Simply a few years in the past, the way forward for Fingers Like Home was unsure.
The unprecedented chaos of a world pandemic adopted by the departure of founding vocalist Trenton Woodley in 2023, the band’s 4 remaining members have been confronted with a choice. Spending over a decade carving out a singular house within the different scene – their gritty post-hardcore roots steadily evolving right into a masterclass in hovering melodies and anthemic choruses – each their careers and identities have been instantly thrown into query. Not sure of something besides the easy, indisputable fact that they needed to proceed making music collectively – they started trying to find their lacking piece.
Collaborating with musicians and associates from all corners of their scene as they explored their choices, former The Faim frontman Josh Raven slotted seamlessly into the image. A vocalist greater than able to nailing their signature stability of depth and emotion, he understood the band’s mission from the get-go, pummelling down the inventive roadblocks mendacity of their path.
Changing into the catalyst for Fingers Like Homes’ subsequent chapter, what began as an experiment rapidly grew to become a reinvention, resulting in their most formidable undertaking but. A sprawling 16-track double album, ‘ATMOSPHERICS’ is a reintroduction to the Aussie band like no different. Divided into 4 volumes – every impressed by a special layer of the Earth’s ambiance – it captures their rebirth in actual time, unburdened by outdoors pressures and cherishing the surprise of inventive freedom.
Navigating their newfound standing as impartial artists and rediscovering their love for music, as Fingers Like Homes step into a brand new period, they’re embracing the limitless potentialities that now lie forward. With ‘ATMOSPHERICS’ set to drop on February 14, we sat down with the band to dive into the journey that has led them to their boldest chapter but.
ROCK SOUND: After a transitional interval, this very a lot appears like a brand new starting for Fingers Like Homes…
MATT COOPER: “It’s positively been a wierd time for us. Via COVID, like loads of artists, we didn’t know if we might play exhibits anymore. We didn’t know if we’d even be a band anymore, so the truth that we’re releasing a 16-track album now’s loopy. Josh is the rationale we’re right here although, and the primary track that we wrote with him was the catalyst of us getting so far. It’s fairly surreal, and it’s been a journey to get right here.
It took place as a result of we had all of this music within the financial institution, and we needed to maintain working. We’ve made associates with some unbelievable musicians over time, so we have been writing music and sending it out to them. One of many folks we despatched one thing to was Josh, and we obtained along with our producer Cal [Orr] in Melbourne. Right away, being within the room collectively felt good. From there, the album grew to become this playground for us to muck round with and discover.”
JOEL TYRRELL: “In the course of the prior 5 – 6 years of the band, we actually struggled to jot down music. It was robust, and we had just a few scars from recording experiences that hadn’t gone so effectively. We sat down and talked about how all of us nonetheless needed to do that, however we wanted to discover a method to make it enjoyable once more. We needed to take pleasure in it, and when Josh got here in, he introduced this power into us. It felt like we have been making our first report once more, and we have been writing so many concepts. There wasn’t a lot resistance, there weren’t loads of clashes, and it was purely folks turning up and dealing collectively. We had much more concepts than we thought we might, therefore the 16-track double album. Within the house of six months working with Josh, we wrote and completed extra songs than we had within the earlier six years.”
ROCK SOUND: The perk of getting so many various layers throughout the report is that it removes the necessity for complete cohesion. You may mess around with totally different sides of your sound, and there’s no want for each track to take a seat comfortably alongside one another. Approaching it in that method, did it really feel as if there was much less strain on you?
MATT COOPER: “I feel that changing into an impartial band is what set us as much as even entertain having that mind set. It was far more type of chill by way of how the concepts grew to become the ultimate songs, and it was a lot extra streamlined with out different folks’s involvement. With simply us working collectively alongside our producer, the method was a lot faster. It’s the primary time that we’ve actually had that have.”
