Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Hope Drone Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Currently four dudes from Brisbane, Australia attempting to make atmospheric and intense music. 

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Long songs comprised mostly of blast beats and guitars with reverb on them. 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The smallness and insignificance of Mankind in time and space. 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

The name was taken from the title of a Godspeed You! Black Emperor song that isn’t on any of their records. We just needed a name at the time and anyone who has done a few bands knows how painful the process is for something that is relatively unimportant to the quality of music. It worked out well for us though; the name is ambiguous, not a stereotypical metal name and ended up suiting the music the band creates. 

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Most of our shows so far have been with either friends or bands we like from interstate/overseas so I could not really narrow it down to one. I guess our live show is ideally as dark as we can get away with while still being able to play and often features plenty of looking away from the crowd or down at pedals (for my part at least). We are equally at home in DIY venues with just a vocal PA or properly mic'd up. 

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Yeah, but they are pretty nebulous at this point as we’re working on a new recording. 

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or received any interest?

We didn’t really look very hard but we have had some interest from various corners of the globe after releasing the EP. I think it is a mistake for newer bands to spend too much time looking for labels before actually doing anything themselves. The most rewarding aspect of creating music is writing songs, recording them and playing them to people. This can all be accomplished without a label, having support just allows you to expand on this core. 

8. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

Chris (guitar, vocals) plays in The Fevered, which are along the lines of Entombed/Dismember meets hardcore. Aaron (bass) is in a slow epic band called Vassals and a mathrock band called Plainview. 

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Our next full length is already written but we didn’t pick a specific direction to take it in and there’s no indication that it will set the pace for the releases after that. Ideally, I’d like to make each release unique and explore different parts of our sound. That said, the new record is a lot more dynamic than the first release and has a lot more quiet parts, space, slower moments and variety of textures in general while still having plenty of blasting intensity. It is also twice as long. We are aiming for a less intense production to reflect the greater dynamic in the sound, focusing more on natural sounds and creating space rather than purely smashing the listener as hard as we can. 

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

This answer varies depending on whom you ask but for me Neurosis is a huge influence musically, in terms of how they record and how they run their band. Other bands like Swans, Godspeed, Rosetta, Locrian and more obvious ones like Wolves in the Throne Room (also influenced by Godspeed/Neurosis) all have an impact on our sound. We listen to a lot of different stuff really, but I gravitate toward a lot of atmospheric bands or bands that don’t fit neatly into one genre. 

As to what I’m listening to; always heaps of Neurosis and at the moment I’m on a bit of Locrian and Heirs kick. If I want a break from more atmospheric/slow-burn stuff, my current go-to is some Bolt Thrower.  

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

We’re all pretty low-key dudes for the most part, I’ll generally read or play video games in downtime outside of music related activities. 

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for the interest in our music. Listen to Neurosis. 

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