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Summoning The Rage With MATT BANKS From HARROWAY · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:17
  Oh god smart from Harraway. Check out our new single Heresy, which is
• 0:26
  out now everywhere. Uh sick stick fully sick bro here today mane yeah good
• 0:34
  good, good to hear made. Yeah, I'm very well. I just
• 0:38
  getting try but I'm good. How did that? I listen to your song
• 0:41
  before the interview today. Man, she's a fucking cracker, bro, like
• 0:44
  there's enough to wake the dead, that fucker. Yeah. No, we
• 0:48
  wanted it to be heavy, so we fucking made it heavy. Ha ha
• 0:51
  had that she did. Indeed, it came out probably about a month ago,
• 0:55
  bro, all three or four weeks ago now, So hows now's the
• 0:58
  initial reaction been? Fans fantasy it? Yeah, it's been great, especially
• 1:03
  we're starting weirdly now that is like a month or so out where actually starting
• 1:12
  that really see the traction from Spotify not like our monthly is back up to
• 1:19
  like over twenty month this. Now we're about to crack, like I think
• 1:33
  somewhere around it'll be like over forty thousand plays on Spotify alone. I think
• 1:41
  it's like the totals or platforms, which is sick because it started a bit
• 1:46
  slow. We were I was a little nervous. I was like Oh,
• 1:49
  maybe people don't like it, maybe they've had a had enough of breakdowns.
• 1:55
  But yeah, no, Yeah, the recession is really good. It's like
• 2:00
  a couple of viral videos that they're floating around, which always helps out.
• 2:07
  But yeah, and even at the shows, it's been really good, especially
• 2:13
  obviously that last breakdown. You know, we've been getting a lot of crowd
• 2:16
  sing along in it basically every show, which is fucking awesome because we've never
• 2:23
  really, we've never really had that before. I guess we never really had
• 2:30
  a part that really like, you know, warranted it. But yeah,
• 2:36
  it's been fucking it's been awesome. Yeah, So opping back to what we
• 2:39
  were talking about just earlier. Mayo, the single was described as ferocious and
• 2:44
  scathing. What I Reckon? That's spot on the money made you reckon.
• 2:46
  That's a fair assessment. It's very in your face, very aggressive. Yeah,
• 2:57
  it's one to get moving for sure. Yes, So can we dive
• 3:02
  into it a bit more from a musical point of view and what you're actually
• 3:05
  going for, Like did you set out to meet something that heavy or did
• 3:08
  it just sort of manifest as you went? So we were we started throwing
• 3:19
  around some ideas, so I think we had about three three songs like guitar
• 3:30
  music composed that we were like, okay, like let's you know, let's
• 3:38
  see which one we like the most kind of thing, and heresy just under
• 3:44
  stood out in the sense that we were like I was just really pissed off
• 3:52
  at the time and at I just needed something to really let my anger and
• 4:02
  aggression out on. And we kind of like, because we've been to since
• 4:11
  I think like two thousand and one or whatever, we've we've had a chance
• 4:15
  to play the ship like kind of play our old material and like pull apart
• 4:20
  our live sets of like what we're kind of what we were missing from that
• 4:28
  live performance, and we kind of realize that other than Parasite, we don't
• 4:33
  really have like a like a real heavy, kind of like moving song and
• 4:40
  a lot of it's a lot of the last ap I don't want to be
• 4:46
  here anymore. It's very ebbs and flows like but drastic. So it kind
• 4:51
  of somewhat we found was killing the vibe live life because we would ramp them
• 5:00
  up with these like heavy rifts or breakdowns or something, and then they would
• 5:05
  go into this part where they just didn't know what to do with all that
• 5:10
  and you that they just like had, so we were like, we took
• 5:18
  that into account when we were assessing all the new potentials for songs, and
• 5:26
  heresy was this bors of the War, so we were like, that's that's
• 5:30
  going to be the one. So yeah, that's how that kind of came
• 5:33
  about. Musically. It was just the standout track amongst the few songs that
• 5:45
  we did have ready to go. Oh, this is something I've always wondered,
• 5:49
  and you've just given me the perfect opportunity to ask a question. Bro.
