Harry J Hart

In conversation with Harry J Hart one of our “Artist in Residence” from September through to February. New EP Link: Holding On For My Life

Image Credit: Harry J Hart

I’m super impressed with your latest EP “HOLDING ON FOR MY LIFE” and it seems I’m not in the minority with the likes of RGM UK giving the EP a golden review. What were the major influences behind this EP? 

Thanks! That review was interesting as they said It Calls Out was what they considered the heaviest track but I would say it sits smack bang in the middle. When it comes to influences, I would say Silverchair, Nothing But Thieves, Karnivool and Thrice were the main influences during this writing process. I loved doing the orchestral arrangement and sculpting all the sounds that fill in the gaps between the guitars.

You’re the primary performer on the record, can you talk us through your song writing process and how do you go about planning the arrangements?

When I wrote that album I had been writing on a looper so I got my head around the idea of arranging, it’s similar to a jigsaw puzzle, but you make the jigsaw pieces as you go. The hardest part is to get them to fit but not stand on each other's toes. I used a lot of guitar tracks with weird and crazy sounds when writing to make up for the fact that I didn’t have access to strings or synths. I then took that to the studio where the strings and synths and stuff was added in. Because I was using a 3 track looper I would use one track for guitars, one for bass/whatever (strings, synths, auxiliary instruments) and one for drums. I am very picky when it comes to my tone and my soundscapes. For those who have seen me play live, you will know I love my pedals and often play different guitars for different songs or gigs, so the sound is the best it can be for the show I have planned for the day.

What can we expect in the future?

I have one more track that I will be dropping later in the year with that sound, then that will be a full stop to that album sound. I’m currently in the process of recording some new stuff in a slightly new direction. I’m focusing more on how far I can push my songwriting. The new stuff I’m working on has a lot more of a mature sound to it. It’s a bit darker and moodier. My songwriting style has changed significantly, but I guess we can chat more about that when we get there.

For more details and updates on Harry’s residency head to the Facebook event here