Hone - Sound In The Signals Interview
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| 📸 Grace Miller |
I recently had the opportunity to interview Hone. We discussed how they formed the band, their musical inspiration from the ’90s, recording their EP, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
No problem, we’re happy to do it and thank you as well.
Can you tell me how you started the band for those who may be unfamiliar with it? How did you become interested in music?
Mauro (drums) and Alex (guitar) played together in a hardcore band called Law of Power, a thrash band called Nuisance Alley, and currently play in ANTI together. They had discussed doing a band in this style for a long time and when Colby (guitar) filled in for one of their bands he was asked if he’d want to be involved in the side project.
We began writing songs and when we decided to bring in a bass player Mauro reached out to Greg who he also plays in Repeat Offender and Telefon with. The final piece was to find a singer, and Colby had suggested Donovan, a friend he played in Contract Killer with.
All of us have been going to shows and making music from a young age, mostly in punk, hardcore, and metal bands, but have a wide range of influences. I think for all of us music is as much about expression as it is about community. There’s something unique about collaborating with your friends to create something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts. It’s an itch that doesn’t go away no matter how many times you scratch it.
I really like the sound of the band. What influences were you drawing from sonically when creating your sound?
Thank you for the kind words. The initial inspiration for the project came from 90s shoegaze and heavy alternative bands like Hum, Helmet, Drop Nineteens, Bowery Electric, Local H, and Jawbreaker.
You recently released your new EP ‘Meridian’. Can you tell me about writing and recording the EP?
The writing process for these songs was extremely natural. Alex and Colby would bring songs to the table and we would all bounce ideas off each other on how to arrange them. We recorded the majority of the record in one session at Dead Stare Audio with Andrew Solis. He was very easy to work with and made the whole process very laid back and fun.
Although we had talked to Donovan about doing vocals already, it took almost a year to come back and finish the record. We jammed all together one time and Alex met up with Donovan another time to work out all the melodies and vocal patterns that Alex wrote for the songs.
After that, they went back into the studio and tracked all the vocals, as well as the last track on the EP "Soothe". Donovan nailed that one on the first take. Donovan absolutely crushed it on this release, which I know was a very vulnerable thing for him as this was his first time recording clean vocals. From the beginning, we knew we didn’t want to rush anything but it was great to hear everything finally come together after so much time in between studio sessions.
“Rose-Colored Memories” is one of my favorites from the EP. At what point in the writing process was that song written and what was your lyrical inspiration for it?
“Rose-Colored Memories” was written early in the writing process, along with “Time Heals”. They had lyrics 8-9 months before the other tracks. Lyrically, it is inspired by being in a situation, whether it’s a relationship or a phase of life in general that you know is bad for you. We often deceive ourselves in those moments and our brains are drawn back to the best, most comforting memories we have related to the situation. The song is about being trapped in that cycle and eventually moving past it into what you knew was the correct choice all along.
You’re working with Criminalized on the cassette. How did you end up working with them?
We knew we wanted to put out some physical music because that’s always been important to us in a world where everything is digital. Working with Criminalized was a no-brainer because Aldo who runs Criminalized is a friend and has always supported our efforts in past projects. When we reached out to see if they would be interested in doing a tape release for the EP, he didn’t hesitate.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you want to add?
Thank you for taking the time for this interview and thank you to everyone who took the time to read it. This band is something totally different than what any of us have been involved in before and I hope if nothing else it inspires others to write music with their friends regardless of what the genre is. Finish that demo you’ve been putting on the back burner and share it with the world.
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