Band Of The Week #257 - Human Interest
This week’s Band of the Week is East London based Human Interest who have just released their new EP ‘Empathy Lives In Outer Space’ via Nice Swan Records - home to the likes of Sports Team, Pip Blom and English Teacher.
Parterning with the cult label for their second EP - the outfit has already released lead singles - ‘Step On’, ‘All My Friends’ and ‘Grounded’, all receiving high praises. Whilst on the live front, the group have ticked off prestigious slots with Self Esteem, Dave Rowntree (Blur), Hinds, Vlure, HighSchool and Tribes, as well as gaining multiple spins on the BBC 6 Music (Steve Lamacq), Radio X (playlisted) and Sirius FM airwaves.
Speaking ahead of their EP release, which was accompanied by a launch show at The Waiting Room, London on November 29th, the band revealed: “‘Empathy Lives in Outer Space’ feels like we’ve locked into our identity as Human Interest. The name of the EP came from an image of the world’s first untethered freefall in outer space. We found it beautiful how alone that person looked, whilst knowing that there were people there out of the picture who were ready to bring him back into safety. We became really obsessed with the idea of a toddler being in that same situation, and how striking that would be. Upon leaning into this new imagery, the name ‘Empathy Lives in Outer Space’ came about and everything clicked. You need space to really appreciate empathy, and comprehend your place in the grand scheme of things’.
They took a moment to talk to us about how the EP came together.
Hey there Human Interest - how are you? So your EP is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hellooo. All good, we're trying our best!!
Tyler: Honestly, it feels strange. We recorded the songs in January, so it's been a process getting to this point, and it almost doesn't feel real. Releasing music is such an odd feeling. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn't fall asleep the night before a holiday? Take that, but amplified over the course of ten months. Then add to it that feeling when you're back from holiday and you have one more day at home before you have to go back to school – you don't know what to do with yourself and you feel a bit melancholic, immediately wanting another holiday – it's just like that.
It is called ‘Empathy Lives In Outer Space’ - what is the meaning behind that?
Cat: This is a funny question to answer because, without sounding too chin-strokey, it's trying to give words to a feeling that is very hard to articulate or perhaps doesn't really exist. It started off being called 'Empathy Baby'. Remember a few months back when there was all this discourse about nepo-babies? It was a sort of half-baked joke to do with that where I never figured out the punchline. The songs all had a theme of friendship and empathy to them, so perhaps the idea was the opposite of nepo-babies where you get given a leg up from people feeling sorry for you, who knows eh?
Anyway, it got decided that Empathy Baby wasn't the right name, but not before it gave birth to some really nice imagery of a baby floating in space, even just the idea of that, I think, provokes some sort of strange relatable feeling in you. I'd always loved the photo of the world's first untethered free-fall in outer space. Just out there in the vastness totally cut loose. It spoke to me on a deep level that I don't really understand. All of a sudden, Empathy Lives in Outer Space popped up in my head and it just seemed really fitting; I enjoyed how it sounded like the title of an old novel or something, which tied into the design we wanted to have for the artwork.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
Tyler: We recorded it at Hackney Road Studios with Shuta Shinoda. It was a special experience for a few reasons. Firstly, it was the first time we'd ever got into a studio together as a band – our first EP were demos that we had reamped at Julie McClarnon's studio in Ireland called Analogue Catalogue. Secondly, it's just down the road from where I grew up, and it felt really sentimental and full-circle for the inner child who always wanted to be in a band but never thought she would be good enough.
As for behind the scenes stories, the song Slackers Paradise was originally recorded at Shaggs Cottage in Dorset with Dan White who plays in Tribes. Cat knew him from doing work with his old band, and Dan was like a musical mentor for him over a number of years. We went to Dorset for a weekend, with our old drummer, to record an EP but life did a number on all of us and we ended up scrapping it. When it came to choosing songs for this EP, Slackers Paradise was one that we felt really fit in with the vibe, and it's also just a banger. We met up with Dan at our old rehearsal studios – Gun Factory in Homerton – and the track was finished after adding extra guitars and backing vocals.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
Cat: Obviously, I've touched on this by discussing the name of the EP – and forgive me for my waffling and convoluted answers – BUT the key themes I would say are friendship, sadness and confusion. There wasn't really an overt thought process of what the EP was going to be about, as some songs are newer and some are older. This batch of songs just felt like they were the ones that were meant to be together. I was in a weird mental place and feeling very disjointed in life, following a couple of surgeries, and this EP is us trying to soundtrack that time whilst also trying to be a band that looks at least somewhat like they know what they're doing.
In regards to influences, at this moment in time I'm really not sure what my answer is. Perhaps the answer is more abstract like the title suggests, and is influenced by my relationships with people at the time. I feel like musical influences are too broad a brush to stroke the EP with.
If the EP could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
Cat: Although it's not a film, we would like to put forward our answer as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We've given this answer before to someone else and after much discussion have decided to double down on it. It's got the right mix of dark, sad and sexy.
Notable suggestions however were -
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (similar vibe for the title)
Lost in Translation (wanky indie vibes)
The Hunger Games
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP - if so, which one and why?
Tyler: "I love it when things don't make sense / work your life away for a rotting bench" - There's something about Slackers Paradise that just feels a bit primal and feral to me. It's like a direct observation on the human condition, and this lyric is such a simple summation of how silly existence is. The idea that we should work our asses off in the hopes of gaining some kind of unattainable idea of perfection/unsustainable version of happiness is genuinely amusing to me. Most of the time it never works out. It makes zero sense to have these ideals, and I love having those moments of recognition: none of this makes sense, so just do what you genuinely think is going to make YOU happy rather than going along with the archaic notion of how to live.
Cat: "Close your eyes, picture something terrifying" - I chose this because I'd never really noticed it as a cool lyric until our label used it as the caption for an insta post announcing the release of All My Friends. Taken out of context of the song and just seeing it on its lonesome on a screen is wonderfully sinister.
Now the EP is out there - what next?
Rebuild our shattered self esteem and create something beautiful that will outlive us.
ha...
We are currently working on our next EP which will be released in spring 2024, then we start working on the debut album!
