Matt Flood talks us by means of the confessions, chaos, and catharsis behind Caskets’ third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, out November 07 by way of SharpTone Data.
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Not too way back, Matt Flood discovered himself spiralling.
Hitting the highway in assist of Caskets’ second album ‘Reflections’, on the floor all the pieces appeared nice. Watching the venues develop in dimension, streaming numbers climb, and reward for the file are available in, the frontman ought to have been buzzing, however one thing wasn’t sitting proper.
“I feel with ‘Reflections’ we had been making an attempt to jot down an album that we thought the followers would need to hear, relatively than specializing in what we needed the followers to listen to,” the vocalist admits.
“We put loads of strain on ourselves as a result of we needed it to be greater and higher than ‘Misplaced Souls’. That had a unfavorable impression on my psychological well being, and our relationship as a band suffered as a result of I withdrew into myself. I needed to get again to the way in which issues had been.”
With their debut album skyrocketing them onto the radar of so many, the strain had undoubtedly acquired to Matt and his bandmates, however that realisation marked a turning level for Caskets.
Discovering their method again to the spark that first ignited them, their third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ was created with reclamation at its core. A file of brutal honesty, overspilling with anthems of self-reflection, grief, and progress – that is the sound of Caskets discovering themselves once more.
Rock Sound sat down with Matt to uncover extra concerning the journey behind ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, and to search out out why he’s sure these are the very best songs they’ve ever written.
THE SOUND
After ‘Reflections’, Caskets initially needed to make the heaviest album they presumably may.
Planning to dial up the screaming and breakdowns to the max stage, it was solely once they arrived on the demo part that the imaginative and prescient shifted barely. While undoubtedly nonetheless their heaviest effort so far, these towering, melodic choruses are nonetheless there, alongside loads of surprising twists and turns.
“There are specific issues that we’ve at all times needed to do in our sound,” Matt displays.
“I take heed to loads of acoustic music. A variety of people music like Simon and Garfunkel, loads of the Eagles, and stuff like Newton Faulkner. A variety of that music is in a decrease key than what I’m usually singing in. I’ve at all times needed so as to add extra vocal pop parts, extra aptitude, so taking part in round with extra influences was a acutely aware choice we made this time.”
You may hear it within the digital glitches of opener ‘Misplaced In The Violence’, the ‘80s synth-pop shimmer of ‘Closure’, and the darkish, brooding heaviness of ‘Sacrifice’. Experimenting with sounds they’d been apprehensive to include into their id up to now, it’s a file constructed on threat, ardour, and intuition, chopping by means of the protection nets and miraculously sticking the touchdown.
“’Closure’ was the third track we did for the album, and it’s one in all my favourites,” Matt says.
“We caught pop melodies on songs, we added synths, and the entire course of was a great deal of enjoyable. We had been including layer upon layer of various concepts and tweaking the melodies. These little tweaks can change the entire outlook of a track and having the time to have the ability to do this was wonderful. We had been consistently fascinated about how we may make it higher, however we had been additionally having enjoyable with it. It was like a breath of recent air.”
THE LYRICS
“This entire album is about me coming to phrases with my trauma,” Matt explains.
“A few of that’s in my previous relationships and issues I’ve not discovered closure with, however for the primary time I’ve additionally delved into my experiences with religion. After I was younger, I used to be dragged into religion by sure folks in my life. It fucked me up a bit of bit, and I didn’t know what or who to consider in. I used to be in search of some steering for a very long time, and I needed to consider that religion could be that. It wasn’t, and I spiralled after that.”
Having channelled so lots of his personal life experiences and feelings into these songs, in case you ask Matt to decide on one phrase to sum up ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, it’s honesty. Effectively conscious of what it means to listen to a lyric that sums up your state of affairs higher than you ever may your self, that’s exactly what drives every track on this album.
“I don’t need to write songs about getting laid, smoking weed, and going to golf equipment,” he shrugs.
“I need folks to really feel my ache, and I feel the one method to do this is to be utterly uncooked, utterly trustworthy, and really matter of truth. I needed to go even deeper and speak about all of the issues that I used to be nonetheless too scared to speak about once we did ‘Misplaced Souls’. It’s fairly self-critical, however I’m human. We’ve all accomplished dangerous issues, and we’ve all damage folks. It felt essential to open up about that.”
The likes of ‘Closure’ and ‘Make Me A Martyr’ dive into the crippling nature of self-sabotage and the poisonous cycles we will discover ourselves in, while the file’s blistering title monitor performs out like a pained confession. Elsewhere although, there’s loads of therapeutic to be present in ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’. Take for instance the empowering notes of nearer ‘Damaged Path’, an ode to dealing with the ache head on.
It’s an album that will have been unimaginable to make with out the unbreakable belief Matt has cast together with his bandmates over time. Spending a number of months of every 12 months cooped up in a bus collectively, they’ve grown nearer than ever, and that brotherhood helped push Matt into the entire locations he’d lengthy been anxious to enter.
“We’ve matured a lot. There’s no method I may have written an album like this once I was 23,” the vocalist says.
