Q: How did this song come together? What inspired the beat, the lyrics, and the overall mood?
TASH: Our guitarist Robbie was inspired by a more modern trap/lo-fi type beat which seems to be coming out in more modern rock styles. This track was originally going to be an interlude for an EP, giving the ear a break from our heavier stuff. Robbie was playing around one day and was inspired to add a Biffy Clyro style groove to the end giving it that Paramore-like release one is searching for when you begin the song. Once I heard this ending, I knew it had to be a single of its own. The mood of the track gives off an isolated, slow feel which inspired the lyrics to be about the pressure of forming good habits and breaking the old ones. The secluded guitar represents those conversations you have with yourself trying to get yourself into a good place to implement those good habits.
Q: What brought you together as a band? What drives you to create music together?
TASH: We’ve all been in bands previously. In our second year at university together, we found a common love of rock music. What began as a bass and drums two-piece developed into a very guitar-driven three-piece. Our guitarist brought a whole new layer to our sound. Our passion for performing is what really brought us together, we wanted to get out there and play so to do it together seemed obvious.
Q: The song explores the difficulties of breaking bad habits and the inevitable backward steps that might be taken in the process of creating better habits. How do you hope this message resonates with listeners?
TASH: As the lyricist behind “Hard Habit”, I believe that we all have this problem. We desire to skillfully place habits into our lives in order to better oneself and set one up for success. As someone who has struggled with mental health, I am often pointed in the direction of a routine and systems in order to help. Yet as a musician navigating the harsh music scene, this seems almost impossible due to every day being so different from the last. I wanted to write something that would become an outlet for this frustration and to let others know that even though creating good habits looks seamless all over Instagram, when you look closer it’s more of a real life struggle than one might think.
Q: Who are some of your biggest influences?
TASH: Yonaka have always been a huge influence to us. With their newer tracks, they are testing the boundary between a more electronic side of rock, using trap beats with some influences of rap. The power that the lead singer holds definitely inspired me as a vocalist to try and hold that same power. In the drop of “Hard Habit” you can hear the Biffy Clyro influences in the groove of the guitar, that more raw sound lifting up the release of the track ready for that release that you are so desperately after. Some of our other influences are Wolf Alice, Royal Blood, and Paramore.
Q: How would you compare this song to your other singles?
TASH: This track is definitely more relaxed than our other singles. It was nice for us to produce a track that was able to show a softer side to us, allowing some melodic freedom within the vocals. We are releasing this in the hope it may broaden our fan base, potentially reaching out to those who aren’t into the heavier stuff and giving a pleasant break in our set for when we perform live.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
TASH: We are extremely excited to release this track on the 23rd July, we are performing at The Old Blue Last on the 22nd so are excited to promote the single on the night where we can say it is ‘out at midnight’. This will be the first non restrictive show since March 2020 which hopefully is the first of many. We plan to perform as much as we can in London, release more music over the next few months on course to release an EP in the new year along with a mini UK tour to try and expand our fan base.
Interviewed by Kat Rendon