JOSH RAVEN: “Coming from a special world with The Faim, I virtually didn’t know what to do with myself for the primary couple of months. Each time I stated, ‘I can’t do that’ although, it was met with ‘Nah, it’s okay’. Nothing was off limits, and we have been all simply making an attempt to make it work. Normally, it’s rather more condensed and intense, however when that strain is lifted it turns into an awesome atmosphere for creativity. To be given the liberty to discover your individual infantile emotions with creativity, as an alternative of it simply feeling prefer it’s one thing you need to do… That’s so beneficial. When you’ve a burning want to do one thing, moderately than understanding it’s essential do it due to what a label, supervisor or reserving agent says, that’s when the good things occurs.”
ROCK SOUND: That’s essential, as a result of at a sure level in any profession – however particularly in music – you may lose the magic of it. That straightforward spark of making for the love of it, and never worrying an excessive amount of concerning the end result, can subside. Had been you capable of rediscover that slightly?
JOEL TYRRELL: “There was an enormous ingredient of that. We’ve been very lucky to have these careers which have allowed us to go on dream excursions and put out information. We’ve performed loads of issues, so we’re not right here making an attempt to chase these bucket checklist objects. It was extra about going again to the drafting board and figuring out how we might make creating and doing one thing that we love gratifying once more. Not having the strain of a label saying we’d like an album delivered by a sure date, that eliminated just about the entire stress that used to come back with the recording expertise. We have been capable of simply go in and create, and if we didn’t like one thing, we might simply bin it. It took away the necessity to come out with a outcome, and that relaxed us. That’s how we have been capable of give you the songs that we did.”
MATT COOPER: “Even with the construction of the discharge, issues modified a bit over time. These modifications have been simply us doing what we needed to do with it, and that doesn’t occur with a label. Normally, you’ve obtained eight different folks making an attempt to get their level throughout, however this time we did every thing ourselves. We’re making the selections, it’s all deliberate, and that makes it a lot extra relaxed.”
ROCK SOUND: Let’s discuss slightly bit concerning the theming of the report, and the way the songs are put collectively. Every quantity is called after a layer of the ambiance, and every has its personal distinctive really feel to it. The place did that concept come from?
JOEL TYRRELL: “Initially, the concept of getting these layers of the ambiance was only a place for us to complete music throughout a selected cut-off date. Prior to now, we’ve struggled with getting actually excited a few track that we’re writing however understanding that it’s going to be one other two years till it comes out. By doing it this manner, we have been capable of give attention to every layer of the ambiance at a time. We’d have 4 songs that outlined that session and that time period collectively, after which we might transfer on to the following factor. The way in which that it naturally ended up working was the 4 songs would get performed in a interval, then would break for slightly bit, then come collectively for one more couple of weeks to get the following batch performed. At first, we didn’t deliberately got down to have 4 layers every with 4 tracks, nevertheless it allowed us to place out music nearer to the time wherein we’d created it. We have been capable of present folks the journey, and the way we restarted this chapter with Josh. You may see the evolution of that all through the report, and if you get to the again finish you may see how we’ve explored what’s potential with this lineup. It’s simply the beginning of what it seems to be like for us creatively.”
JOSH RAVEN: “As a result of the songs have been written so near after they have been launched, we’re bringing folks into our current second. That’s why there’s loads of totally different flavours, feelings and emotions all through the report, and I’m fairly certain we wrote most of it in other places from a bodily perspective too. We’re bringing folks into these totally different areas, and I feel it’s essential. It highlights the place we started and the place we’ve ended up, and that endpoint is tremendous thrilling.”
ROCK SOUND: You may see that journey within the first quantity of the album, as a result of there are such a lot of totally different collaborators placing their very own spin on issues. How did working with the likes of Underøath’s Aaron Gillespie and RedHook’s Emmy Mack bolster your creativity initially of the method?
