The Goo 1
FEB-MAR 24 major differences that comes into it i
s the lack of time everyone has. We are now back at day jobs and so in lockdown everyone had a bit of time because there was nothing to do, so now launching an album when you’ve got to feed the cat and stuff is like, wow, it’s a lot. One thing I loved about the album rollout for To Fall Asleep was the video for the song ‘Daylight Robbery’ and its classic horror movie feel to it. What was the idea behind that video and would horror movies be a big inspiration for the band? Julie: First of all, thank you, because that was a big thematic launch for the album in terms of setting the scene. This is about the stuff that haunts you in the night so I’m really glad that has set the tone for the overall album theme. It was a big project that had myself and a whole team of extras involved and it was an amazing experience because I was directing and that was new for me. So to answer your question, horror is a big influence on us and one scene in particular that we quote all the time is ‘The Ring’ and the scene where Samara crawls out of the television. That is a moment that we will never forget. Matt: I’d say David Lynch was definitely more of a sonic influence on this album. ‘Twin Peaks’ is where my soul kind of lives, in particular the newer seasons that came out in recent years that just sent me down a David Lynch rabbit hole watching absolutely everything that guy has ever made. I read an interview you did a couple of years ago Julie about your love for your hometown Lusk, which was great to read as a fellow north county man myself. I’d love to know how different it is to live in a place like Lusk compared to somewhere like Berlin where you previously resided? Julie: There is a huge difference. We are not a million miles away from the city and we do get in and out all of the time but really moving out here was a decision made out of necessity. It is really hard to find space in the city that would accommodate being in the same house as all your instruments. I know artists who live in Dublin that are tripping over drum kits every five seconds so one of the biggest reasons we came out here was for space. It’s just so limiting trying to live that lifestyle whereas in Berlin it definitely was way more possible. The prices are really going up there but it is nothing like it is here. For me personally another thing that makes me happy is being near the sea. I am like a magnet for the sea. After the album releases in March, what are your plans for the rest of the year? Matt: We have the tour that happens immediately after the album where we will do Dublin, Belfast, Bristol and London and a few places that we haven’t been for a while in terms of playing music so that will be fun. We have been weighing up what we do next as Julie’s got a new project that’s going to be launching in a couple of months and I’ve finished an album with another artist, Maria Kelly, so we have a lot of stuff that will keep us busy. With the Irish music scene being in such a strong place at the moment, what other bands or artists in the country are you currently listening to at the moment? Julie: Anyone on Veta Records. Well this is like nepotism because she’s on our roster but I am obsessed with everything that Cool Girl is doing. That’s Lizzie from Bitch Falcon who released her electronica project with us last year but it was also genuinely a record that I kept coming back to. Matt: We would have seen Gurriers a lot, they are very accomplished, a great band and it’s been great to see how they’ve changed in the last two or three years. Sprints is a really interesting and exciting project for Ireland, I am genuinely excited to see what happens there. I listen to a lot of Just Mustard too. I think none of that happens without the Partisan kind of Idles, Fontaines kind of thing happening there. With an Irish Tour that includes a show in The Workman’s Cellar coming up, how excited are you to play the new album to fans? Julie: Really excited. I think a lot of the Dublin heads who we might have gigged with before have heard bits and pieces of the album live before but bringing that over to London and Bristol where the band started off will be special. We’ve got music friends over there who have not heard any of our new material live so that will be nice too. One of the big ideas we had behind this record was to make something that we enjoy playing live, a record that feels like it has a live energy, so that’s what I think is going to make these shows extra special. HAVVK release To Fall Asleep on Veta Records on March 15th. PAGE 17