Here at The Honey POP, we’re always down bad for artists who refuse to be pinned down to any one genre. And Hungover is exactly that group! They’ve just released their first EP in six years, When It Touches The Heart, Everything Resolves, where they once again prove that they can’t be caged into pop, rock, or any other genre you can name. They’ll do it all!
We were so excited to chat with the band’s vocalist, Marc Cortes, just ahead of the release of When It Touches The Heart, Everything Resolves earlier this month. Check out our conversation in this Hungover x THP exclusive interview!
Congrats in advance for the upcoming release of When It Touches The Heart, Everything Resolves! How are you feeling with just a couple of weeks to go until the EP drops?
It feels surreal! We’ve been working on this project for the better part of five years— working and reworking these songs to get it to where we’re so happy with it. It’s cathartic to say the least.
Talk to us about the creation of WITTHER! How did you piece these tracks together and what informed the tracklist order? We love how eerie and trippy the intro to opener ‘Candy Flip’ is – it’s such a great way to start the record!
It was a lot of mulling over voice memos, demoing, and editing ourselves before we even got into the studio. We went in with probably 20 or so songs that we wanted on the record and workshopped all of them until we got down to the 11 that made it.
When we were putting together the tracklist, we knew some folks might be surprised by some of the changes in sound and what we experimented with. We wanted to make sure that Side A of the record was closer to what people expect Hungover to be and Side B to really dig into the sonic changes we’ve made after introducing some of them in the first half.
It was so important to me that we opened the record with ‘Candy Flip.’ Some of the overarching themes of the record are coming of age and the consequences of adventure. I feel like that song perfectly encompasses that.
We’re completely obsessed with how this album, with an acronym very close to ‘wither,’ is the follow up to Wilt. Was the synonymous link between the two album titles deliberate or just a bit of magic?
I wanted this record to feel like it was the next step in the evolution of Hungover. We’re taking parts of what we built before and putting together something better. The last record was all about what happens when you cut people out of your life and a lot of what’s spoken about on this one is come from a much less angsty place. I learned to lead with love over the last five years and that’s where the initial idea for the title came from.
Wilt was released in 2018, and the world and the music industry have changed a lot since then! But how do you feel the group has evolved the most between Wilt and When It Touches The Heart, Everything Resolves?
We’ve evolved in every way possible. We’ve experienced love, loss, triumphs, failures, and everything in between. I feel like the phrase is overused, but we are really coming from a more mature place this time around.
We also appreciate seeing more diversity in rock and pop-punk. Can you talk a little about what it means to be a group pushing for better representation in these genres?
One of the coolest things about how rock music has changed in the last few years is how much more diverse it is (sonically and in terms of representation). When we first started out, it was undeniable that being a POC and the lead singer of a pop-punk band made me an outlier. I was different and it took me a while to own that.
Today we see exponentially more representation. The genre isn’t a white-washed boys club anymore— and that ROCKS. People feel free to be themselves and express themselves in a way that makes them feel comfortable. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I can see the progress.
You’ve mentioned that there are some sonic textures in the EP that call back to artists who have influenced you; can you share some names for us to add to our WITTHER-focussed playlists?
Fall Out Boy, The Maine, and You, Me, and Everyone We Know have always been big influences on the band!
Our favorite track is ‘Think Straight’ so we have to ask about that song specifically! Can you tell us a bit about the writing and recording process for that one?
‘Think Straight’ was actually the first song we worked on for the record. We knew we wanted to lean into the pop side of pop-punk and experiment with what that meant. What started as a singer/songwriter style track played on acoustic guitar quickly evolved into a bass-driven wall of sound. It was from that point we knew we were on to something different.
We, of course, have to highlight the music video for ‘Reunion,’ too! Who came up with the That 70s Show theme? What was it like to film?
The group of friends that the song is about loved sitting around and watching the show after having sessions of our own, so it felt natural to pay homage to the show in the video.
It was so fun to shoot the video! It basically just felt like one big hangout session with a camera in the middle.
If you could only pick one song on WITTHER to sum it up, or to show someone who’s never listened to Hungover before, which would you pick and why?
It would have to be ‘Out of Body.’ From the day it was put together, I’ve said it’s the best song we’ve ever written and a shining example of who we are as songwriters. Catchy choruses, big guitars, and dynamics are what we’re all about.
You’ve toured with some of THP’s faves, from Waterparks to Neck Deep! Have you got any plans to tour the new album?
Nothing we can say just yet, but we definitely have things in the works!
And lastly, what message would you like to give to fans who have been eagerly anticipating this album, as well as any new fans who discover you through When It Touches The Heart, Everything Resolves?
When you lead with love, you will be happier. Don’t ever let anyone you can’t follow your dreams. Stay hydrated.
Thanks so much to Marc Cortes from Hungover for chatting with us for this exclusive interview!
What did you think of our interview with Hungover? Have you checked out When It Touches The Heart, Everything Resolves yet? Let us know on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP, or over on Facebook or Instagram!
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