• 5:53
  Like you mentioned that you were really pissed off at the time you wrote
• 5:56
  that song, but now down the track when you're singing it live, like,
• 5:59
  does it take get back to that place where you're really pissed off again
• 6:01
  and then just pie those feelings up all over again. Oh? Yeah,
• 6:06
  that's the thing. Is like for me when we perform, it's like I'm
• 6:12
  always angry. I just it's like it's like the Hulk that scene in The
• 6:19
  Avengers where he's like, how are you Like he keeps it under control because
• 6:24
  he's just always angry, and then he can just flick it turned into the
• 6:28
  Hulk whenever he wants. That's kind of like me so I'm like always angry,
• 6:32
  but I like angry all the moment that we step on stage, I
• 6:42
  just flick a switch and I just it's free raigin go for gold and I
• 6:46
  just unleash. So's it's good. Like I was trying. There was there's
• 6:55
  a point while we were playing live where it was like I was I was
• 7:00
  really aggressive as the front man during the songs. But then like, you
• 7:04
  know, some of my I like the fact that we have people coming out
• 7:13
  to shows and actually watching our band and liking our band and you know,
• 7:16
  singing along to the words and things like that, and like actually took the
• 7:20
  time out of the day to come see us. Like I it really means
• 7:25
  a lot to me, and it means a lot to the other boys too,
• 7:27
  But I like want to thank you know, i'd be really friendly and
• 7:32
  thank everyone and like you're in between songs and like my communication to the crowd,
• 7:39
  but it was just really jarring. It was so jarring to the audience,
• 7:44
  So like, hang on, why is this dude who was just telling
• 7:47
  us, like calling us like cuns and shit, Like now being like,
• 7:55
  hey, guys, thanks so much for coming out, like really appreciate all
• 7:58
  of you. And it was just we kind of made the decision as a
• 8:03
  band, but it just needed it's got to I just had to be balls
• 8:07
  to the wall the whole set. And then, you know, because I
• 8:11
  always do merch after our shows and before shows and things like that, you
• 8:16
  know, let them come up to me after and then show them that I'm
• 8:22
  not you know, they're not always in your face and aggressive and like,
• 8:28
  I'm very nice to talk to and I really appreciate it. And then and
• 8:31
  then I can let them know that I really appreciate the sport and you know,
• 8:35
  get photos whatever they want to do. But now Heresy is Evand's first
• 8:43
  release since unleashing your debut EP. I don't want to be here anymore around
• 8:48
  this time last year. So how does that song show that the evolution I
• 8:52
  guess of harraway over that period. I think we just kind of doubled down
• 8:58
  on our Obviously at the time my singing, My singing was okay to fill
• 9:09
  the parts in the EP that needed that melodic and clean influenced but I'm not.
• 9:20
  I'm not an amazing singer by any standpoint. Like it took me ten
• 9:26
  years of trying to improve my singing through lessons and just constant practice practice to
• 9:33
  get to the where I was in the EP, and just you know,
• 9:39
  it's not really good enough. You as much as me, know that how
• 9:46
  ruthless the Australian scene is, and if you're not one hundred percent, you
• 9:48
  kind of get forgotten about. And it was one of those things where I
• 9:54
  wasn't hitting the mark live either. Like there was definitely a few shows wh
• 10:00
  I was like, you know, I'd be good, I'd be okay,
• 10:03
  and then I'd be real bad, like not hitting pitches and you know,
• 10:07
  just not not letting Harawai live up to its full potential. So we were
• 10:16
  like, all right, I have a really powerful, deep aggressive boys.
• 10:22
  When I'm on stage and really aggressive, that's when we get the best response.
• 10:28
  Let's channel that and get like, just make this song super aggressive and
• 10:37
  not necessarily that we are going to continue to be so aggressive in every single
• 10:43
  song we do from now on, but there's definitely one that we know our
• 10:52
  current fans and the music industry seems to really like from We still have plenty
• 11:03
  of songs that'll have choruses and cleansing and all that kind of stuff, but
• 11:11
  yeah, we just wanted to double down on at the time when we were
• 11:16
  recording what the band's strengths were, and that was my heavy vocals. Ye
• 11:24
  suppose the big question ro is is Heresy standalone single or part of a new
• 11:30
  album or EP title? No, so he is a standalone single. We
• 11:37
  we kind of just we wanted to take our time writing the next EP.
• 11:43
  We are in the process of, like in the studio recording now for that
• 11:48
  second the sophomore EP, but we just wanted to release something so there wasn't
• 11:58
  such a big layover between when between the two EP cycles. So and it's
• 12:07
  the new epay So we're always very ahead of ourselves in Harawai. So the
• 12:18
  planning, the planning for Heresy started during the two reig cycle of I Don't
• 12:26
  want to be here, I don't want to be here anymore. And then
• 12:31
  you know, He's only just came out about four weeks ago, so we
• 12:43
  are hoping to have a new like the first single for the next EP cycle
• 12:48
  out you know, towards the tail end of the year, maybe September,
• 12:52
  probably more like November. But yeah, I did it all. I say
• 13:01
  that as like a like we would like that, but whether or not that
• 13:07
  happens is completely up to you know, finances and all that fun stuff,
• 13:16
  because being in a band is very expensive, it is. Indeed, I
• 13:22
  won't press you on this too much, mate, because it sounds like you're
• 13:24
  just in the in the initial stages, but is heresing an indication of the
• 13:28
  direction the next TP is going to go. There's some songs on there,
• 13:37
  but I would say, ah, it's probably a bit newer in the sense
• 13:50
  of the production and the roof styles and everything like that. Like we really
• 13:56
  tried to step Like obviously every music in Australia, an artist tries to step
• 14:05
  up the new release on the previous release, but I think we really took
• 14:09
  the time. I think we written like twelve songs and compressed it down to
• 14:16
  five so that we could and then we even like in the studio scrapped a
• 14:22
  song and rewrote a whole new song in the studio. So it's yeah,
• 14:30
  it's it's definitely a step up from you know, our I guess somewhat generic
• 14:41
  metal course sound very well. Now, you're currently one show off finishing the
• 14:46
  tour with Sienna Skies and No Home, which wraps up in Perth on May
• 14:50
  the eight eg Bro, So how those shows going. Looks like a few
• 14:52
  of them sold out, yeah, all of them, I think one And
• 15:01
  since Siena dropped at they're doing a ten year the anniversary of Colors be full
• 15:16
  that night. I think it should definitely, if not sell out, get
• 15:22
  really fucking close. But although shows unbelievable, crowds that we've been getting for
• 15:31
  our sets have been fucking insane, like Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney.
