In Conversation With #118 - Lande Hekt
Known originally from Muncie Girls, Bristol songwriter Lande Hekt has just released her debut album ‘Going to Hell’ via Get Better Records - it’s a stunning and personal piece of guitar pop that represents the time Hekt was coming out as gay. She took a moment to talk to us in more depth about the release.
Hey there Lande, how are you? So your debut solo album is out now, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Heya, I am okay I think, thank you. It’s been a really long time since I announced this album and I’m very glad that it’s finally out. I was really nervous when the first few singles came out, but I’ve gotten into the idea of sharing these songs now.
It is titled ‘Going To Hell’ - does that hold a certain meaning for you?
The album is named after the title track, Going to Hell. It’s all about coming out as gay and all the feelings and thoughts that go along with that, one of them being that quite a lot of people believe that gay people go to hell. I sort of like that idea that hell is full of queer people. Nothing could be worse than getting stuck in heaven with only straight people for the rest of eternity.
The album tells the personal journey of your experiences about coming out, how does it feel to take that part of your life and put it into your music?
It feels pretty normal to me. I’ve always put my experiences into songs as soon as I’ve had them, it’s the only way I can write. I think it’s important that I talk a lot about being queer because there might be someone who will benefit from hearing about other people’s experiences. I certainly would’ve come out a lot sooner if I’d had more insight into how it feels to be openly gay.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
Well we’ve covered the gay part. The album touches on other themes as well like sobriety, anxiety, displacement and also there’s a song on there that I wrote for a feminist choir about anti fascism and community. As far as influences go, when I wrote these songs I was mainly listening to The Replacements, The Raincoats, Sacred Paws and Sharon Van Etten.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
I like this lyric from the beginning of Winter Coat because, although I wrote this song before the pandemic, it seems to be more relevant during lockdown. The song is about isolation and worrying on your own without telling anyone. -
“I feel the distance from my friends like a winter coat left in the wardrobe for all of spring and summer. I know that I’ll see them soon when time apart has made me cold again.”
The album has a track named ‘Whiskey’ on it, which has a video made by a long-term collaborator of yours Martyna Wisniewska. How does the track connect with video?
The video was made at the end of the summer and I think it really nicely captures my relationship with my girlfriend Lucy. The song is all about the things in life that can be explained by not being honest with yourself about your sexuality and it has a bit of an uncertain/dark undertone. Martin helped me portray how a lot of that uncertainty and darkness is taken away after you let yourself be happy.
Now this album is out in the world, what next for you?
There’s not a lot that can really be planned until shows can start happening. I’m going to keep writing songs and hope that I can start to book some tours soon. I miss it very much and I’m incredibly excited to play some shows and see some friends around the place.