We had a chat with James Taylor from rock band INHEAVEN before they head out on their UK tour, talking all things influential, political and musical.
What’s the story behind INHEAVEN – how did you guys meet and decide to form a band?
Me [James] and Chloe met at the Lexington many years ago and we remained friends, it wasn't until about 3 years ago that we realised we had a lot of the same influences and we started making our own videos and music which we then put online and sent out emails to blogs round the world. The songs needed up getting picked up by press round the world, we then got an email from Julian Casablanca's and Cult records saying they wanted to put out our first single, which they did and the rest is history I guess.
What was the inspiration behind the name ‘INHEAVEN’?
The name INHEAVEN comes from the movie Eraserhead, David Lynch is a huge influence on us so the name made perfect sense.
You’ve got a huge tour coming up, what are you most looking forward to about exploring the UK?
We've toured up and down the country a few times now, so we always look forward to going back to some of our favourite cities. Highlights for us are always Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds and then the homecoming energy of London keeps us buzzing for days.
We noticed that you’re off to Europe after the UK leg, is there anywhere in particular you look forward to playing and do you ever get time to explore and be all touristy?
Yeah we love traveling round Europe and getting stuck into new cities, we love photography so you can often spot us roaming the cites taking pictures! The food is always great, and the crowds even better.
As a band, what Is your all-time favourite memory of being on tour so far?
For me I think headlining Boston Music Rooms on our first ever tour was one of the best moments I've experienced, seeing a room full of people singing our songs right back at us in our hometown - doesn't get much better than that.
Your self-titled debut album is finally here! How long was the journey of crafting this record from beginning to end – and were there any obstacles along the way?
Yeah it's a great feeling to finally have an album out, the songs had been around before we'd even started the band however the recording process was pretty quick, I think around 2 weeks! Finding the right moment to release a record can be frustrating sometimes, but holding it your hands is an incredible feeling!
Did any musical influences help inspire the creation of this new album, and if so - who?
We were massively influenced by everything on Creation records and Sub Pop, so I think those influences bleed through in parts. But our main priority was to make the biggest sounding rock record possible. Death to Lo-fi.
Some of the tracks are quite political in their lyrics, how important do you think the discourse of politics is within the music industry?
Well in current times it's hard to get away from politics and the state of the world, it seems like the world is in constant threat and turmoil and for us not say anything would be a great dishonesty to ourselves and everyone else. We want young people to be more engaged with their surroundings and political climate.
Are there any upcoming or new artists you reckon we should keep our eyes peeled for?
Yes! BLOXX, KING NUN, PARIS YOUTH FOUNDATION and OTHERKIN, we will be taking them all on tour this October.
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