I spoke to Lower Than Atlantis' Dec Hart about their latest album Safe In Sound and their huge 22 date UK tour.
Is there a
song that you’re most proud of from Safe in Sound?
It’s definitely Had Enough. For sure!
How would you
say your music has changed lyrically since the first two albums?
I
think the lyrical content has stayed prettier similar but the way it is
presented has become more concise and probably less literal.
Mike’s lyrics
can be so personal, does he ever feel apprehensive putting those thoughts and
feelings out in the open?
I’m sure he does but, then, who wouldn’t?
When I was in
college, about five years ago, it was only the kids that had that kind of
alternative or emo past that listened to alternative rock. But now that the
genre is much more mainstream, have you noticed a difference in the way your
music is received?
I don’t think people have the genre
boundaries of the past when listening to music anymore. Boundaries are stupid
and irrelevant anyway. Music is always a matter of opinion, good or bad, and I
think that is a great thing for artists of any style.
In reference
to the album title, and escapism from the world by listening to music, which
bands or artists do you listen to when you just need to shut off from the world
for a while?
Radiohead – Kid A. That hits the spot for
me.
You guys have
said before that you still function like a DIY band. When did you release that
was the way you wanted to go?
I think it’s just because we don’t know it
any other way and the one time when we were convinced to do it otherwise, it
didn’t work. So, we learned from that mistake and went back to what works for
us.
Some of the
songs from Safe in Sound are more alt-pop than your earlier stuff, and other
bands from the genre seem to have done that as well, such as Paramore. Do you
think that genres have to adapt over time?
Again, going back to the destruction of
genre in 2018, you can sound exactly how you want to sound and you can try new
things without fear of prejudice … for the most part. There’s always going to
be a few stubborn people knocking about, though.
It’s been almost a year since you released Safe in
Sound, so are you working on anything else at the moment? If you’re allowed to
say so!
Yeah!
New music is imminent. Stay tuned.
Have you decided on a set list for your forthcoming
tour, and will it be mostly made up of songs from Safe in Sound or will we be
getting to hear some of the older ones as well?
We’ve
made a conscious decision to play songs from ALL of our 5 records on this tour
for the first time ever. Think of it as a greatest-hits set but without any
hits.
What’s your favourite song off Safe in Sound to play
live? And is there a particular date on the tour that you’re looking forward to
the most?
Had
Enough. For sure! And the date I’m most looking forward to is the home town
show in Watford. 100%
Finally, a lot of our readers are
in bands themselves; what would be your biggest piece advice to a band working
towards success?
If you genuinely think you’ve got
something good, then go with it and don’t follow trends and don’t be influenced
by what other people say. Just work hard.
Interview by Holly Beson-Tams.
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