Mit ihrem neuen Album „We’re Never Getting Out“ schlagen Deaf Havana ein besonders intensives Kapitel ihrer Bandgeschichte auf. Persönliche Veränderungen, künstlerische Selbstfindung und eine enge Zusammenarbeit mit Produzent George Glew prägen die Platte, die gleichermaßen britische Rock-Tradition wie moderne Pop-Elemente und experimentelle Strukturen vereint. Wir haben mit James Leadsänger der Band über die Entstehung des Albums, schwierige Momente im Studio und die Botschaft hinter diesem eindringlichen Titel gesprochen.
Frontstage Magazine: Your new album is deeply shaped by personal changes and upheavals. How difficult was it for you as a band to pour so much emotion into the songs while knowing these stories would soon be shared with the world?
James: It’s a strange one because you spend so much time putting yourself into this music and then you have it between yourselves before anyone else and it’s completely yours at that point – but then as soon as you start releasing songs it becomes everyone’s music so you kind of just have to let it go out there. It was daunting at times but I think it’s a true reflection of where James has been, how he has been feeling and the things he’s gone through and that’s always been a huge part of who we are as a band and what the songs mean.
Frontstage Magazine: You scrapped an entire collection of songs before really diving into “We’re Never Getting Out.” What made you realize that those earlier drafts didn’t reflect what you truly wanted to express?
James: Yeah it’s a bit of a mad one that – it feels like the sort of thing that real bands used to say they did in the 90’s and not us two morons! To be honest I think a lot of it came from the fact that I (Matty) had written a lot of the songs pretty much entirely on my own and I still think they’re great in a lot of ways, but they weren’t Deaf Havana enough if you know what I mean. It gives the ego a little bit of a hit but I think we did some soul searching as a band and have really found the thing that gets us going and feels unique to us and that feels invigorating and incredibly exciting.
Frontstage Magazine:For the first time, you worked closely with George Glew in a co-writing process. How did this collaboration change the way you create music, and what part of that approach has now become essential for you?
James: Well first off George Glew is an absolutely lovely man so he’s fundamentally a pleasure to spend time with! But he’s also an incredible singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter – I could go on but you get it! So I think it really challenged us to bring a bit more of ourselves when we know we couldn’t exactly musically pull rank on our producer cause he’s at least as good as we are at what we do. The thing I personally think I take from collaborating with George the most is how unrelentingly creative he is in his approach. It was the first time that I’ve realised it doesn’t really matter how you achieve a sound as long as it sounds great and like what you’re wanting to get across – who cares if you’re not using the flashiest plugins or a vintage amp etc. There are many different ways to get an incredible sound and feel to a record and I guess I’ve learned from George that no way is the wrong way. All in all it was just a super creative experience that I feel certainly made me up my game and approach things a little differently and maybe put a bit more of myself into.
Frontstage Magazine: The sound of the album blends British rock heritage with modern pop elements and experimental structures. Was this mixture a conscious decision, or did it evolve more organically during the process?
James: It was probably a mixture of both to be honest. It felt completely organic to me, like if we started working on a song and it was sounding a bit different we didn’t shut it down we just ran with it and then at the end of that if it didn’t feel right or sit right in the mixture of songs we already had then it wouldn’t work and we’d park it. We definitely made a few conscious decisions with bringing in a couple of the more energetic rock oriented songs on the record, but overall I’d say it was organic.
Frontstage Magazine:You’ve described the making of “We’re Never Getting Out” as the hardest of your career so far. Which moments were the most challenging, and what helped you get through them as a band?
James: I can only speak for myself but throughout our time in the studio James was going through a really difficult time personally and I think he found it incredibly tough to try and separate that from the work and joy that comes from making a record. To be honest I think we just tried to be kind to one another, sounds silly almost but we’ve not always been so understanding and emotionally open and when you’re living on top of each other for a little while, constantly working or thinking about the songs, it inevitably becomes a bit tense at moments and I think we really just tried to let the space be there to feel what we were needing to feel at any given time.
Frontstage Magazine:The album title feels like a strong statement. What does “We’re Never Getting Out” mean to you as a band, and what message do you want listeners to take away from it?
James: To me it really gets across that feeling of being stuck somewhere and it feeling completely all encompassing, you’re feeling your options running out and I think it kind of sums up a lot of the themes on the record really nicely. But whilst that can sound a bit dark I think the record itself is a bit of a journey and has flashes of real hope throughout. Basically I hope you can listen to it, feel a kinship in the feeling of the songs and know that though it might feel like you’re never getting out or moving on or getting to where you thought you wanted to be – you will.
Live:
23.01. Köln – Luxor
24.01. Hamburg – Headcras25.01. Berlin – Lido
27.01. München – Strom
28.01. Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
Fotocredit: SUEDE