• 15:39
  Just so that's weird to watch because it's just like people actually like give
• 15:48
  a ship about our band now, fucking fool a. Yeah, so it's
• 15:54
  yeah, it's been really fun. Unfortunately, No Home have already gone back
• 15:58
  to the States. Their last show was Saturday in Sydney, and yeah,
• 16:07
  we'll be flying over the Perth to do that with Sienna Live Confirm, Live
• 16:17
  Comfort Die. I am not it's not that. Yeah, it's not that
• 16:22
  I don't know the band. I'm dyslexic and I can't read some words sometimes
• 16:27
  I think for a memory. Yeah, that makes more sense anyway, they're
• 16:33
  pretty fucking good. Yeah, I've heard I've heard and our boys in page
• 16:41
  sixty seven and our demise opening that show, so it should be sick.
• 16:47
  It's really stacked lineup and it's our first time playing Perth, so really keen
• 16:53
  to see if it's something we can and possibly continue to do, because I
• 17:03
  know Perth is one of those cities that does always complain that none of the
• 17:10
  big tours come out and tour there or no bands ah, you know,
• 17:15
  have Perth on a tour run and it's simply because it's super expensive. But
• 17:22
  you know, if we can develop some form, like you know, a
• 17:27
  solid fan base out over there, then we'll chuck Perth on every tour.
• 17:36
  Yeah, all right, So what's next for har Away after that tour?
• 17:37
  One's up? Made again to put your feed up for a bit, or
• 17:40
  is gonna get straight back into the grind? Yeah, well we're as soon
• 17:45
  as it wraps up, we're straight back into the process of recording this EP.
• 17:52
  I'll be Brocal tracking next month, believe so that's going to be fun.
• 18:02
  I always love being in the studio tracking vocals. So yeah, I'm
• 18:10
  sure we've had a few things in the works that I somewhat fall through just
• 18:18
  because of like situational things and a bunch of stuff that's out of her control.
• 18:22
  But it's also you know, I've got to I'm getting married in November,
• 18:30
  so kind of more we focused on cleaning that than trying to add the
• 18:41
  stress of organizing a headlining tour and all those kind of things. So we'll
• 18:47
  say, hopefully Chuck is on a tour or something. They've expressed some kind
• 18:53
  of interest. Yeah, exactly knowing why what will be exactly what happens.
• 19:03
  I'm going to cross my fingers for you, brother, because I've been in
• 19:06
  a civil position and I chose the wrong option. So if it happens,
• 19:11
  give me a call. I'll tell you what not to do. Yeah,
• 19:18
  all right, well thanks for your time today, bros. Will tell me
• 19:21
  what not to do? Oh sure, yeah, but you've got to start
• 19:23
  listening to him now, mate, once that ring goes on there, you've
• 19:26
  got to listen to fucking hell. All right, brother, all all the
• 19:32
  best, mate. I'm fucking look forward to talking to you about the new
• 19:34
  we FE and when it gets underway then bra hell are there? God?
• 20:00
  I want my radlice slight Wanta jo Josh cat dot JOm BG something back,
• 20:14
  well like h oh what say by d D right from Jack fock gay blass
• 20:37
  freezing. I think I remember that too, class whah I got John some
• 20:49
  guy right tack that job from b dog. So I dis like dotyn advice.
• 20:56
  I jocks. I'm talking about work. See oh oh my god break
• 21:21
  Look last time my wife said yeh yeah, I said something like my dog
• 21:30
  fell that my scad w John d break last night? Something tell me something?
• 21:41
  Why gosh fla got o, gosh got jack Dad? What for red?
• 21:48
  Last night? I wanta joa just got dot joke me my son the
• 21:52
  dark? I said, my eyes and really something God dirn dog. That
• 21:57
  was me, That was it was ma