A Q&A with The Haptics
Melodic post-punk, from Canada…
What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
‘Zeroes’ is about suffering from mental illness and subsequent psychiatric care. It’s also about the care and compassion you find in others and in groups when you’re at a hard time in your life, and the losses you suffer as well. It’s about feeling like a zero but finding some identity and resilience in that.
What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
I really poured a lot of myself into these lyrics and sometimes they bring a tear to my eye. It’s not easy to sing about things that have upset you and about memories that haunt you. We also joke that band practice is the best therapy on Earth.
Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
We’d really like to thank our producer Ben Kaplan for working with us during the recording to get our sounds as close as possible to what we imagined in our heads. He also did a fantastic job with the mix. He was a dream to work with.
What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
We’d love them to enjoy the sound and feel it resonating in their core as something both beautiful and dark. I often think of the lyrics and melody as steering you through the journey of listening to music, and I hope they can feel that. We also find a lot of joy in playing and hope that comes through, as well.
How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
Cam often brings a piece of melody or a group of ideas into practice and we jam on those until we lock into a sound that we like. Then we take the pieces and sort of manipulate them until they fit together into a song. I usually freestyle lyrics and melodies singing until something really touches me.
What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
I think we all love the sound of classic post-punk bands like Joy Division and Bauhaus. As a singer, I’ve always gravitated to amazing performers like Peter Murphy, Iggy Pop, Layne Staley, and Shirley Manson.
What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
Oh man we’re down for anything, really! We love playing live. We’d love to play around Europe a bit and some of Eastern Canada. I’d love to open for a larger band at an arena, and we’re running for some open-air festivals next year. Fingers crossed.
If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
I think our newest EP Zero Gravity really shows what we’re capable of. ‘Zeroes’ is the first single off of that and we’re pretty proud of it. It means a lot to all of us.
What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
We want to keep making stuff we like to listen to and play live as much as possible. Never stop creating, I think.
Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Thanks to everyone, and goodnight.
For more information on The Haptics visit thehaptics.ca
