Forest Falls Hounds Interview

Forest Falls Hounds Interview

Evocative Melbourne folksters, Forest Falls have announced the release of their new single, Hounds (out April 6), as well as their sophomore EP of the same name, set for release on May 1. The six-piece will be celebrating with a Hounds EP tour involving a Wednesday night Workers Club residency in Melbourne through May kicking off May 6, moving through Geelong and Sydney, finishing off in Melbourne on May 27.

Recorded and produced alongside five-time ARIA award winning producer, Wayne Connolly (Paul Dempsey, Josh Pyke and Cloud Control) at Alberts Studio in Sydney, lead single Hounds is driven by exquisite five-part harmonies and transformative, liberating saxophone solos. 'The lyrics to Hounds were written in a huff," explains lead vocalist Jon O'Neill. 'A hound can be unpredictable; it can be your best friend or bear its teeth, and I suppose I was bearing mine at the time."

Filmed in Melbourne by An Architect Photographed My Undies (Vance Joy, Pierce Brothers, Oscar Key Sung), the clip for Hounds is open to interpretation, following the story of a pair of passionate lovers, complemented by the song's lyrics, their two voices ricochet off each other in the heat of the moment. By weaving the release of sky lanterns in to the narrative, the clip touches on themes of igniting, letting go, reigniting and perhaps just burning out. 'We loved the aesthetic and the metaphor of releasing the sky lanterns and the fact that there isn't a right answer to the true meaning behind the clip," says O'Neill.

Also recorded and produced by the legendary Wayne Connolly, the Hounds EP touches on the themes of love, relationships, compromise, confusion and lust. 'All these things are worth capturing and singing about and all different kinds of emotion can be harnessed and used as motivation or inspiration in songwriting," says O'Neill. Overflowing with the rich, lush sounds they're best known for, this cohesive release is like a welcome visit from a long lost friend, nostalgic, heartfelt and authentic. Unafraid to bite the bullet and explore new genres, O'Neill explains, 'We've been writing new stuff and falling in love with other instruments and sounds and have realised there's nothing standing in our way."

With a well-rounded show that will surprise and entertain, fans can expect thrilling five-part harmonies, captivating chants, memorable hooks and a performance bursting with integrity and heart that will leave you wanting more.

View the clip for Hounds

Forest Falls Tour Dates

Wed 6 May | Workers Club | Melbourne
Sun 10 May | Workers Club | Geelong | w/ Revolution
Wed 13 May | Workers Club | Melbourne
Thurs 14 May | Bondi Bowling Club | Bondi | w/ Jenny Broke the Window
Sat 16 May | Gaelic Club | Sydney | w/ Bears with Guns
Wed 20 May | Workers Club | Melbourne
Wed 27 May | Workers Club | Melbourne

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Interview with Forest Falls

Question: What should we expect from the upcoming shows?

Forest Falls: We've changed our live set up a lot over the last six to twelve months. We were without a drummer for a while there, playing more intimate and ambient shows - it did wonders for the time we were able to spend focussing on writing harmonies. Now that we have Jamie back hitting skins again there's a dramatic difference in vibe, and the scope for dynamics and arrangement is so much wider. We're taking full advantage of that live; trying to make our show entertaining and diverse. Recently, we've also welcomed Lucy Rash aboard. Lucy is a solid multi-instrumentalist so it's like having three extra members! We aim to give our audiences the opportunity to experience the full breadth of sounds possible with our lineup: from intimate guitar/multi-part harmony tunes, to full-blown anthemic folk numbers that you'll be humming for days to come.

What I think is most important is that we've had the opportunity recently to jump on board with some of the best acts going around: we supported Paper Lions (CAN) late last year and Husky on the Easter weekend just gone, and have some stellar acts supporting us during our tour. It's going to be one hell of a tour!


Question: What was your main inspiration behind Hounds?

Forest Falls: It's a classic concept: writing a song about a quarreling couple. Lyrically, I tried to take put a new spin on an old thing. I like to think I can take a step back and be objective, both at the best and worst of times. Hounds embraces that. There are two voices, or perspectives, rolling of each other from verse to chorus and I tried to be a fly on the wall recounting the story. Musically, it was a liberating creation - all of the band members kind of took a risk and came out of their shell a little. That's not to say that the guys and I are particularly sheepish or reserved, but everyone let loose. We were more open minded. It's got this beautiful, soul-drenched feel to it. Jeremy's bass line really shines through as does Shaun's lead guitar work - we were even giddy enough to recruit a saxophonist in Jesse Lovell and get him to blare out that sexy hook! The single (as well as EP presales) is up on iTunes now.


Question: Can you tell us about filming the video clip for Hounds?

Forest Falls: We shot in Melbourne with Bianca Milani from An Architect Photographed My Undies. It was wicked to watch the production go down. Bianca was great to work with and entertained all of our niggling requests. We just loitered around on set until we were offered a few cameo appearances. It was really fun and we're stoked with how it came out. It's up on youtube now if readers want to check it out.


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Forest Falls: We have done a couple covers when they've been requested of us, but generally we steer clear of them and just do our own thing. Maybe because we want all the creative control ourselves! My inspiration is drawn from music's power to influence people's frame of mind and be a therapeutic outlet. Listening to, and playing, music has given me so much: It gives me a purpose, a passion and something to strive for, and I've met so many fantastic people along the way. Now more and more opportunities are coming out of it - I'm just high on life at the moment the inspiration is everywhere. I hope to inspire other people and make music I'm proud to play.

Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Forest Falls: My recent taste in music has been pretty scattered (or -eclectic', depending on your spin). I've recycled old Death Cab for Cutie and Gorillaz in preparation for their new releases - it's so damn good! I've been smashing Big Scary, and Simon and Garfunkel are always a constant inspiration.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Forest Falls: You've pretty much nailed it - that's the trinity! We're touring in May for the release of the Hounds EP and the namesake single. We're looking to drop a followup single from the EP - we've got our eye on one in particular but it's our little secret for now. Then, it's back in the studio to release another EP before the end of the year and coincide with another tour. The writing is happening incredibly easily at the moment, and it's showing in our output. We're so damn proud of our music and our shows right now.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Forest Falls: Definitely. There are a lot of ebbs and flows playing in Forest Falls. When we're keeping busy touring, releasing new material and writing a bunch it's intoxicating. When things slow down it can feel pretty dire, and sometimes it's like no matter how hard you try you can't speed things up. Maybe you don't have the time, cash or creative juice to do it - it gets you down. I've had chats with all the guys in the band at one point or another about feeling dejected but luckily there is usually a majority of smiling faces and ultimately it's just bred persistence.

Externally, we've met some really lovely and successful people in the industry. Sam Rassmussen of the Paper Kites has been a great friend and mentor, as has Greg Donovan. Having chats with bands we've supported like Paper Lions and Husky, and having them recognise our struggles and either have solutions or be like, 'we were there once and now we're here, so keep at it" - those moments put everything into perspective. And I really do want to thank, once again, all the incredible Pozible supporters who pledged last year - they definitely helped sideline our fears and reinforce a lot of self-belief on the band's behalf. It's a truism that the EP just wouldn't have been possible without them. So, if you're a pledgend and you're reading this - thank you!


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Forest Falls: There are great times to be had in both. It's funny how different the two are though considering it's essentially just the difference between playing a song in a studio or in front of people. But is it? When you're recording, everything is super mellow. There's room for a lot of experimentation... musically I mean, we're pretty straight laced! That side of things is rad, though I guess there's a dark side too though. You can become a bit desensitised to what you're doing if everything is repeated over and over. You end up doubting your judgement. I think that's where playing live picks up the slack. Live you've got a blatant indication of whether people are feeling it or not. You can see it in their faces, their body language. Winning people over is such a good feeling. Seeing people have a dance or just look totally captivated or having people come up and thank you after you play is so good. Playing live too means the songs get to evolve and stay fresh. Without it they're kind of static. I think live vs recorded is a bit like yin and yang: you need both to get that balance to be a super zen band.

Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Forest Falls: I suppose initially, when I was young, what really got me going was hearing and seeing bands and having some vague notion that they were cool and were celebrated by everyone. But soon that started to evolve. Bands my mum listened to were really spellbinding - Mamas and Papas, Crosby Stills and Nash, Fleetwood Mac. Like I said - now that we're in it, I find inspiration from industry people who are tenacious and driven but do it all the while being open, lovely people - like smiling assassins, Haha! Luckily we have a great team of them working with us.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Forest Falls: You could call it Baking: raising enough dough is super tough. When you're a relatively young band working to get your name out there you really have to give it away and not expect a return for a while. Which is hard. We have six really dedicated band members in Forest Falls but there are times when we just can't do what we want because we have to raise money other ways. Pozible was a phenomenal one-off: we wouldn't feel comfortable regularly phoning our fans to fund each release. More often than not we subsidise payments for touring, recording or whatever out of our six back pockets. I hope that soon we can all take the leap of faith and just play music as our job but we're not quite there yet.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Forest Falls: Lots more admin than you'd think - bulk emails. Converting emails into shows, posters, new song ideas, and all the good stuff. I'll pick up a guitar every day for sure - I'd feel pretty antsy if I didn't. As Ron Burgundy as it sounds, I like to have a scotch or a red and read poetry or lyrics to get inspired. But it's not all seriousness I'm a bit of a goofball too and we all like to have a laugh. Gabe had a stellar sports-themed dress up party the other night. He donned the cheerleader outfit, I chose the bike Lycra. Good times.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Forest Falls: People light up around music, and being a part of that is so rewarding. There's a lot of uncertainty with pursuing a career performing but you do it for the love of it. I just love playing music - it's almost ineffable.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Forest Falls: I'd love to really mix it up. Collaborate with Kayne or REMI or Gorillaz... and of course Paul Simon.


Question: What message would you like your music to say to your fans?

Forest Falls: Thanks for all your love and support! Hope you dig the new tunes! You can expect only honesty from us, and a damn good time.


Question: What is the story behind the band's name?

Forest Falls: We were coming up with names and were super burnt out at the time. I can't even remember some of the rejects we came up with but there were plenty. I think we'd agreed on the word Forest because we'd visited the town down south called Forrest (two Rs). But then Gabe went on this referential rampage: Forest Gumption, 1Forest1 - it was no good. I think we stumbled upon Forest Falls in a frenzy of suggestions and all agreed. So long as we didn't end up with a pun, I was happy. I didn't want to end up like Homer and the B Sharps.


Interview by Brooke Hunter