Matt Flood talks us by means of the confessions, chaos, and catharsis behind Caskets’ third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, out November 07 by way of SharpTone Data.
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Not too way back, Matt Flood discovered himself spiralling.
Hitting the street in assist of Caskets’ second album ‘Reflections’, on the floor the whole lot appeared nice. Watching the venues develop in dimension, streaming numbers climb, and reward for the file are available, the frontman ought to have been buzzing, however one thing wasn’t sitting proper.
“I believe with ‘Reflections’ we have been attempting to jot down an album that we thought the followers would wish to hear, fairly than specializing in what we wished the followers to listen to,” the vocalist admits.
“We put numerous stress on ourselves as a result of we wished it to be larger and higher than ‘Misplaced Souls’. That had a unfavourable impression on my psychological well being, and our relationship as a band suffered as a result of I withdrew into myself. I wished to get again to the way in which issues have been.”
With their debut album skyrocketing them onto the radar of so many, the stress had undoubtedly received to Matt and his bandmates, however that realisation marked a turning level for Caskets.
Discovering their means again to the spark that first ignited them, their third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ was created with reclamation at its core. A file of brutal honesty, overspilling with anthems of self-reflection, grief, and progress – that is the sound of Caskets discovering themselves once more.
Rock Sound sat down with Matt to uncover extra in regards to the journey behind ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, and to search out out why he’s sure these are the perfect songs they’ve ever written.
THE SOUND
After ‘Reflections’, Caskets initially wished to make the heaviest album they presumably may.
Planning to dial up the screaming and breakdowns to the max degree, it was solely once they arrived on the demo part that the imaginative and prescient shifted barely. While undoubtedly nonetheless their heaviest effort thus far, these towering, melodic choruses are nonetheless there, alongside loads of surprising twists and turns.
“There are particular issues that we’ve at all times wished to do in our sound,” Matt displays.
“I take heed to numerous acoustic music. Loads of people music like Simon and Garfunkel, numerous the Eagles, and stuff like Newton Faulkner. Loads of that music is in a decrease key than what I’m usually singing in. I’ve at all times wished so as to add extra vocal pop components, extra aptitude, so taking part in round with extra influences was a acutely aware resolution we made this time.”
You may hear it within the digital glitches of opener ‘Misplaced In The Violence’, the ‘80s synth-pop shimmer of ‘Closure’, and the darkish, brooding heaviness of ‘Sacrifice’. Experimenting with sounds they’d been apprehensive to include into their id up to now, it’s a file constructed on danger, ardour, and intuition, reducing by means of the security nets and miraculously sticking the touchdown.
“’Closure’ was the third track we did for the album, and it’s certainly one of my favourites,” Matt says.
“We caught pop melodies on songs, we added synths, and the entire course of was a great deal of enjoyable. We have been including layer upon layer of various concepts and tweaking the melodies. These little tweaks can change the entire outlook of a track and having the time to have the ability to try this was superb. We have been continuously desirous about how we may make it higher, however we have been additionally having enjoyable with it. It was like a breath of contemporary air.”
THE LYRICS
“This entire album is about me coming to phrases with my trauma,” Matt explains.
“A few of that’s in my previous relationships and issues I’ve not discovered closure with, however for the primary time I’ve additionally delved into my experiences with religion. Once I was younger, I used to be dragged into religion by sure individuals in my life. It fucked me up a bit of bit, and I didn’t know what or who to consider in. I used to be in search of some steering for a very long time, and I wished to consider that religion can be that. It wasn’t, and I spiralled after that.”
Having channelled so a lot of his personal life experiences and feelings into these songs, should you ask Matt to decide on one phrase to sum up ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, it’s honesty. Nicely conscious of what it means to listen to a lyric that sums up your state of affairs higher than you ever may your self, that’s exactly what drives every track on this album.
“I don’t wish to write songs about getting laid, smoking weed, and going to golf equipment,” he shrugs.
“I need individuals to really feel my ache, and I believe the one means to do this is to be fully uncooked, fully trustworthy, and really matter of truth. I wished to go even deeper and discuss all of the issues that I used to be nonetheless too scared to speak about after we did ‘Misplaced Souls’. It’s fairly self-critical, however I’m human. We’ve all accomplished unhealthy issues, and we’ve all harm individuals. It felt vital to open up about that.”
The likes of ‘Closure’ and ‘Make Me A Martyr’ dive into the crippling nature of self-sabotage and the poisonous cycles we will discover ourselves in, while the file’s blistering title monitor performs out like a pained confession. Elsewhere although, there’s numerous therapeutic to be present in ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’. Take for instance the empowering notes of nearer ‘Damaged Path’, an ode to dealing with the ache head on.
It’s an album that may have been unattainable to make with out the unbreakable belief Matt has cast along with his bandmates over time. Spending a number of months of every 12 months cooped up in a bus collectively, they’ve grown nearer than ever, and that brotherhood helped push Matt into the entire locations he’d lengthy been anxious to enter.
“We’ve matured a lot. There’s no means I may have written an album like this after I was 23,” the vocalist says.
