The Luton grunge metallers have returned to the studio after a mix of covid and band illness forced them to withdraw for a year or so. With a new E.P. ‘HurtPeopleHurtPeople’ due out this summer, we caught up with the band to reintroduce them to the world and find out a little bit about them.
Give us a potted history of the band
Nik: The band started in 2018 with myself, Paul, and Boulder. We’d all worked together one on one, but never all three of us, so we just started jamming in Paul’s garage in Luton.
By late 2019 we had pulled in Simon and Rich from other bands we’d worked with, and we’d written enough to play our first few sets. Not long after we started to record the first couple of songs for HurtPeopleHurtPeople.
The next few years were full of surprise left turns. Covid was obviously a big blow, and then we also had to deal with Paul being diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, for which he had to dedicate over a year of his life to treatment.
We spent that time without him recording an acoustic EP “Our Trauma is not a Competition” which was released in 2022 in low key fashion, and has clocked some good numbers and reactions.
We got Paul back last year while gigging to support the EP, and got into the studio at the beginning of 2023 to record the rest of HurtPeopleHurtPeople.
Her Embrace is the first track we’re putting out from it, and we’re hopeful it hits as hard as we think it can.
Who inspired you to start making music
Nik: We actually run a weekly post on our socials where we talk about albums that have shaped us and inspired us. We try to make is Wednesday night, mostly.
From a personal perspective, the first band I listened to that really made me think this was something I’d love to do was Pearl Jam. From the first listen I connected with the lyrical content, and then as the years have gone by they have proven themselves to be a band who are not hemmed in by expectations of what their music “should” sound like. Which is very important for me to the creative process.
And the one or maybe two records that inspired you artistically
Nik: This is always an impossible question to answer. On any given day I could give you a dozen albums, and then tomorrow it would be an entirely different list.
Today, I’ll say Grace by Jeff Buckley. Because has there ever been a better album, vocally, in terms of tone and range and emotion conveyed? It’s hard to argue no.
If you’re trying to explain who you sound like to someone that’s never heard you, what do you say
Nik: I often say that our drive is to write big hooks over big riffs, and then fill those hooks with an unnecessary amount of pain and anguish.
We’re a bit grunge, a bit metal, and maybe a bit stoner. But most importantly we’re a hard rock band at heart.
Tell us about your new single
Nik: We recorded Her Embrace at Signal House Studios with Tim Kramer, who we’ve been recording with since day one. It’s a cliché to say it, but he’s like a sixth member of the band.
Gear wise, Boulder is very much a Marshall kind of guy, and Simon is more about the 5150. But we did try out a few different options over the course of recording.
Lyrically the song is primarily about depression. “Harmony” could be a girl to the listener, but for me it is the name I give my depression. And the two of us have a very toxic relationship that the song explores.
Where can we get hold of it
Nik: All streaming services from Friday 30th June. There will be a physical release of the full EP later in the year that will be available on our Bandcamp.
Tell us how you write
Nik: Often one of us will come in with the original spark of an idea, beit a riff or a progression. Then we’ll jam it out until we start to form the bones of the song.
I’m a melody before lyrics songwriter. So while we’re jamming I’ll focus on creating something that fits with the music, and then the words will come later once the song has created a certain type of feeling.
Tell us about your live show What would be your dream gig
Nik: At the moment our big goal is getting into one of the bigger festivals that would suit us. Bloodstock, Download, Desertfest. An acoustic show at Black Deer or Glastonbury would also be interesting.
There is something about a festival set that feels much more fun than normal shows. And we like to play as much of a high energy show as possible, with lots of banter with the crowd. We reckon that would go down well.
What can we expect from you in the near future
Nik: We’ve got two more singles from the EP planned, with one in the summer, and then one to drop alongside the EP around October.
Tell us your favourite records that are rocking your headphones/tour bus / stereo
Nik:In the last week or so…Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token, Darkfighter by Rival Sons, A Weight for the Heavy Handed by North Atlas, Explicit The Mixxxtape by Wargasm, Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs.
Find out more via the bands Facebook
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