Photo Credit: Dominique D’Costa
The end of this week is a big one for Half Hearted. Their self-titled debut LP will be out for the world to hear and while they had to reschedule the release show due to the current safety precautions everyone is putting into place, we’re still stoked to hear some new music while chilling at home. Given things are back to normal sooner than later, the band is looking forward to getting out there and touring with the new record soon, “All we can say is that if you like the songs, stream them a bunch, because it helps us see what parts of the country we need to get back to ASAP!”
With that, check out what they had to say about taking part in the final Warped Tour, heartbreaks on various fronts, and more!
Kendra: Whenever we move onto the next chapter of our lives be it a job or in your case an album, we tend to add and subtract elements of the previous to make the present work better for us. In regards to your 2018 EP ‘How to Be Alone,’ what did you add and what did you sort of take away to allow better versions of yourselves on your debut LP?
Half Hearted: That EP was such a process to record. It took way too long, the mix changed 100 times, and we had some lineup changes during that time. We were also going on our first full US tour, and we had to rush the release to get it out on time. We love some of the songs on that EP for sure, but we definitely wanted the album to be more organized, have better production, and we just wanted to be able to establish what kind of band we are going forward. And I think we did that! We just took our time and made sure that we were really happy with every song.
Kendra: Producing an album on your own is no easy feat. What is the best advice you can give to a band thinking about taking on that for themselves?
Half Hearted: Don’t cut any corners, and work on it every single day until you KNOW it’s up to par. We were originally just going to engineer it ourselves, and then send it out for mixing/mastering, but by the time we were almost done with it, we were thinking, “Damn… This sounds better than some of the albums that we know and love.” We also wouldn’t have been able to do it if we didn’t put years and years of work in learning how to write songs, and producing for other artists. It’s a ton of work, but it’s worth it in the end.
Kendra: Locale is very telling when it comes to music. East, West, Midwest, Southern – every genre and every scene varies so much. Listening back to your debut, do you feel people would be able to peg it as a good representation of east coast rock?
Half Hearted: Possibly! I think people will at least be able to tell that we aren’t from the South/Midwest haha. In our area, there are so many different kinds of bands and it’s just insanely diverse, so we’re just trying to stand out if anything. But it is definitely a rock album overall! It’s got some pop-influence for sure, but we try to keep things interesting instrumentally, and we always make sure we throw in some cool riffs in every song!
Kendra: Toxic relationships have been influencing songwriters’ pens for ages now and for you guys, those messy situations between partners inspired your lead single, “Vicious Cycle.” For you though, which would you say is more hazardous to your mental health – a romantic relationship gone wrong or a professional relationship turned sour?
Half Hearted: Both are honestly just awful. On the band/business side, we’ve had a few professional relationships end horribly, which is not fun at all. But personal/romantic relationships are probably a little worse only because you invest so much time into ONE person. So when that comes to an end, it can be really hard to adjust back into your own life.
Kendra: A couple of years ago you got to partake in the very last cross country Warped Tour. In many ways, it felt like that was closing a chapter on that particular scene. Like we weren’t necessarily saying goodbye to bands like The Used and Taking Back Sunday because they’re still going strong, but rather we were opening the door for a new wave of talent to sort of build their way up in new ways. How do you feel bands like yourself are taking the torch from the bands that came before you who had MySpace and even their annual run on Warped to rely on and moving things forward?
Half Hearted: Being on that tour, even if it was only for a week, was seriously such a crazy experience. It does feel like a chapter has come to an end, but it does open up opportunities for more bands, especially small bands like us, to tour in the summer! I feel like other festivals are going to keep popping up more and more too, and it will keep the spirit of Warped Tour alive!
To get your hands on Half Hearted’s new record, head here.
