It’s only been a couple months since we last heard from Man Overboard with the May release of The Human Highlight Reel, but they somehow found the time to drop yet another album on Sept. 27. The short gap between records did nothing to hinder the outcome of their new self-titled release; if anything, it plays off of it nicely, stemming from their classic, punk-pop roots and delving into riskier initiatives in sound and instrumentation. Here, guitarist Justin Collier talks about staying true to one’s sound while working in new elements, how to effectively handle an internet album leak, and the secret weapon behind a Man Overboard acoustic song. Check out his answers...minus one top-secret bit of info you’ll just have to keep your ears open for.

PureVolume: You’ve noted bands like Brand New and The Get Up Kids as influences. How do you feel being influenced by other people's music can either help or hinder your own song-writing process?
Justin Collier: I think after you write songs for a while you sort of come into your own and you don't let it push you too much in a direction, but just give you some light inspiration.

PV: How has your sound has evolved since your debut album, Real Talk? 
JC: The self-titled album is way different from Real Talk. It still has the same Man Overboard sound, but it certainly has some new elements...fast parts, really sad, melodic parts, etc. We tried new things without jumping ship to a new sound.

PV: Man Overboard is now your third album to leak before release date. What was it like to deal with an album leak? Has it impacted your opinion on the Internet's role in music sharing and promotion?
JC: I've said this before...you cannot fight the internet. So, if your album leaks, you must roll with it and make the best of it. If you bitch and complain you are only wasting your breath and turning off fans... after all its about the music. If our albums leak we are proactive about it. In the past, Real Talk and Human Highlight Reel leaked weeks early, so we put them up for immediate purchase and emailed digital downloads to those who pre-ordered. Luckily with the new album, it leaked two days early, so we just put up a stream of it. It’s unfair to those who support your band and pre-order when an album leaks, so we try to make it the best for everyone.

PV: I noticed you offered a couple acoustic tracks on this new album. Do you approach the creation of an acoustic piece with a different mindset then you would a piece with full instrumentation?
JC: The acoustic tracks were just a bonus for the pre-order, but I think when most bands do an acoustic song, they just play their regular, full band song without the other instrumentation... i feel that is boring. Nik, our one singer who owns his own studio, gets really loose in there and always makes something really interesting. I always love to hear what he does when making one of our songs acoustic -- it’s always something unique and special.

PV: If you could sum up this album in a word, what would it be?
JC: iFeel.

PV: What's next for you?
JC: We will be on the Pop Punk's Not Dead tour this fall, then headlining the UK in January/February... and then we will have some other things going on that I cannot say yet!