A noise-clad rebellion has set in, spreading outwards from the streets of South East London where INHEVAEN reside. The release of debut single ‘Regeneration’ shook the interweb into a frenzy, asking who are this band? Their wild punk spirit and insatiable lust for creating convulsive, hands-in-the-air anthems is sure to keep the chatter going for years to come.
We get to the know the band that little bit better, ahead of their UK tour this October with VANT and The Big Moon, as part of the DIY NEU tour.
Not much is known about INHEAVEN, was it a conscious decision to keep the origin of the band a little bit of a mystery?
I guess a little bit. We are quite reclusive as individuals – half of us don’t have social media and feel pretty isolated anyway. We didn’t see any reason to start giving away our whole life story before anyone had really heard the music; it’s just not in our nature. Also our favourite bands always had an air of mystery about them, great rock n roll and mystery go hand in hand.
So far INHEAVEN have only released the one single. ‘Regeneration’ was quite the opening statement for a new band. What’s the plan next for releases?
I think we are doing another single towards the end of the year, and currently recording what will be the album. It’s quite an immersive experience; we keep having to check what day it is.
It’s quite amazing to say that the first track INHEAVEN put online got the attention of Julian Casablancas, enough for him to want to co-release the track in the US. What were your first reactions to this when you heard?
We received the email at about 5am so it felt like a bit of a blur since we were half asleep, and so was the rest of the world. We couldn’t tell anyone as it was so early so we just sat in silence feeling very warm and fuzzy.
Let’s talk artwork, it’s quite significant the aesthetic you’re going for…what’s the thinking behind it?
It was actually made using a £20 scanner and Microsoft word, we didn’t have many materials available so we just tried to visualise something quite poignant that could capture the essence of the songs, and then attempt to make it however we could.
You released your debut single on vinyl, is it important to you to keep the physical side of releasing music alive?
Absolutely. A lot of time and thought went into the presentation of the single, the weight, the texture of the cardboard, the colour, and the printing techniques. I hope people enjoy it as much as we did making it. Regardless of how easy streaming and downloading become, nothing can take away the feeling of holding a record for the first time.
You share the vocal responsibilities within the band, shifting between girl and boy vocals from song to song. How do you approach who sings what?
That comes from the writing process really. It’s never a calculated decision, it’s much more natural than that and we normally don’t even need to communicate we just know which bit’s go where. Some songs just need that soothing lift that female vocals can bring, whereas others need the virile aggression.
You played Field Day recently, was this your first festival as INHEAVEN? How was it?
It was really great, the crowd were very supportive and it felt good letting people into our world and for them to experience the songs we’ve been living with.
It’s just been announced that you are joining the bill for DIY’s first new music tour around the UK. Are you looking forward to getting out on the road? You seem like a band that lives for playing live?
We cannot wait. If we could go on tour tomorrow and not come back for 2 years that would be the dream. The live aspect of the band is just as important to us as the psychical action of making a record.
Joining you on the DIY NEU tour are The Big Moon and VANT, a line-up like that is a dream, are you ready for the all-night parties that will probably ensue?
We don’t get out much so this will definitely test us psychically and emotionally! However we cannot wait, they are both great bands and a lot of fun to be around.
For those that may have never had the chance to see an INHEAVEN live show, what would they experience?
Dissonant pop noise.
What do you hope the future will bring for INHEAVEN?
Lots of live shows and a record we can be proud of.
INHEAVEN will be joining The Big Moon and VANT on the DIY NEU tour this October, tickets can be purchased here: http://gigst.rs/DIY.
