SOURCE – The new album was produced by Lewis Johns, who is famous for his work with Rolo Tomassi, Svalbard, Employed To Serve and more. How did it feel to be working with such an acclaimed music producer?
Ben (Bass) – Working with Lewis was such a pleasure from start to finish. We’re all fans of records he’s been involved with so it felt like an obvious choice. We knew we were in safe hands and we had a great week getting our songs down together!
Antoine (Guitar/vocals) – I remember when I heard the album ‘Separation Anxiety’ from the band Cassus (another screamo band from the UK), I thought ‘damn who recorded that, I want our album to sound as good as that’. Then I saw it was Lewis Johns and that’s how it all started!
SOURCE – Bands have a personality, even when there’s one main songwriter and one leader. Where is Chalk Hands now in terms of how you’d like it to sound?
Antoine (Guitar/vocals) – I think the main intention behind our sound is to write songs that are always evolving, emotional and atmospheric and I think we’ve achieved that? Whether that’s something people would like to hear though, I have no idea haha.
SOURCE – How was the video shoot for Fail, Grasp, Restore and what is the plot of the clip?
Ben (Bass) – We worked with our good friend Doug Elliott to put the music video together and we’re all really pleased with how it turned out. We had limited time to plan something but we had a fun day and even met a friendly magpie. No specific plot, we just set out to make something that fits the mood of the track really.
Antoine (Guitar/vocals) – Yeah exactly! As it’s our first ever music video, we just wanted something that captures the energy of the band and I think Doug did an incredible job. We’ve got another 2 lined up we’re very excited about!
SOURCE – Could you say that all the songs on the album have something very strong or are there some songs that stand out as the strongest?
Antoine (Guitar/vocals) – We always put the same level of attention to detail in every song. Of course it’s hard to stay subjective when they’re your own songs and there are some that are older so feel a little less fresh, but I like to think that each song is different enough to create an interesting journey for the listener.
SOURCE – How important do you think are singles and EPs in this era in comparison to full length releases?
Ben (Bass) – As cool as it is to find a great LP full of great songs, It’s often a great single or EP that gets you hooked on a band in the first place, so you shouldn’t sleep on smaller releases!
Antoine (guitar/vocals): I think it’s a matter of taste at the end of the day. I think I’ll always prefer an album to an EP or a single, as when I listen to a new artist I like to go on a journey to discover their musical landscape but as Ben said shorter releases are great too because they’re less of a commitment.
SOURCE – While opinions about music streaming services can differ greatly, it is undeniable that they are a great source of inspiration for music discovery. New music has never been easier to find with all kinds of playlists and recommendations to dig into. Obviously, not everything is great, but when it introduces you to bands like ChalkHands, it is definitely worth the effort to fish out the gems from the vast amount of weekly releases. What’s your opinion?
Antoine (Guitar/vocals) – I’ve discovered so many cool bands through Spotify that for me, it’s a platform that’s hard to hate, especially since I think the algorithms they use to make you discover new music are pretty great. Obviously the financial aspect of it is pretty shitty, but equally all of my bands have always been passion projects, I never expected to make any money so personally I don’t feel it’s my place to go to war against Spotify, but I totally understand why some people would want to!
SOURCE – What worries and concerns do you have about the world that we live in today? What areas do you believe the leaders of the world need to get together and focus on to improve the quality of life for current and future generations to benefit from?
Ben (Bass) – What a big question! Where to begin in the world we live in now… We have leaders in the UK right now who seem to fall at every hurdle. I suppose the biggest one for future generations is holding big business to account for their impact on the environment.
SOURCE – Is there anything else you have going on you would like to mention?
Ben (Bass) – We’re getting pretty close to the release of our debut LP, “Don’t Think About Death” – It’s coming out in March and we feel very privileged to be releasing it with Dog Knights Productions. Excited for the year ahead, please come catch us at a show if you get the chance!
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