An Interview With Hello Kelly
A new full album release from Hello Kelly manages to nearly perfectly Infuse a pop punk undertone with a contemporary rock vibe and create an atmosphere that drips with nostalgic influence as the record, especially lyrically, is focused on days passed and cherished.
As a matter of fact, the album is called Sweet Nostalgia and it is indeed warming in that sense. It gives off this sort of personal and welcoming feeling and as you go through the record that builds more and more.
This is the kind of album that has gems strewn throughout its course but when listened to as a whole you get a much better feel for the full concept of this record.
You can clearly tell that these guys have a pure love for their craft and that shines through constantly but there's also such amazing attention to detail and a sweetness that sticks with you even after the album has ended.
And this is kind of what becomes the most addictive part of listening to the album itself.
You feel like you're friends with the band or with the album in a way.
You feel like the album has become part of previous chapters of your own life and the way it's portrayed is through this form of vibrant and wonderfully woven pop rock songs that each give a little bit of a different taste from the last.
There's definitely an energy going on with this release and it feels amazing to listen to as the players seem to almost feed off of each other's energies throughout the songs themselves giving in an almost live performance feel at times.
So you get this really full-bodied album that hits with this somewhat welcoming and familiar tonality and you get the sense of closeness from listening to it which is maybe a little bit out of the norm, but it feels great.
The guitar tones are awesome on this album. The drummer is super tight and has perfected each little fill on each song, everything about this kind of grabs out at you especially the vocals.
You find yourself paying attention to those words and those stories from those perspectives.
And throughout it all you get a great crossover between a cinematic almost 90s rock vibe and this vivacious pop punk style that comes through with so much color in life that it's undeniable.
With the release of such a killer record, we wanted to have a sit-down with Hello Kelly to talk shop for a bit about where the album actually came from, what it means to them, and what might be next for the band as well.
Here's what went down.
TSWS: Let's kick things off with the Sweet Nostalgia album. This record had a ton of outstanding pop hooks and tones! Where did this album come from?
Francy:First of all, thank you for the kind words! For me, I wanted to get back to what got me excited about Hello Kelly when the band started: The synthy sounds, storytelling in the songs, and making it feel cinematic whenever we could. We had lost track of that stuff over the years, so it was really satisfying to put it all back front and center with Sweet Nostalgia. It felt like a full circle thing for sure.
Cormac:Yeah, I think we have always had this album in us, we just needed to live a bit. Experience life, and the tremendous highs and unfortunate lows. We’ve matured, and I think that’s apparent when you really dig into the meat of the songs. There’s also a really introspective and retrospective side to the album. It’s about nostalgia and subsequently, the past. We needed to make right this album now, and not ten years ago!
TSWS: When did this all start for you musically?
Francy:I think the first song I learned to play was “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry when I was 13. But I didn’t feel a real connection to music until I realized that I could write songs. I have a stutter but I don’t stutter when I sing, so it’s a big deal that I can say whatever I want in the songs I write. So I put my first band together after high school and started touring as much as I could. There’s been ups and downs for sure, but it's all led me to where I am today!
TSWS: What inspires you to write a song?
Francy:I get song ideas from all kinds of places. Sometimes it starts with something random someone says or sometimes it’s from me screwing around on a guitar. But if we're going to polish an idea to the point of being a Hello Kelly song, it needs to have something it's trying to say. It doesn’t always have to be serious. Like, it can be goofy or lighthearted too. Just as long as the song's shining a light on something we've been thinking about or feeling.
TSWS: This record has some great styles! Can you give us some of your top musical influences?
Francy:We’ve got a pretty eclectic taste across the members of the band, between pop-punk, alt-rock, indie, even trance and metal. But we all come together on good old-fashioned pop-rock with great hooks. I’d describe this new Hello Kelly record like if you made an ice cream sundae with pop-rock from the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s and then put "existential angst" sprinkles on top. I think you hear traces of Weezer, All American Rejects, Van Halen, Fountains of Wayne, a bit of Death Cab and new stuff too like The Band Camino and The Midnight too. There are probably some other influences in there we don't even know about!
TSWS: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
Francy:We've all got day jobs that keep us pretty busy outside of music. I'm a sound designer and music producer by day, and I'm working on a memoir too. Outside of those things I'm either hanging with my wife or watching whatever movie Marvel just came out.
Cormac:I’m a barber, full time at Nitty Gritty Tattoo and Barber Co. I bartend on Friday nights, making the most delicious cocktails at our pop-up speakeasy. I stream on Twitch and I like to cycle!
TSWS: Who's in your headphones right now?
Cormac:“Circles” by Holding Absense. I'm also listening to a lot of Emarosa, The Strike, The Midnight, and SOMMA.
Francy:Super American, girlfriends, 90’s Kids and also Ben Rector on the sappy days. I love UPSAHL's hooks and there's a new artist River Woods who I dig too.
TSWS: Are you doing any live performances right now?
Francy:Yes, and we are so stoked to be playing live again! We’re weirdly obsessive about our show which is a lot of work, but we’re really proud of it. We just want to send people away smiling and stoked! Last year we stuck pretty close to London but this year we’re planning to hit as many Ontario cities as we can!
TSWS: This album feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming bands out there?
Francy:I guess if I was starting a band right now, I’d want to be focused on developing a unique sound, writing rock-solid songs, and knowing how to tell people what the band is all about. It's so important. Besides that, I’d say be kind to everyone you meet, respect your bandmates, and always send postcards home from the road!
Cormac:I think having open and honest communication between all members is paramount to success. Just like a relationship. Making sure you’re all on the same page without assumptions is something we make sure we do regularly.
TSWS: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
Francy:We are actually planning a deluxe edition of Sweet Nostalgia in the near future, which will include Hello Kelly’s first ever vinyl release! We’ll be crowd-funding by taking pre-orders, so people can follow us or join our mailing list for updates on that. We’re also hoping to start dropping some new singles in 2023 and the demos are sounding so hooky and fun!
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Cormac:It is not lost on us that we’re lucky people dig the music. This isn’t pretend for us. We sing about what we’re going through and what we’ve been through. If any of what we create speaks to you, we’re right there with you. Thanks for listening.
Francy:Yeah, seriously - thanks to whoever is listening. I know what it’s like to find a band and feel like, “Okay, THIS band gets me" and it’s just such an honour when people say Hello Kelly makes them feel that way. It's humbling. Thank you!
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