“We went into this file now not desirous about attempting to please different individuals. We wished to jot down songs that happy us. The reality is that if we don’t prefer it, our followers can in all probability really feel that by means of our music and lyrics. If we’re not 100 per cent in it, they’re not going to hook up with it as a lot. I by no means need our music to really feel faux or ingenuine.”
THE COLLABORATORS
Recorded in LA alongside producers Zach Jones and KJ Strock, the band entered the studio with over 20 songs absolutely demoed. The method of whittling them down passed off in Zach’s studio, positioned in a separate constructing behind his personal home. Consisting of a reside room and a recording room, in addition to separate dwelling areas, it allowed Matt and his bandmates the liberty they wanted to create.
“They’re two of essentially the most skilled and gifted producers I’ve ever met. We advised them what we wished with this album, and so they took it straight on board. They immediately grew to become part of the staff,” Matt nods.
“I’m a rustic boy from England. I’m not used to being in one of many largest cities on this planet recording an album with world-renowned producers. I used to be in awe, and that feeling drives you. We knew that we have been going to make the perfect piece of music we’ve made to date.”
“When the opposite guys have been doing guitar work, I may simply go into the entrance room and chill on the PS5. Zach additionally has a new child child who came visiting every so often, in addition to his canine. It was so good to have that homely feeling whereas in a recording studio. I don’t wish to go anyplace else to do our future stuff now.”
It’s unattainable to speak in regards to the collaboration concerned in creating ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ with out mentioning Australia’s Make Them Undergo, too. Trying again, Matt remembers sitting within the studio listening to a grimy breakdown they’d tracked for the pummelling ‘Our Treatment’. Realizing that it wanted a visitor vocalist, a listing of potential choices took form, however none of them gave the impression to be the right match.
“We had a couple of in thoughts, however on the time we have been listening to a playlist on Spotify,” he recollects.
“One of many tremendous heavy Make Them Undergo songs got here on, and it clicked. We reached out to them, and so they received again to us immediately. We received the primary demo again from them, and it hasn’t been modified. We didn’t have to ship it again to them, it was good the primary time.”
THE TITLE
For anybody who has been following Caskets’ journey for the final seven years, there are many Easter eggs to be discovered hidden within the album’s cowl artwork. While the obvious is the literal casket featured in its centre, there’s additionally the reflections within the puddles of water (a refined nod to album two), and the rose petals sprinkled across the picture.
“We wished to the touch again on the beginning of the band, and we used the image of the rose after we started,” Matt explains.
“We respect that branding as a result of it did lots for us. Together with that little contact was to point out individuals our appreciation of what our band has accomplished for us. We had it in numerous our early music movies, and I assume we’re nonetheless in love with it.”
In terms of the album’s title, guitarist Benji Wilson is as soon as once more the particular person we’ve got to thank. Having named each file Caskets have put out, as quickly because the phrases got here out of his mouth, Matt knew it was the right match.
“We’d talked a bit of about what I wished to say on this file, and we had a couple of demos,” the vocalist recollects.
“At first, we wished to name it, ‘This Is The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, however it was a bit a lot. It was easy to shorten down although, in order that’s what we did. It’s humorous, as a result of there’s no deep story to it. Benji simply stated it, and we knew it was the one. It suits into numerous the track’s tales, and that’s why the track ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ is the title monitor. That track is particularly about my ideology in the direction of religion and God after I was a child. It inadvertently fell collectively very well.”
THE FUTURE
Rising up idolising Inexperienced Day and My Chemical Romance, being on the opposite aspect of issues won’t ever stop to amaze Matt. Spending his early life stood in entrance of a stage staring up at his favorite musicians, he and his bandmates refuse to take a second of their journey with no consideration.
“We’ve gone by means of lots as a band within the final seven years, and we’re nonetheless fucking right here,” he nods.
“We have now our followers to thank for that, and it’s the perfect feeling on this planet. I do know what it appears like to like a band with all of your coronary heart, and now there are individuals on the opposite aspect of the barrier that really feel that means in the direction of us. I love these individuals. I do know the dedication it takes to go to exhibits, and I do know what they provide as much as be there. I like and respect each single certainly one of them so fucking a lot. With out them, we wouldn’t be capable to do that.”
Sharing a few of his darkest, most susceptible recollections with the world for the primary time, Matt has undoubtedly put an enormous a part of himself into the songs on ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, however as we discuss, it clear he’s conscious that quickly they’ll now not be his.
Each time somebody places on their headphones and listens to those songs, they change into part of their story. Projecting their very own lives onto Matt’s phrases and discovering themselves within the music, for Caskets, that’s what that is all about.
“We wish them to adore it simply as a lot as we adore it,” Matt smiles.
“I need them to really feel one thing, and to share it with different individuals. Not for our sake, however so it could possibly assist different individuals. If there’s anybody you suppose would profit from listening to these songs, share it with them.”
“Most of all, I need individuals to have the ability to sit down and cry to this album,” he finishes.
“I need them to really feel the ache, and I need them to really feel the honesty. Each track on this file is actual and each emotion you hear is pure. I hope that folks can really feel that.”