“We went into this file not fascinated about making an attempt to please different folks. We needed to jot down songs that happy us. The reality is that if we don’t prefer it, our followers can most likely really feel that by means of our music and lyrics. If we’re not 100 per cent in it, they’re not going to hook up with it as a lot. I by no means need our music to really feel pretend or ingenuine.”
THE COLLABORATORS
Recorded in LA alongside producers Zach Jones and KJ Strock, the band entered the studio with over 20 songs absolutely demoed. The method of whittling them down occurred in Zach’s studio, situated in a separate constructing behind his personal home. Consisting of a stay room and a recording room, in addition to separate residing areas, it allowed Matt and his bandmates the liberty they wanted to create.
“They’re two of essentially the most skilled and proficient producers I’ve ever met. We informed them what we needed with this album, they usually took it straight on board. They immediately turned part of the staff,” Matt nods.
“I’m a rustic boy from England. I’m not used to being in one of many largest cities on the planet recording an album with world-renowned producers. I used to be in awe, and that feeling drives you. We knew that we had been going to make the very best piece of music we’ve made thus far.”
“When the opposite guys had been doing guitar work, I may simply go into the entrance room and chill on the PS5. Zach additionally has a new child child who came over once in a while, in addition to his canine. It was so good to have that homely feeling whereas in a recording studio. I don’t need to go anyplace else to do our future stuff now.”
It’s unimaginable to speak concerning the collaboration concerned in creating ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ with out mentioning Australia’s Make Them Endure, too. Trying again, Matt remembers sitting within the studio listening to a dirty breakdown they’d tracked for the pummelling ‘Our Treatment’. Figuring out that it wanted a visitor vocalist, a listing of potential choices took form, however none of them appeared to be the proper match.
“We had just a few in thoughts, however on the time we had been listening to a playlist on Spotify,” he recollects.
“One of many tremendous heavy Make Them Endure songs got here on, and it clicked. We reached out to them, they usually acquired again to us immediately. We acquired the primary demo again from them, and it hasn’t been modified. We didn’t must ship it again to them, it was excellent the primary time.”
THE TITLE
For anybody who has been following Caskets’ journey for the final seven years, there are many Easter eggs to be discovered hidden within the album’s cowl artwork. While the obvious is the literal casket featured in its centre, there’s additionally the reflections within the puddles of water (a refined nod to album two), and the rose petals sprinkled across the picture.
“We needed to the touch again on the beginning of the band, and we used the image of the rose once we started,” Matt explains.
“We respect that branding as a result of it did lots for us. Together with that little contact was to indicate folks our appreciation of what our band has accomplished for us. We had it in loads of our early music movies, and I suppose we’re nonetheless in love with it.”
On the subject of the album’s title, guitarist Benji Wilson is as soon as once more the individual we’ve to thank. Having named each file Caskets have put out, as quickly because the phrases got here out of his mouth, Matt knew it was the proper match.
“We’d talked a bit of about what I needed to say on this file, and we had just a few demos,” the vocalist recollects.
“At first, we needed to name it, ‘This Is The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, but it surely was a bit a lot. It was easy to shorten down although, in order that’s what we did. It’s humorous, as a result of there’s no deep story to it. Benji simply mentioned it, and we knew it was the one. It suits into loads of the track’s tales, and that’s why the track ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ is the title monitor. That track is particularly about my ideology in direction of religion and God once I was a child. It inadvertently fell collectively rather well.”
THE FUTURE
Rising up idolising Inexperienced Day and My Chemical Romance, being on the opposite facet of issues won’t ever stop to amaze Matt. Spending his childhood stood in entrance of a stage staring up at his favorite musicians, he and his bandmates refuse to take a second of their journey with no consideration.
“We’ve gone by means of lots as a band within the final seven years, and we’re nonetheless fucking right here,” he nods.
“We’ve got our followers to thank for that, and it’s the very best feeling on the planet. I do know what it appears like to like a band with all of your coronary heart, and now there are folks on the opposite facet of the barrier that really feel that method in direction of us. I like these folks. I do know the dedication it takes to go to exhibits, and I do know what they offer as much as be there. I like and respect each single one in all them so fucking a lot. With out them, we wouldn’t be capable to do that.”
Sharing a few of his darkest, most weak recollections with the world for the primary time, Matt has undoubtedly put an enormous a part of himself into the songs on ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, however as we discuss, it clear he’s conscious that quickly they’ll not be his.
Each time somebody places on their headphones and listens to those songs, they develop into part of their story. Projecting their very own lives onto Matt’s phrases and discovering themselves within the music, for Caskets, that’s what that is all about.
“We would like them to adore it simply as a lot as we adore it,” Matt smiles.
“I need them to really feel one thing, and to share it with different folks. Not for our sake, however so it may possibly assist different folks. If there’s anybody you assume would profit from listening to these songs, share it with them.”
“Most of all, I need folks to have the ability to sit down and cry to this album,” he finishes.
“I need them to really feel the ache, and I need them to really feel the honesty. Each track on this file is actual and each emotion you hear is pure. I hope that folks can really feel that.”