HMLTD are undeniably the most exciting band to come out of the bustling London music scene, blending a cacophony of styles with an eccentric and surrealist visual front. Next month, the sextet will put out their first proper EP, Hate Music Last Time Delete, having initially built up tons of hype through a trio of incredible singles last year (Stained, To the Door and Satan, Luella & I) . In support of the EP, the band took part in a Reddit AMA earlier this evening. Here are the key talking points.
…ON WORKING WITH JUSTIN TRANTER
Speaking of how they came to work with pop producer Justin Tranter on new single Pictures Of You, the band write: “The first time he messaged us we thought it was a scam, like a Nigerian prince. But he kept messaging us, and we found out he was real. Three of us flew out to LA to work with him and he turned out to be mega talented, very kind and generous. He’s probably the best pop songwriter in the world right now, and it was fascinating to see how the sausage is made. We came back with some songs we are very excited about that are going on the album. I am personally very happy that I had that experience to learn and I had such a memorable time.”
…ON THE WEIRDEST THING THEY’VE DONE AT A SHOW
Speaking of the weirdest thing they’ve ever done at a show, frontman Henry Spychalski told a rather intriguing tale: “During our first Windmill show, I cleared a space in the crowd and then tore all my pubic hair out and made a circle around myself with it.” As you do.
…ON WHY THE NEW EP WILL FEATURE NONE OF LAST YEAR’S RELEASES
When one fan asked why the upcoming EP won’t feature any of last year’s six songs, the band explained: “We want to release as much music as possible, and rereleasing tracks just takes away room for other ones. We are lucky enough to be working right now with our favourite producer, Rodaidh McDonald.”
…ON MEETING FARIS BADWAN
The Horrors’ Faris Badwan worked with HMLTD last year, and one fan wanted to know more about that collaboration. In response, the band said: “I can’t remember how we met – I think he came to a show. He’s great, he has a bat-like aura in the room. He helped us start up and we owe him a debt forever for this.”
…AND ON RECORDING
Asked whether the band find it difficult to work in the studio, they said: “We fight and argue all the time in studios and this reoccurring problem has made us lose hundreds of thousands [of pounds]. So no, we don’t find recording fun.”
Read the full AMA here. Hate Music Last Time Delete comes out on 6 July via Sony/RCA, pre-order your copy here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ir_KcBGZiU
