South Jersey emo outfit Afloat has quietly become one of the most compelling bands emerging from New Jersey’s underground scene. Fresh off the release of their latest EP and recent signing to Mint 400 Records, the group continues to earn attention for their blend of emotionally charged songwriting, dynamic indie rock hooks, and the raw honesty that has become their trademark. Drawing inspiration from acts like Tigers Jaw, Balance and Composure, and Arm’s Length, Afloat balances vulnerability and intensity in a way that feels both familiar and distinctly their own. With praise from outlets including Under the Radar, WXPN, and Swim Into the Sound, the band’s momentum shows no signs of slowing. We caught up with vocalist Gabby Relos and bassist Josh Rubeo to discuss the new EP, the South Jersey DIY community, and what comes next for Afloat.
1. How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Gabby - Band formed when I was at Rowan University with Josh, it started as my senior capstone project. I came up with the name on a whim, I was just thinking of staying above everything that was going around me. So the word afloat just came to mind.
Josh - I had recently transferred to Rowan University to continue my audio engineering degree. I signed up to be a studio monitor so I can be around the campus recording studio more often and gain experience. While there I shared a shift with Gabby. Our first task together was trying to create cat 5 cables. Neither of us had ever done that before so it was a learning experience for both of us. From there we became friends while working shifts together. Gabby mentioned she needed musicians to perform on her capstone project. She was recording an EP along with a few other students. During that time I played bass in a band that recently broke up. I had a friend from that band who played drums. One weekend we all got together and just wrote parts as we recorded them. This became the band’s first EP and we continued on from there.
2. Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
Gabby - I played guitar for my friends projects but never had an official band before this. I got into playing guitar when I was a teenager and that kind of bloomed into getting into recording and going to college for audio.
Josh - I started learning instruments and getting into music when I was a kid. I started off learning violin around the age of 6. This is the foundation of my musical skillset. From there I branched off to guitar where I played classic rock cover songs with friends. Briefly when I was around 16 I played in a screamo band with a few other friends I knew. I would go on to play in school and community orchestra’s. When I attended community college I was in what I consider my first real “band”. We played shows locally and recorded in our friend’s basement. This is where I began playing bass. During this time I also played in a blue grass cover band playing the violin. Shortly around this time I then joined Afloat. I taught myself Ableton throughout that period as well so I explored audio engineering and creating music on my own when I didn’t have anyone to play with. This is when my skillset from just a musician branched into the audio and producing world.
3. First concert that you ever went to? (Locally and National acts)
Gabby - I think it was a local show in my hometown at a rehearsal space and I think my first national was Katy Perry at Six Flags.
Josh - It is hard to remember but one of my first shows was seeing Counting Crows with my mom at what is now Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden NJ. One of my first local shows was at Hangar 84 in Vineland if I remember correctly. I had a friend in high school around 2012 who played in a band and they invited me to their show
4. What's your writing process like?
Gabby - I usually will write something on guitar and record a demo in Logic, if I’m really into it I will record vocals, bass, and drums, but most of the time it starts with guitar and lyrics.
Josh - Oftentimes Gab will introduce a riff or a part of a song either through a recorded demo or during practice. We will often mess around with it during practice or experiment with parts on our own time and share demos. We usually begin with writing the instrumentation of the song and the different parts then move to lyrics. We are always open to trying new methods but that is the most frequent process we go through. Once the song is more or less “complete” we record multiple live demos to listen and tweak from there
5. What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Josh - I am not sure I take inspiration from one artist or group or genre. I feel like the music I am into really relates to how I feel for the day or even a period of my life. Like early on in Afloat’s career I was introduced to Basement, Title Fight, Gleemer. Those were some of my influences during that time. More recently I am open to all genres. I will often listen to rap, rnb, hyperpop, or whatever interests me then take parts of ideas of those genres and try to bend it into Afloat’s writing which is more indie/emo. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but it helps create new ideas.
6. What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
Gabby - Playing live I think is one of my favorite aspects of being in a band. My philosophy is just to have fun and connect with people at the show. Sometimes I like when live music is identical to the recorded version but I love when it is it’s own thing. I like when bands mess up or play something more or less than the recorded version, it makes the show for me.
Josh - I think it is really impressive and respectable for a band to play live and have it sound nearly identical to the recorded songs. Though this is a really difficult goal to achieve in my opinion. Especially with us we are a small band and don’t always have the resources to perform songs exactly as they are live. I think it is fun to create a great studio album with overdubs, double tracks, additional instruments and textures, anything that creates a great listening experience. Then live I think we do what we can to meet those expectations but at the end of the day we at least try to play the core of the song. I think each way can stand on their own.
7. Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?
Gabby - We’ve done some tours and the experience has always been rewarding. I think our best shows are in the midwest. We have a ton of friends in Pittsburgh and Ohio. Next up for the band is a release tour for this ep. I am really excited to get back out and share our music with people. I don't think we have ever had a worse show. I mean turnouts can be not great but the people that are there are for the bands. I think those shows are just as special.
Josh - We have done a number of short tours while being a band. We have gone as far as Texas earlier in our career. Recently we really try to focus on our tristate region since it is our homebase. We really enjoy the culture and scene of the Midwest and like to head out to the Pittsburg/Ohio area when we can. Some of our best shows were right in our own area of Philadelphia with Goalkeeper. I can’t say we have had the “worst” show ever. I think sometimes your expectation of a show is higher than the actual turn out but even those have their great moments.
8. What's up next for the band?
Gabby - We have a bunch of shows coming up and then I would love to get into writing for the next project.
Josh - We just finished up an EP and are excited to roll out those new songs. It has been around 2 years since our last project release and we hope it is received just as well.