London three piece ‘The Howlers’ will be releasing their next single ‘Matador’ this Friday (1st November). We had a chat with them about the upcoming single and talked all things music!
Who are The Howlers?
“We’re just 3 lads trying to scratch out a living in the big smoke"
How long have you known each other? When did you decide to start the band?
“We've probably all known each other a good couple of years now we all met at uni in London, Adam and Guus were on the same course and lived together for a few years before meeting Cam and starting the band as you see it today and I guess they say the rest is history"
Your upcoming single ‘Matador’, what’s it about exactly?
“Matador in a way is a natural progression from our debut single ‘La Dolce Vita’ it is about recognising who you are as a person and not letting anything define who you are or stopping you from becoming who you want to be.
Unfortunately we live in a society where the majority of people out there struggling to understand their self identity would rather mask and hide these details in favour of presenting themselves in a more favourable way to the people around them, it shouldn't have to be that way no'one should suppress their true self in favour of not rocking the boat, We individually battle with ourselves on a daily basis more often than we realise and more often than not our friends and family receive the brunt of the frustration that naturally comes from not understanding why we do things one way opposed to another, a Matador is someone whose task is to kill the bull, as a symbol it represents fighting the fears that can define you, we don't believe there is anything as imperfections, you are you and that's all that matters”
Where did the inspiration come from for this single?
“People first and foremost, we as a society are so diverse and we are starting to celebrate our individualism but there are still swathes of people following the herd scared to be defined as different even at the cost of their individual identity”
What was the music-making process behind ‘Matador’?
“Well It was floating around for a while as a riff and sort of developed into what it is now over time, there's no magical story behind it like someone had a dream they were a bullfighter or anything like that and I think sometimes the best tracks are like that they just feel right you know, doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of a good back story the track speaks for its self in a way”
Describe the single in 4 words!
"Clint Eastwoods Fila Tracksuit"
What’s your favourite line in the song? Why?
“Hard to say really, the opening line of each verse starts with this one sentence which is basically about not thinking you can confront your fears, but I don't know really I'm quite a fickle person when it comes to lyrics if I can't see meaning in them then I don't see the point in writing them it doesn't matter if nobody else can see the meaning straight away, a song should mean different things to each individual who listens to it"
Who are your musical influences (any musicians or bands that you really take inspiration from)?
“We all vary so much on what we like as band members, but I'd say personally I take a lot from film scores more than anything when you watch a film just listening to the piece of music paired with the footage speaks volumes to me, music is supposed to conjure up imagery so we try to write in a way that focuses more on the actual music as a whole not just a chorus or verse or what not, but when we are in the van or car we listen to anything from the greats like Led Zep, Fela Kuti etc to friends bands that have sent over a mix of their last song, the general rule is if it does something for you put it on”
Can we expect an album or an EP anytime soon?
“Maybe an EP, maybe another single, we recorded a heap of material this year and we've been writing some of our best stuff recently so who knows"
Favourite part about being in a band?
“Well we are like a little weird family us 3 lads and the people we have around us that's the best bit I think you could easily play the stereotypical band knobhead here and say beer beer beer or some macho bullshit, but for me id say being like a little family looking out for each other, we always give each other a big hug when we see one another and that's all that matters, just the little things"
Streaming is massive and has been for a while now but what are your views on it? Do you as a band actually benefit from it or is it as bad as people are describing it (£0.004891 per stream on Spotify)?
“When did believing in a band stop being enough? Why do these young quirky Exec’s pay so much attention to the figures and how many monthly listeners you have? It literally doesn't mean anything there are bands out there with 1mil+ streams on a song but cant fill a 200 cap venue and there are bands out there with 10k streams on a track who could fill 500 cap venues, streaming isn't a representation of a band, surely its their music and what it means, I don't think anybody benefits from streaming anymore and the people in charge have forgotten what music is supposed to represent, I couldn't care less about the returns its more the principal of paying some less than a 1p for something they put their heart and soul into”
What’s your ultimate goal as a band? Where do you expect to go next?
“We've got a few bench marks we want to achieve and a few we've already achieved in a short space of time so who knows, Boris Johnson is PM, Donald Trump is POTUS I think anything is possible these days”
Got any upcoming shows?
Were seeing out the year with a few shows over October & November some are not announced just yet or might be by the time this interview goes out but we are playing Liverpool, London, Brighton & Portsmouth in October and then we have a headline show in November in London to announce to round the year off.
Any last words?
“Anyone who drinks PG Tips over Yorkshire Tea needs their hard drive checking"
Thank you to The Howlers for letting us ask them a few questions! Now, have a read of our review of ‘Matador’ here:
Their latest release builds on their existing creative energy from last track 'La Dolce Vita'. They're establishing themselves with their direction and their sound: for us punk tinted rock.
Matador is charged with energy from start to finish. It's raw. It's dynamic. It's powerful. It's everything you want a solid rock anthem to be. Brimmed with raspy snarls and boisterous bass lines fused with sharp hooks and lively beats. There's nothing in my mind saying these lads can't sell out arenas with their untamed, animated live shows! Matador is just an indication that The Howlers are going places.
Pre save 'Matador' now: https://bit.ly/2pJivQ1
Catch them performing:
November 12th - Portsmouth, Edge of the Wedge / Supporting Himalayas
November 16th - London, The Waiting Room
Keep up to date with 'The Howlers' on:
Twitter: (@thehowlersuk): https://twitter.com/thehowlersuk?s=09
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehowlersuk/