For much of its career, the band’s lineup was as shaky as its name implied, with a new bassist on each of its first three albums. In the midst of recording album number four, however, the band sports a lineup identical to the one on its previous release. Nobody is aware of this as the band’s newest member.
"It’s definitely helped as far as the output of the band," said bassist Jimi Cheetah. "With the last album we recorded everything we had and it came out as the album. We just recorded 19 songs."
Halfway through sessions for the band’s upcoming album, Restless, Irritable and Discontent, tentatively scheduled for a June 25 release by Fat Wreck Chords, Cheetah is as enthusiastic about his band’s lineup as he is the upcoming album.
"We all get along really well," he said. "It’s good to get along with people and really kind of know each other in and out more. You’re going to spend a lot of time with these people and it’s good to be comfortable with boundaries and such things."
With the ties that bind holding the band’s most recent lineup together tighter than previous editions of Tilt, the band’s direction as songwriters flourishes on its most recent venture. With a stronger emphasis on collaborative songwriting, Cheetah said the band’s current batch of songs will prove to be a much more focused batch.
"Definitely the band gelled and there’s more songwriting and things are more flowing," he said.
Restless, Irritable and Discontent should prove to be a marked switch from the driving sounds of the band’s last release, Collect ‘Em All (Fat Wreck) Cheetah said, because of both the band’s differing emphasis and focus on the two records. Most notably, Restless will feature a much broader range of sounds.
"It’s all over the place," Cheetah said. "It’s not like Collect ‘Em All, which was faster and has been called hardcore by a lot of people, which is kind of weird to me."
Unlike Collect ‘Em All, with it relentless drums and driving drums, the upcoming album will feature a much wider range of sound, from stripped-down punk to poppier material to slower rock, Cheetah said. "Ideally, we were trying to make it a mix of all three (prior) albums," he said.
The band doesn’t shy away from experimentation, however, pushing its sound into entirely new arenas. "We even have a country one. I’m not sure if it’s going to go on the album or not," Cheetah said.
The most marked difference between the band’s two most recent albums is its approach to songwriting, with the band fleshing out its new songs more in jam sessions.
"Since we are gelling as songwriters and have had more time, we’re playing around," Cheetah said. "Jeffery and Cinder live just two blocks from me so there are a lot of garage sessions on this album. There’s a couple songs on the record that we’ve written while screwing around."
The time Tilt spent in a creative hibernation before heading into Motor Studios to put down Restless helped the band to refine its songwriting process, Cheetah said. Now, more than ever, the songs are a product of the band than a single songwriter.
"We all bring parts into the shop and we all work it out together," he said. "Cinder can’t really play guitar but she knows notes really well and will say `Play something around these notes’ and it will work out."
The more steady songwriting pace of Restless was a distinct switch from the hit-and-run tactics used to record the band’s last album, Cheetah said. Because of a long absence between albums, the band focused on firing off an album and regrouping as quickly as possible.
"We wrote enough to make an album. We wanted to hurry up, especially the other members of the band—they had this big down time," Cheetah said, describing the band’s up-and-at-‘em attitude toward Collect ‘Em All. "We just wanted to get in there and record an album. The whole band just wanted to get out and tour. The songs were definitely ready, though. We didn’t rush it."
Though spending more time in the studio and planning for Restless, Cheetah said the band isn’t shifting away from its emphasis on performance to become a studio band.
"We love doing both. It’s definitely different; we have a different sound live than in a studio," he said reflecting on his band’s favorite arena, though he concedes the band holds a special attraction to playing shows.
"We just get off on it. All four of us really enjoy playing," he said. "The live thing is definitely fun and really important to us."
Tilt’s commitment to performance shines through in its stage act. Jumping around and smiling on stage more like an unsigned act making its first venture on the big stage than a seasoned collection of punk veterans, the band’s act bubbles with an excitement long absent in many headlining acts. The band’s enthusiasm earned it a spot on last years’ Warped tour, though only playing for a small number of shows and only making onto the main stage a couple times.
"We definitely weren’t winning over too many new fans," Cheetah laughed. "but our fans could come and see us."
Through all the tours, records and other hoopla, however, Tilt’s ultimate strength lies in its members’ close ties.
"It’s great being in a band that gets along so well," Cheetah said.