Exclusive Interview: H.O.U.N.D.S talk “Beast” and Dead Town Nothing!

They have been around the block and then some and so the choice to return to what they love the most under a new name with fresh energy, insight and determination hasn’t gone unnoticed. Amalgamating their passion for angular Metal riffs and aggressive Hardcore into their new single “Beast“, we spoke to H.O.U.N.D.S as they channel their aggression in the best possible way – by getting us into the pit!

So with the formation of H.O.U.N.D.S from the ashes of Dead Town Nothing, did it feel like there was some unfinished business or was there simply a desire to create and play live again? Why now?

Absolutely we felt like there was unfinished business because everything stopped so abruptly, and that couldn’t be helped, and at the time as a band it was the right thing to do out of respect to the situation, for us then it was all of us or nothing at all. Having spent so much time together as a band, you do form a unique bond, and so to carry on without a meme bet just didn’t feel right for us. As time has gone on prior to our relaunch as H.O.U.N.D.S we all missed being together and writing the music and playing the shows, so that also played a massive part in us coming together again in a new form. Why now you ask? Simply because now felt like the right time for us all personally and where all are now in our lives and you know in you minds when the time is right. And we love the fact we are back and we are pushing harder than we ever done as a band because of the unfinished business we all have.

What was behind the new band name and the decision not to continue as Dead Town Nothing? Will you play any of the Dead Town Nothing songs live or is this very much a fresh start and a clean slate?

The decision not to continue as Dead Town Nothing came about because of the events that led us to stop, which out of respect we won’t go into. Between 2013 and 2016 was the era for Dead Town, and to just come back as DTN would have been easy and predictable and one thing we try not to be is that. We wanted to evolve the band into a new chapter, which was current to where we all are now as people and to generate a new excitement for our music and band, so we began the process of evolving from Dead Town Nothing to H.O.U.N.D.S and a metamorphosis occurred over a period of time. Initially we came back as Dead Town Nothing and then changed in real time. We wanted our fan base to be part of the change and honour our past at the same time. We won’t be playing any of the Dead Town Nothing back catalogue although we have brought a couple of unreleased never heard before songs into H.O.U.N.D.S. This is very much a new era with new music, and as you have put it yourselves a clean slate and fresh start! Sometimes you need to do that to really focus and leave the past in the past but still part of the story. 

What’s the story behind “The Dead Town Nothing Tapes” and the nod to your previous band? 

As part of our transition from Dead Town Nothing to H.O.U.N.D.S we very much wanted that time to be still part of our story and be part of the very core of what we do, and we didn’t just want to cancel out 4 years of hard work by all members involved and pretend in never happened! We are still very much the same band so it was only right that the music we created at the time be part of the new era in some way, it’s a tribute. And as we were writing new material we wanted to re ignite the following of the band and music, and so The Dead Town Nothing Tapes was catalogued and released. It’s sits as part of the story and is the very foundations H.O.U.N.D.S is built from! 

New single “Beast” is an absolute ripper! How did it come about? 

Why thank you! We are glad you like the song! So obviously we wanted our first official release to be a statement and to hit hard to all those that listened to it. It’s is very different to the music of old, but that was very much intentional to challenge ourselves as musicians, and to try and harness and focus  the chaos from the music we created during our time as Dead Town Nothing and so Beast was born from this vision and idea. BEAST is a fast paced, aggressive song which motivates submerged human emotion, and deals with the dark subject of inner demons that we can all face.” We can all be monsters, but there will already be one worse, and that’s the beast! 

Looking at your Spotify “Where people listen” listings you’ve got plenty of listers in Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas and New York; how does it feel to be recognised across the pond and does that kind of thing open doorways to touring in the US or finding a US merch distributor? 

It’s amazing it really is and we never expected the reception or the acknowledgment that we have received so far as band from our fans. We are very humbled by our fan base in the USA and Europe as well as the U.K. we are still very coming to grips with it all, but each fan that follows us , listens to our music or buys  our merch , we appreciate every one of them  and what they do to support us, at the end of the day without them there is no band! We try our very hardest to be accessible to our fan base and interact with them as much as we can through or social media. And one thing that is important to us more than anything is our fans! And if our fans can take the time and effort to message and comment or support the least we can do is say thank you and give them our time! And we will always do this where ever we end up, it’s really important! And yes it does open the doors to touring the US and expanding our merch directly to the US…..watch this space…that’s all we will say for now! 

Outside of the realms of music, what are your biggest influences?

Outside of music we can safely say our biggest influences outside of music is life and our friends and family. They give us the drive to do what we do and to make them proud! 

What does 2021 hold for H.O.U.N.D.S?

A very busy year we hope! There is lots in the pipeline and for now our lips are sealed! Our team behind the scenes who we can’t talk too much about right now…. are preparing and working hard for 2021 to be an eventful and busy year! We are really looking forward to getting out and playing live again!! We miss it and can’t wait to meet our amazing fans and have a big party! We are taking them on this crazy ride with us so we hope they are ready!!!!