What are your names?
Noah Monkton, Mat D. Landry, Matt Bawtinheimer, and Marko Stojanovic
What is the bands name?
The High Loves
How did you come up with the bands name?
Noah wanted to have a retro sounding band name, hence the ‘The’. The ‘High Loves’ part of the name pertains to what he writes about mostly. We also thought it had a nice ring to it and it looked cool! (haha)
What is your genre of music?
Indie Rock with some hints of Punk!
Give us a little bio about you.
If you find yourself in a packed venue, surrounded by music enthusiasts of all types, waiting for The High Loves to take the stage, you will quickly notice a palpable excitement in the crowd. Their mission is simply to perform the music that their passions inspired. Not overproduced and without gimmicks, but raw and genuine.
It’s the same tight sound that you will be hearing on their upcoming “Serotonin” EP. With lyrics inspired by the lifestyle and experiences of lead singer and songwriter Noah Monckton, drummer Mathieu Landry, bassist Matt Bawtinheimer, and lead guitarist Marko Stojanovic, The High Loves showcase their ability to stay true to the music, and to provide an original and memorable experience.
Their style is a mix of old and new, both retro and modern. To say a combination of The Beatles and the Strokes might be accurate, but does little justice to the authority of their sound. For us Alt-Rock fans out there who are anxious about the future of the music industry, we’re glad to have a band like The High Loves and we certainly expect big things to come
What made you go in to music?
We all have very different reasons. Most of us grew up or were raised in a very musical family and environment. We also went to school/are still in school for music and The High Loves project was just another way to express ourselves.
Are you a signed?
No, we are currently looking for opportunities to grow our team.
You recently released a new single ‘Serotonin’, tell us more about it.
Serotonin was the first song Noah wrote for this new project. He was at a low point in his life and working through the song helped him get his energy back. It was a beginning point for the band and it seemed fitting to release it as the first single.
What was the writing process like?
So far, Noah writes the tune (arrangement and lyrics), records the song, and brings it to rehearsal. From there, we analyse the idea (whether it’s a fit for us, as a band), we talk about structure and arrangement, and the things that we could change or modify to make the song better than what was initially presented to us. Most of the time, Noah comes to us with a great idea and we make it happen with little to no changes. Except the Drums! (haha)
What was the recording process like?
We recorded all of the tracks for our upcoming EP, including Serotonin at the very beginning of 2018. All the drums were done in one day and the rest came shortly after. Overall, the process was done efficiently and we did not have to overthink much of the process.
What is the message you want listeners to take from the single?
We want the listeners to get a taste of what our sound could sound like. Serotonin is definitely our song that sounds the most ‘mainstream’ or ‘catchy’ but it is just a teaser as what we have in store for the EP (NOV 2018) and upcoming full length records.
Describe the track in two words.
‘Happy’ & ‘Breakdown’
You are also set to release a new EP, tell us more about it.
The EP is set to be released on November 17th 2018 with a album release launch at The Cameron House in Toronto alongside our friends Ferraro & Emily Rose. The record has 5 tunes! One of them being Serotonin and another being the second single we will be releasing soon. Local fans of ours might know the songs that will be on this record as we’ve played them live before!
Describe each track in two words.
Serotonin: ‘Happy’ & ‘Breakdown’
You already: ‘Last Chance’
Winding Up Nowhere: ‘Lost’ & ‘Decisions’
Dirty Minds: ‘Better Together’
High Rise: ‘Rebuild’ & ‘Alone’
Who did you work on the album with?
We have been really blessed! We had a great team for the record: Andrew Feels, Samuel Letnik, Kevin O’Leary, River Radcliffe, James Sullivan!
Do you have any gigs coming up or a tour in planning?
We are Playing Ryerson University’s Open House on November 10th, The Cameron House with our friend Ferraro and Emily Rose for our EP release on November 17th, and we have a couple of other shows that we are currently working on. We are also starting the festival application process! We’ll hopefully see some of you next summer!
What else can we expect from you this year?
We’ll see where these three releases (2 singles and EP) take us! We are hoping to play shows with good exposure and potential to rise exponentially! We would also love to get a team behind us. There might be a couple announcements soon about our management and representation. Stay tuned!
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
We haven’t gotten any opportunities or asked for any collaborations with any artist but we’d love to get an opportunity to explore this idea! If anyone would ever want to get in contact with us about a potential collaboration, email us at thehighloves@gmail.com !
Do you play any instruments?
The instrumentation in the band is:
Noah Monkton: Guitar and vocals
Marko Stojanovic: Guitar
Matt Bawtinheimer: Bass
Mat D. Landry: Drums and vocals
Who are your influences?
We have so many! (haha) Here are some of them: The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, The Beatles, Franz Ferdinand, John Mayer, Radio Head, and Arcade Fire!
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Noah’s always been fascinated with capturing a emotion or a moment in time within a song. Once you write something that you feel is a great song and has some real truth or energy to it and you want to share it, it becomes addictive. It’s really the best feeling in the world to create something you’re really proud of.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
We’d love to be living well and healthy from our original music! We’d be very grateful to travel the world and see the most amount of places and people we could. Most of all, still be playing music and be together as a band.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Studying, hanging out with friends, seeing what the city of Toronto has to offer, going to watch other shows in the city, network, planning our next gig, resting as we all busy with commitments, work, and life.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
We all have different answers but I think ‘Soma’ by The Strokes was one of the songs that influenced the band the most. While approaching everyone for The High loves project, Noah showed all of us a live performance of The Strokes and continues to this day!
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Learn to say no. There’s always going to be another opportunity and probably a better one. ‘Learning to say no’ brings everything in perspective. Whether that means saying no to your friends as they are going out on a Monday night as you work at 7am the next day or even saying no to a booker as they want to book you for a show that is not fitting for your project.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Learn to know your local community and network as much as you can. The Music Industry is actually very small! Many people know each other and these individuals could connect you with people that could help your project. You never know, one random guy at a folk tavern could be your next manager!
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
As a band, nope!
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
In Toronto, Trinity Bellwoods is always a great place to hang out in the summer time! It’s a good place to bring your friends, have a picnic, have a drink, and throw a Frisbee.
Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first?
Home!
2/ Who do you see first?
Friends, Family, and/or Roomates.
3/What do you eat first?
A shwarma from a local food chain called Ghazale!
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Noah’s Blazer and white pants
Our popular phone stickers
Matt Bawtinheimer’s pages and pens for setlists
An extra set of guitar strings if Marko breaks some while ripping a sweet solo
Mat D. Landry’s Ebenor Percussion gear
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yes! All of our social media accounts have ‘The High Loves’/@thehighloves as a name! We have Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud. You can also find us on all streaming platforms! Our website is
