Stereoboard Speak To Heights Ahead Of Their Second Album (Interview)
Friday, 12 April 2013
Written by Ben Bland
Ahead of the release of second album, ‘Old Lies for Young Lives’, Heights frontman Alex Monty spoke to us about what’s going on in the world of the rising Welwyn quartet...
Well, first and foremost, I suppose it makes sense to talk about the new album ‘Old Lies for Young Lives’. How would you say it is a development from the debut record, ‘Dead Ends’?
‘Old Lies’ is a massive progression from ‘Dead Ends’, in terms of maturity and variation, especially. This record is much more varied, in tonality and dynamics and general feel. There's a lot less of a “heavy from beginning to end” feel with ‘Old Lies’ I like to think it takes you on a journey and explores a lot of different sounds that Heights haven't really done before, on both ends of the spectrum.
Has the songwriting process following the line-up changes ahead of this album?
It hasn't as much as you'd probably imagine. When I joined and was playing bass, and we were writing ‘These Streets / Gold Coast’, it was Dean and I writing the majority of the music and Thom was writing lyrics. Now it's just Dean and me writing lyrics instead. I guess we'll have some people critiquing our change of sound but it is largely written by the same group of people who did all our previous stuff.
When Thomas Debaere left the band last year I think it’s fair to say that there was a mixed reaction from fans. What has your perception of that been?
I haven't really thought about it for a while now. I guess it's a bit of a thing of the past for us. Personally, I think it's cool that people have their own views and opinions on this whole thing. Even kids telling us that they hate us now, at least it shows that they liked us before and they cared about our band. That's something, better than nothing certainly. Either way, the most important thing to us is that we're much happier as a band now. There's no point in everyone loving what you're doing if you're miserable.
What’s the story behind the title to the new album?
The ‘Old Lies’ title is most encompassed by the song ‘The Noble Lie’, which is a lie that we, as adults, tell to children to hide them from what can sometimes be an unpleasant truth. It can also be a lie told by anyone in a position of authority to someone not so in the know to maintain order or to “keep the peace”. The thing is; where do you draw the line with these lies? It's much easier to keep lying to children and pretend that the world is this amazing place but eventually the truth will find a way. A lot of the songs on this album are about us growing up and finding out that everything is not necessarily as it seems. It's not a record about politics or religion, specifically. It's just about the importance of seeing, rather than just blindly believing, and thinking for yourself.
I first heard you guys when the debut EP came out a few years back. The sound has been refined a bit since then (when it had more of a ‘post-metal’ tangent I suppose you could say). Is that a reflection of changing musical interests in the band or just a purely natural development?
It’s a bit of both to be honest. Most of us barely even listen to metal and hardcore these days, other than the bands that we tour with. I think that can be quite important in carving your own sound. If you're influenced by broader genres then you'll have a broader sound in the genre you're writing. So yeah, we've matured as music fans over the years but also as writers. We're interested in writing what we'd want to hear, and not just what's already been written.
Sam Carter guests on ‘Eleven Eyes’. Architects have had a fairly big impact on UK hardcore in the last few years as they seem able to transcend a fair few fan bases. Are they a big influence on you guys in that sense?
In a sense I suppose. I mean, we've all been aware of the Architects guys for quite a while. They've been around for years. It's quite inspiring to see a band that started out how they did, become what they've become. I think it says a lot about the band that did tech metal in ‘Nightmares’ went on to write stuff like the title track off ‘Hollow Crown’, across the space of three albums. That's an influence, if you know what I mean. Goes to show that you really can progress and do what you want in the world of music and still retain integrity and a loyal fan base.
I lived in St. Albans until a couple of years ago and so am aware that there’s a fairly large hardcore scene in Hertfordshire, bigger than you would perhaps expect, with you guys obviously representing Welwyn. Why do you think a county as dull as Hertfordshire has produced so much angry music of late?
Yeah this gets talked about a lot. I suppose everyone wants to know what's in the water down here that springs up bands like SikTh, Gallows, Enter Shikari, Your Demise, etc. I think it has something to do with our close proximity to London, without actually being a part of it. We have the access, but we don't have the distractions. I think the fact that Hertfordshire is SO dull, turns people onto music, so they want to get out of here, and go on tour a lot.
What about the UK as a whole in terms of hardcore? There definitely seems to have been a bit of a resurgence in recent times following quite a barren period for heavy music in the UK as a whole. Do you guys feel that there is a particularly burgeoning scene around at the moment?
There's definitely a sense of something happening, and belonging to a part of something, which is great. I remember going to watch Enter Shikari in 2005/6 in St Albans and there were hundreds of people packed in a hall and there was a real sense that everyone there was part of this family. Locally, it's quieter than it was back then, but on a national level, people will look back at this time and probably wish they valued it more while it was around. As for hardcore, I don't think Heights have ever been a hardcore band or been in the 'hardcore scene'. Perhaps in the world of hardcore, people might have taken things a little bit too seriously. A lot of people seem to think they're owed something by their scene, that they've gone to a few shows and bought a few t-shirts so now they want the scene to do something for them. Now you don't even have to do that, all you've got to do is 'like' a band on Facebook and then you can be like 'hey you guys suck!' It’s like, be the change you want to see, you know?
We have an incredible thing going on in the UK right now, hardcore or not, so if you don't like it, start your own band, play your own shows. Nobody owes you anything. Nobody cares what you've got to say unless you can back your words up with actions. It’s usually the ones doing the actions that aren't running their mouths. When's the last time you saw a really respected band member leaving Facebook comments to bands saying 'you guys are shit now'? Basically, what I'm trying to say is the scene is great for people who are contributing and respecting it. Look after it and it'll look after you.
What, in your opinion, Heights really stand out from the pack at the moment?
Well, like I said, I think we stand out from the hardcore scene mainly because we're not a hardcore band. We never have been but I think this record will really start to kill of references of hardcore for us. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate hardcore, I just don't think we're a hardcore band, and I'm sure the majority of hardcore hardcore fans will agree with me.
What have Heights got planned in the coming months?
Festivals! Slam Dunk, Hevy, SummerJam, and a few other festivals to announce still and then we'll be hitting some more tours up again towards the end of the year. UK, Europe, all the usual shit. Exciting times!
‘Old Lies for Young Lives’ is out on 29th April via Transcend. It will be reviewed on Stereoboard next week.
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Well, first and foremost, I suppose it makes sense to talk about the new album ‘Old Lies for Young Lives’. How would you say it is a development from the debut record, ‘Dead Ends’?
