Home Tours Videos Interviews Reviews Photography Featured Artist Contact THEME

Interview: Ben Nairne of In Hearts Wake

image

In Hearts Wake are a metalcore band from Byron Bay, Australia. Having released their new album, Skydancer, this past May, the Aussie quartet are set to have a big year of touring ahead of them in support of the record, and Legendary Kids Press was recently able to speak with guitarist Ben Nairne about the album and the band’s upcoming plans.

What made you want to get involved in music?

I started playing guitar when I was five-years-old. My dad would teach me songs and we would play them together. I’ve just always gotten so much enjoyment our of playing music and still get just [as] excited to play as I did back then.

You guys are easily one of Australia’s fasting-rising heavy acts. What do you attribute to this?

Well, we have been a band since 2006 and have been fine-tuning everything ever since. We worked really hard all those years and it’s really starting to pay off with all of the people [who] are supporting us now.

You released your new album, Skydancer, earlier this month and it’s the second of a two-part release that began with 2014′s Earthwalker. What was the idea behind the dual release?

The idea behind the dual release was to have an album representing the feminine (Earthwalker) and an album to represent the masculine (Skydancer). One cannot exist without the other and we would not exist without either, so that’s where that concept came from.

For those who have yet to hear either album, how would you say they differ/are similar to each other?

Well, both albums were recorded at the same time and definitely have a similar feel in the sense that we were in the same headspace while writing both. The main difference in the albums is that Earthwalker is a little lighter, both musically and in the lyrical content, whereas Skydancer is much heavier in both aspects.

How would you say both albums differ from your debut, Divination?

Since recording Divination, we have seen a lot more of the world and [have] matured as people. Naturally, that comes with our music having a much more mature and refined sound than that of [our] previous works.

We here at LKP are loving Skydancer. How have fans been reacting to it?

People have been really supporting of the second half of the project and [are] also really surprised that we actually pulled it off. The support has been overwhelming for us and we really couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, considering we had to keep it a secret for so long!

What track would you say if your personal favourite?

“Badlands”. It’s just got such a badass feel to it and is so much fun to play live.

You guys released a video game to coincide with the release of Skydancer. Where did the idea come from?

We actually released a video game for Earthwalker as well and that went really well, so we thought, “Why not do it again?!”. We used a different idea for the SkyHoppers game, but essentially, it had the same aim, where people had to compete to get the highest score. Who ever got the highest score would win a rare test print of the Skydancer vinyl.

You’ve announced you’ll be embarking on a Canadian tour with Northlane, Like Moths To Flames and Oceans Ate Alaska. What are you most excited about, in regards to it?

Well, we have been really good friends with Northlane for quite a while now, so it’s exciting to be hitting the road with them again. Last time we toured America, the crowd reaction was overwhelming, so that’s also got us really pumped to come back and play songs from the new record.

Are there any Australian bands you feel your fans should check out?

Our friends in Hellions are killing it at the moment, so everyone should definitely check out those guys. Young Lions are also another very talented Australian band that definitely deserve a lot more international recognition.

Any last words?

Thanks for your time in asking me these questions, and we’ll see you all in a few months!

You can catch In Hearts Wake on tour across America with Northlane this August, and be sure to pick up Skydancer on iTunes.

By Clare Fitzgerald