Q&A: Harts

Define your genre in five words or less:

Indie Electronic Rock/Soul/Pop.

What do you love about making music?

What I love about making and playing music is the feeling of connecting to something otherworldly. Music is very much a feeling to me. Not only a means of expressing particular feelings/emotions, but also a way of connecting with the timeless, spiritual side of one’s own character.

What can a punter expect from your live show?

Punters can expect a high-energy rock show, with just as much groove to make you move! But I think the main thing I'm trying to do live is bring back good, impressive musicianship and impressive playing. I think extending sections of songs to show off musical ability is something that’s missing in the live scene these days, particularly with indie bands.

When are you playing live/releasing your single?

I’m playing a residency at The Toff, kicking off with the All Too Real single launch on Wednesday July 25; followed by Wednesday August 1 and Wednesday August 8. The single is getting released on iTunes on July 20, with a limited run of seven inch double A side vinyls available for purchase online or at the shows. Gonna be killer!

What makes you happiest about what you’re doing?

As simple as it sounds, it’s just the pure fact that people dig the music. Music is a thing from the heart, regardless of genre. When you create the music you want to create, saying the things you want to say and remain honest about your craft, you'll be over the moon with the fact that people like what you're doing.

What's the strangest place you've ever played a gig, or made a recording?

Well, I still live at home, so sometimes I can’t record or create when I need to. One time I really needed to record the vocal for a song so I took my laptop and a USB mic, drove to an empty parking lot at night and recorded the whole vocal sitting in my car. It will be interesting to see if anybody picks which song it was when my EP is released.

What makes a good musician?

I think what makes a good musician is learning as many aspects of music and playing as many styles as you can. I think it’s learning how to play a few instruments well that will give a musician longevity in music. And of course, songwriting. I'm not one for slagging off bands but there are so many indie bands I’ve seen that can barely play their instruments. They just write their songs to fit the already overcrowded trends and disappear in a few months’ time. If they spent the time to truly develop as a musician they would be a helluva lot more flexible to create something truly unique and lasting.