBR/MISFITS/ALKALINE TRIO. Easy enough! We wrote and recorded it in 2 weeks. It’s rad. This song is collectively one of our favorites ever in the history of the band. If it wasn’t for this silly little movie, this banger wouldn’t exist. We are forever grateful for Allen and his team @ MEAT LOVERS for asking us to be part of their film. It also has won an award at an Utah film festival for best original song for a movie. We are still waiting for them to send the trophy. Tick toc….tick toc… Terry
“Honolulu Sun”
This song was almost called “Indiana Jones and The Temple of Bob Gibson.” In October of 2024, the world lost one of its shining lights. Bob was our friend who we met on tour to SXSW in 2010. We become best buds via music and outside music. He loved inside jokes, ninja turtles, partying, music, his wife, dogs, disney, baseball and people. He was a royal pain in the ass. And a royal human. If you got heart, let me see you Prove It. Oh, why is it called Honolulu Sun? It’s a soap Bob hoarded every spring from bath and bodyworks. They say smell is the sense that ties us to memories. Whenever I smell Honolulu Sun, I think of all our good times. -Terry
“March 24, 1984”
I am obsessed with movies. This is a coming of age song about coming of age movies. Teen movies of the 80s and 90s. John Hughes, Cameron Crowe etc.-Terry
“Goodnight, Future Boy!”
More and more, less and less people are having kids. It’s a scary fucken world out there. In the music world, it’s even more common for many of us artists and dreamers, to opt out of having children to pursue art or because the world is shit. After having my first child, a girl, I was down for only having one kid.I wanted a girl. Seemed easier. I grew up with all women. I don’t consider myself a manly man. But we had more sex. Which means more kid…and this time is was a boy. Boys become men. Men more so than women become rapists, serial killers, tyrants…you get it. That was my fear. So i wrote this song as a letter to my unborn son. With all the fears of what could happen plus all the hope and positivity I could shine through in the terror of impending fatherhood to a son in 2020’s America. Since writing this, I have had a vasectomy. Do it.-Terry
“She’s On The Run”
The classic story of small town girl heads out West to chase her dream, trying to run from her problems. Usually we are a pretty positive band. This song is a little tongue and cheek.
“Ambivelance”
Your greatest enemy can be yourself. The inability to stick to a plan or a decision will lead to regret, stagnation, and worst of all a song about how you could have been better but never made the necessary change. To get to the other side of a field of problems, sometimes, you just need to keep your head up, start walking, and not worry about all the possibilities other paths can lead to. -James
“Space Buds”
You ever been in a relationship that kinda just fizzled out? You basically become roomates who were once lovers, growing a relationship and suddenly, you are just 2 different people occupying the same space. No fights, No Drama. Just vast, cold nothingness. - Terry
“The Walk To Heartwood”
For over 20 years, a small festival in Gainesville, Florida has morphed into an Utopia of punk rock and roll for all its followers and sub genres. What started off as a joke about how long the walk from one stage was to another, and how we should write a song about that 10 minute walk and make the song itself 10 minutes, turned into something a little more serious. A hate and love letter to what is the current state of the punk scene. The musical and lyrical references are a plenty. Keep up, it’s a fast new yorker walk. - Terry

Alan – You've been compared to the band Samiam (because they're best known for this style) – what bands and styles do you draw from?
Mike – It’s funny, I have heard of the comparison to them and Lifetime. 2 Bands I’ve never really listened too. It might be cause of the positive dancey, east coast melodic vibe we bring. But I honestly don’t know. I know our drummer loves Samiam a lot. But that’s my extent of the connection. But You know over the years every band kinda morphs into something and a lot of that is based off of influence. I’d say in the beginning we were heavily influenced by bands like Rancid, Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake, The Clash. Now I’d say we still carry those banners but definitely more rounded and eclectic.

Alan – Let's get back to the USA. You've played in Europe before. Where in Europe did you play? And which concert do you remember most fondly in Europe? And why this performance?
Mike – We have played England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium. We have had a great shows and parties in all these countries but one of the most memorable was at Booze Cruise in Hamburg in 2021.We had played the festival before but not on the boat. That year we played on the boat and it was such a fun beautiful experience.

Alan – Our readers are mainly from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Do you know these two countries? And do you know any bands from these countries?
Mike – Of course! We have played in Czech Republic but never Slovakia…yet! I don’t know any bands or remember any we played with but I do have a great memory of playing Club Bozak in Teplice. After the show we slept at the venue and we were live streaming, so there is evidence of this, but we were being terrorized by a monster. I shit you not, a monster inhabited the venue and no one slept. It looked like a lizard dog crocodile hybrid. Crazy thing is, a couple days after we played in Prague and were at a museum and there was a painting of a similar looking monster.

Alan – Have you traveled all over the USA? I mean concerts, festivals? And a similar question for Europe. Where did you play the best and why?
Mike – We have played 48 States out of 50. Warped Tours, SXSW Festivals, large and DIY, The Fest in Florida. We have had so may amazing shows over the years but probably playing THE FEST in Gainesville Florida is always a great party. Good vibes, utopian punk rock paradise. Energy is beautiful.

Alan – Do you have any funny experiences from filming? Or from concerts? Which ones are publishable!
Mike – We played a couple shows in our early years that turned out to be at Christian Religious Punk venues in New Hampshire and Texas. It was always very awkward just showing up and not realizing it until a prayer would break out or we see some hardcore Jesus art. We were always respectful, but it just is so oxymoronic to me.

Alan – How was the last album received by people?
Mike – It’s still pretty new and people have been really enjoying it. Which is rad.

Alan – What are you preparing for 2026? A tour of the USA and Europe? South America?
Mike – This band has had South America and Japan on the short list so many times. Maybe when the world is a little less crazy and expensive we can make it happen. In 2026 we have some US shows planned as well as a trip up to Canada. 2 of us are getting married in Summer and Fall, so we it’s a very busy year!

Alan – What bands have you played with that caught your attention?
Mike – Deadline, Flick Knives, Friends Without Boats.

Alan – Thanks for the interview, hopefully it won't be the last.
Mike – Thank you and sorry for the delay! Hope to meet in person one day! Oh, and Watch out for the Bozak Monster of Teplice!

Terry - guitar/vocals
Norm - drums
James - bass/backing vocals
A.J. - guitar/backing vocals
https://www.facebook.com/TheJukeboxRomantics

https://www.engineerrecords.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvr3KM9-jFqPrg38eL7d5fw