Battle Of The Airwaves: Howling Bells

Nearly three years have passed since Howling Bells’ melancholic soundscapes emerged on the British music scene amid the critical acclaim that their debut received back in 2006. As they release it’s follow up, Radio Wars the Australian four piece talk to Gigwise on the significance of moving to British shores four years ago.

“We moved here to be a British band” says drummer, Glenn Moule “We’ve been in and out so much working and touring, it’s hard to say we’ve been here permanently the whole time” he confirms.

Singer, Juanita Stein explains the band’s reasons, “We connect a lot to the history, although when we first moved here we got compared to a lot of older Australian bands but we all grew up on British bands our whole lives, so it just felt like the right thing to do. I don’t think we would have been pushed creatively had we not have moved.”

Did the success of the first album add any pressure when it came to writing Radio Wars? “We were free. There was no major label pressure, the only pressure was the pressure we put on ourselves but we didn’t put that much pressure on because it’s just a way, we just want to be creative” responds bassist, Brendan Picchio.

What about pressure in terms of pleasing the fans?
“No. First of all I don’t like the word fans” says Brendan firmly, “The audiences that came to see us. Serious, I hate that world, fanatical, it’s weird.
“The audiences that we have, they have to grow, they have to learn to grow along with us, because that’s what we’re doing and…”
 “Well, that’s what you want” says guitarist, Joel Stein as he elaborates on the bassist’s comment. “It’s not like we’ve changed singers and band members. We’re all still the same people, if anything the first album created a platform for us to be able to do what we wanted to do next.”
“The only pressure that we had is from ourselves”, offers his sister, Juanita. “We have an extreme standard of how we want to progress as a band musically. Not just as a band but individually. Everybody in this band works a great deal on themselves and it’s very important to want to grow and change as people.”

Do you think you have more freedom in making the music with the funding you have behind you, especially in this present economical climate? Does it make a difference or would you still be doing the same whatever the circumstances?
Brendan: “Well we’d be doing whatever we could do to put music out, so if that meant we’d have to try hunt deer with spears to do that, then we’d do that”.
“That would definitely affect the music as well you can’t deny that” says Glenn, “Everything that you experience in life affects how you express your situation in society so hunting deer with spears...I don’t know what sort of music would come out then?” The drummer appears bemused at this idea.

Howling Bells recorded their second album in LA with producer, Dan Grech-Marguerat. Reports from the press have stated a more democratic writing and creative process with this album. So, how much of Radio Wars was done before the studio, and how much was created while you were there?

Brendan: “More so on this album than the first. This record we left a little bit up to Dan. He compiled notes on everything when he heard the demos, then came in [to] the studio and we’d work through it. Once we got in to the studio some songs that we had done that we hadn’t really focused and put together was then retranslated. So, we would start recording in a different manner, start back to front, with guitar or a piano first.”
“It was way more left up to chance this time, wasn’t it” says Juanita, before Brendan adds, “We still worked hard, that’s not to say we didn’t work hard on the demos, we worked hard on them and made them as good as we could but they came out differently”.

In the past, some writers among the music press have likened Howling Bells’ sound to that of PJ Harvey’s which has been reportedly frustrating for the band. Are you expecting any more PJ Harvey comparisons to surface with Radio Wars then?
“No!” says Juanita, as Glenn reveals the real reason behind the band’s frustrations at the comparisons, “That was lazy journalism, that was what we were pissed at more than anything. It wasn’t the comparisons it was that people were so lazy to generalise everything and put us in holes, you know.”
“A magazine said that first and then every other magazine followed” confirms Joel.

Do you personally perceive that as lazy journalism then?
A resounding “Yes” is the response from around the room before Joel offers an explanation, “When every other magazine follows one journalists’ call and it’s not even follows they won’t even elaborate on why, they’ll just throw it in. It’s quite frustrating for us, because you go into a studio and you do your thing and then all these other people who are given the right and authority to share their opinion with everyone just go and copy everyone else. That’s not what it’s about really is it, even as a journalist, is it? You’re given the power to have your own mind, use it!”