JOEL TYRRELL: “Funnily sufficient, that course of began from us simply making an attempt to jot down music. After we parted methods with our outdated singer, the 4 of us needed to maintain making music, however the query was – how can we do it? To start with, we thought we’d attempt to be a DJ rock band. We weren’t going to have a singer; we have been simply going to jot down songs with our associates. We began writing with Emmy and Philip from Normandie, then we wrote a track with Josh. That was the turning level for us, as a result of we realised that we weren’t simply writing a track with a buddy. It felt like the following sound of the band. It was nice for us to be pushed in several instructions by singers throughout that course of, and to be challenged like that. We haven’t performed a complete lot of collaborations like that in our profession, and loads of them are artists that we’ve toured with over time. It was nice to have that help from individuals who needed to work with us and needed to again us. It made us really feel excited concerning the songs we have been writing, as a result of we knew that folks have been excited to work on them with us.”
ROCK SOUND: One thing that’s been distinctive concerning the launch of this report is that followers have heard a big portion of those songs already by way of the EPs. It’s been virtually a 12 months now for the reason that first quantity dropped, so how has it been to see the response at every stage?
JOSH RAVEN: “It’s been superior, particularly in terms of the reside exhibits. Being completely clear, the primary present was fairly nerve-wracking… I used to be shitting my pants. I wrote all these notes on my setlist, and I misplaced it proper earlier than the present. I had no notes, and I used to be completely crapping my pants. It ended up being among the finest exhibits of the tour although. It was rowdy, it was enjoyable, and everybody after the present was tremendous good to me. It’s a bizarre place to be in as a brand new singer coming right into a band, so I used to be nervous, nevertheless it couldn’t have gone a lot better. I knew that the writing course of had been superior, and my relationship with the blokes was superior, so the final piece of the puzzle was seeing the way it went reside. I didn’t know if folks would love me or hate me, nevertheless it ended up being so heat and comforting. Followers have been capable of acknowledge the previous but in addition be excited for the long run.
That introduced extra gas into every thing as a result of we realised that it was changing into one thing actual. That modified it for me, and because the report progressed, we additionally obtained to know one another extra as writers and as folks. We’re studying extra about our previous and our tales, and that’s deepened our reference to one another. Because the songs went on, extra layers have been being peeled off. There are an increasing number of items which are beginning to shed, and you’ll solely get into these deeper components with time. We’re hitting that time now, and particularly on the finish of this report you may hear it. By the final couple of songs, it appears like we’ve opened up and shed the armour rather more. It’s been a strategy of studying and progress, and the entire purpose why we’re doing it’s as a result of it feels good. In fact, there are all the time going to individuals who aren’t into it, however there can be no problem with none negativity or criticism. If every thing was good, I’d be very involved.”
ROCK SOUND: Having the ability to method making music from a perspective of following what feels good, moderately than being confined to a sure sound or model, has that given you a renewed religion in what the long run holds for Fingers Like Homes?
JOSH RAVEN: “100 per cent, as a result of we don’t actually know what we are able to’t do at this level. It appears like all doorways are open, and if something, it’s infinite. Nothing is out of the query, and that’s the thrilling half.”
MATT COOPER: “It’s simply far more fascinating to be making music like this. As artists, to have a undertaking that enables such a factor is so refreshing. We will do regardless of the hell we wish now, and that’s enjoyable.”
JOEL TYRRELL: “It appears like this report has been a form of honeymoon interval. The whole lot’s nice, and now the doorways are open, and we are able to go wherever. We will go wherever we wish with it, and that’s most likely essentially the most thrilling factor. We’re pumped to have this 16-track album popping out, however we’re most likely extra enthusiastic about the truth that we’re nonetheless writing. We’ve obtained extra stuff coming, and it feels good. We have to have a good time this album, however we’re so buzzed to be writing music collectively.”
JOSH RAVEN: “Who is aware of? Possibly after 5 weeks in an RV collectively, we’d change that perspective. The subsequent album could possibly be all about lengthy drives, winding roads and cyclones!”
‘ATMOSPHERICS’ is out on February 14 by way of Civillians.
