What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
I’ve been playing guitar since I was 14 years old and grew a taste for indie music from my mum. When I went to uni in Cambridge, I was studying Drama, started going to gigs and raves, and I started making music on this proper shitty computer. During Uni I was making a lot of electronic music, and then I turned to playing guitar and singing, and that’s where I started writing Hounds Haul music.
Introduce us to all to the members and your musical history.
My names Adam, I started Hounds Haul many years ago, simply making songs for myself with a vision to play with a band. Jamie Smith was the first to join, with Rien De Keyser quickly following up. After that, we discovered Alex Ablett and Jake Seaman during covid, and we’ve been working together on some really cool stuff.
Name us your 3 favorite Albums?
Favourite Worst Nightmare – Arctic Monkeys, Holy Fire – Foals, Flower Boy – Tyler, The Creator
The music industry is the hardest industry in the world to progress in, How do you feel you are doing?
I agree it’s tough, but I feel like it’s important to know your worth. Although it’s been a tough year starting right before covid happened, I know what we have is interesting and worth a listen, and that shows through our BBC introducing radio plays. It’s just all about getting all the good songs out.
As you develop as an artist and develop using socials what ways do you get new ears on your music? Any tips?
Playlists, local radio stations, and the magic of Tik Tok!
What was the worst experience on stage?
First gig back from covid with a large crowd, strings snapped instantly, bass amps broke down, keys just shut off… it was a cursed evening!
What makes you stand out as a band/artist?
We have big visions of playing to festival audiences, and I think that shows in our work. We’re all very artsy and focus a lot of songwriting around movies and how they would sound in them, it’s almost like we compose our songs for movies sometimes.
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it.
This song is the second part of a three-part project we call “The Odyssey”. The project was written and created during the lockdown and focuses on exploration and escapism. Odyssey is the hero song to the three-part project as we feel it is one of the most creative yet grounded songs we’ve made since starting Hounds Haul. If picturing the project as a movie and Odyssey as Act 2, that’s where all the action happens.
Talk me through the thought process of the new tune/s.
This song has been in the works for a very long time. Covid was stopping production most days, and then a few band members decided to leave, then we welcomed new members and worked with them to create the tracks.
We worked again with Faz from Damage Audio in Bedford UK, and as usual, he just created audio gold, super happy to be working with Faz again.
When creating the three songs, we initially didn’t envision them to be featured in a 3 part series, but as we worked on each of them individually and featured them in our setlist, we saw how well they all worked together and decided to bring them together. All three songs also have a similar context and story to them, so it just seemed perfect to connect them all.
What was the recording process like?
Working with Faz, it was so much fun. It’s never a dull session when recording our tracks as we don’t simply record our tracks, there’s always something brand new being added to the tracks and seeing how far the tracks come from their infancy, it’s a massive change.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
You need those unexpected changes in music to subvert expectations, so we try and focus on creating moments that listeners will never expect.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Definitely not.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Adam is in Australia at the moment working on new music, so who knows what next year is going to look like with new music aside “The Odyssey” 3 part project.
YOU TUBE HERE