What are your names?
Craig Lawrence
Aaron Jackson
Stew Thorpe
Andrew Pepin
What is the band’s name?
The Young Hearts
How did you come up with the band’s name?
Round Stews house we spent the best part of the day looking at cds, song titles album names and just come across a song title called Young Hearts then just added The and that was that.
What is your genre of music?
Punk rock/alternative emo.
Give us a little bio about you.
The Young Hearts are a punk rock band from the UK. Recently signed to Year Of The Rat Records, the band have made a name for themselves by extensive touring and sharing stages with the likes of Can’t Swim, Mallory Knox, Courage My Love, Blood Youth, Junior, Bellevue Days and more. Alt Press, Kerrang, Rock Sound, BT TV, BBC, Triple J, Idobi Rodio, and many other respected publications have shown love for the band. The band have just released their eagerly anticipated debut album The Modern State.
What made you go into music?
We’ve all played in bands before back in the early days and after a band split which included Aaron, Stew and Craig the beginning of The Young Hearts started. We had a different drummer for the first 2 E. Ps then recruited A.J as we knew him well and had filled in for our previous drummer a few times.
Who are your influences?
We all have alot of individual influences but with regards to our specific style The Gaslight Anthem, The Menzingers and Jimmy Eat World are probably the top three.
Are you signed?
Yes we have been on a few labels previously and were looking to change label for our album release. We got interest from a label we liked but it fell through at the last minute. Coincidentally our manager James was starting a brand new label Year Of The Rat and asked us to join and we did and couldn’t be happier.
You released your debut album ‘The Modern State’, tell us more about the album.
Well in all honesty it’s a relief to have it finally out. It’s taken the best part of 3 and a half years from recording to releasing it. So we are extremely happy with this body of work and it feels like there has been a weight lifted from our shoulders. We put so much into it emotionally, physically and financially and now we can share it with people is amazing
Describe each track in two words.
Wild & Reckless – Powerful Introduction
Easy Life – Big Chorus
London – Punk Groove
Cold Nights – Familiar Comfort
The Modern State – Moody Reflection
Still Wander – High Energy
Fool’s Gold – Nostalgia Filled
Old Familiar – Catchy One
Swim – Slow Burner
Anchors – Sombre Realisation
Don’t Tell A Soul – Anthemic Finale
Who did you work with on the album?
Like both our previous releases, we recorded the album with Ian Sadler. We have a great relationship with Ian which really helps the productive process, we don’t feel rushed or pressured, and can really take our time with the songs. It also helps that his studio is relatively local to us so we don’t have to record all in one go.
What was the writing and recording process like?
The writing process began almost straight after finishing our previous EP ‘Honestly, I’m Just Thinking’. We already had some song ideas and because we were in no rush to record them, we spent a long time working on them and getting them to sound exactly how we wanted. The recording process is always a lot of fun, we try not to be too strict which makes for a really relaxed environment where we’re not afraid to try anything. It took a while to get everything done but it’s worth it when it’s your debut album.
Will we see a music video for any of the tracks?
We have four music videos out for songs off the album already, which are available on YouTube, and another one in the pipeline for release fairly soon.
What else can we expect in 2021?
We’d love to be able to tour this year. The pandemic has ruined any chance of us playing shows for the last 11 months, we’re hoping things can get back to some sort of normality before 2021 is up and we can get out on the road to support our new album.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
In 5 years, we’d like to still exist as a band firstly, we’re all in our early 30s and it’s more difficult to fully commit at this age than say 10 years ago. Secondly we’d love to have another couple of albums out by then, and still be relevant in the scene.
What quote or saying do you always live by?
‘No retreat, no regrets’.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Alcohol, to watch as many if not all of the other artists on the line up where possible, to thank the promoter during the set, a spare guitar for any mid set disasters, and lastly just to enjoy it. Playing shows is one of the main reasons we still do this, despite all the struggles of being a band at this level.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
