Interview Under Fire Podcast · Interview Under Fire

S.19 E.05 – Ian Schneider of Resistor

April 5, 2026·41 min·3 clips

Ian Schneider of Resistor discusses their genre-smashing debut album Bite This, dropping in just over a week.

1. Interview Under Fire host Sonny and co-host James Reza speak with Ian Schneider, bassist of Long Island heavy band Resistor, about their debut full-length album 'Bite This' dropping March 27. 2. Ian joined Resistor as its newest member after their EP 'Headcase' had already been recorded, with 'Mutt' being the first song he co-wrote with the group. 3. The episode frames 'Bite This' as both a debut and a genuine first step, with Ian arguing the band only identified what makes them 'Resistor' — versus just a heavy band — around the halfway point of writing it. 4. Resistor formed when vocalist Granbo met guitarist Conti at a Long Island skate park during COVID while both were scootering together. 5. Ian coined the self-description 'knuckle-dragging wicka-wicka core': knuckle-dragging for the stripped-back, subtract-to-be-heavier approach, and wicka-wicka for DJ RC's turntables, which are written as lead instruments rather than texture. 6. The identity crystallised during the writing of 'Mutt': the band kept removing guitar layers from the breakdown until only a single guitar and closed hi-hat remained, and everyone agreed that was the sound. 7. Randy LaBeouf — who previously worked with Kublai Khan, Acacia Strain, and Gideon — served as producer; Ian calls him the unofficial sixth member of the group. 8. The band entered the studio with 14 full songs and a handful of 30-to-60-second scrap ideas, then spent a month on pre-production with LaBeouf before another month of tracking. 9. After tracking they hit the road for a month touring to Colorado and back, then returned to finish the record — roughly two and a half to three months total living at the recording house. 10. Ian estimates 75 to 80 percent of the album's parts are exactly what the band brought in; the remaining 20 to 25 percent that LaBeouf rearranged elevated the songs to where the band couldn't have gotten alone. 11. Ian says he was initially anxious about working with a strong producer — worried he'd be swayed by good ideas that weren't the band's vision — but found LaBeouf operated entirely within the direction Resistor wanted. 12. 'Dead Soul' was chosen as the first single because it was described as 'right down the middle Resistor' — the song that best represents the whole record if a listener only hears one song. 13. The 'Dead Soul' video was shot across New York City in 15-degree weather, including on a rooftop directly across the street from the Empire State Building arranged by DJ RC. 14. Ian's favourite track is 'Petty Fuck,' which features a six-breakdown ending he pre-emptively told the band was 'really stupid' before playing it — and which they immediately approved. 15. Approximately 90 percent of the album's production is performed live by human band members; DJ RC executes scratches and sample pads on stage rather than running a backing track. 16. The band navigates six different guitar tunings live per show, a direct result of writing with live reproducibility as a constraint. 17. The first co-headlining tour with Filth — a band Resistor members were already fans of — was identified by Ian as the moment the project felt genuinely real, as Filth sought them out organically without any industry arrangement. 18. The interview tone is relaxed and conversational, with co-host James contributing observations from a week-long visit and the host referencing specific album tracks and tour dates in real time. 19. Fans of new metal, nu-metal-adjacent heavy music, or listeners interested in independent touring band logistics and studio processes will find the most value here. 20. Listeners expecting discussion of lyrics, themes, or concept behind individual songs will find the conversation focused more on sound, process, and band culture than on lyrical content.

As heard by us

Resistor's debut full-length gets a heavy, scene-level rollout spotlight.

Ian Schneider talks through Resistor's debut full-length, Bite This, and the episode keeps its attention on what the record is trying to do: sound chaotic, heavy, and like nothing else in the room.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

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Want a heavy-music interview about a debut that feels like a statement?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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