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Astral Projections…Part Two of CVLT Nation’s interview with HEIRS

More than 145 days of production, a string of technical issues and the overpowering urge to step into the ethereal. These are the elements that bound Melbourne quintet HEIRS to create their latest film venture, HUNTER.

Featuring the world premiere of the clip, a visualisation from their recently released 10-inch, CVLT Nation unveils part two of their chat with drummer Damian Coward…

CVLT : The band has chosen to create a video to the 10″ title track, HUNTER, in the new clip. Why was this track in particular chosen?

COWARD: “We have always wanted to do video depictions of our songs as it seems to be a great medium for us, being instrumental.  This clip was just a matter of us having everything happen at once, we did the artwork, band photos and film clip at the same location, over 10 hours”

CVLT: Can you describe the storyboard process behind the HUNTER clip? 

COWARD: “There wasn’t really a storyboard, as such. We had the idea of building a sculpture, which we would then ‘bring to life’ using projections. We wanted to create this ‘hyper-real’ kind of environment – bringing usually static objects to life using what is essentially nothing more than light.”

CVLT: Who was involved in creating the video, and how were you able to get them on-board with the production?

COWARD: “We hired artist, Kit Webster, to do the object mapping and projections. We became familiar with his work through a couple of projects he was involved in around Melbourne – mapping buildings and projecting different imagery over the different surfaces. It was a pretty mind-melting experience to see him at work, and we are really proud to have his work featured in our video. Brent and myself directed and edited.”

CVLT: Were there any clashes in the video production process, between director or band members or the general creativity process? 

COWARD: “Being a band consisting of five people, all equally protective of our output, there is always bound to be certain issues that we have to work through. But, as time goes on, we have a much better ability to accept that we all have to work within a democratic frame, and that everything is as valid as everything else.”

CVLT: On the flipside, were there any moments of pure cohesion? 

COWARD: “I think that the clip is example of being in situations where problem-solving is as important as the music, or playing live, and it all ran very smoothly from the moment we started set it all up.”

VIEW THE CLIP HEREHunter by HEIRS

CVLT: Where was the clip filmed?

COWARD: “It was all filmed in the one location, a studio just on the edge of Richmond in Melbourne.  The video doesn’t really communicate the scale of what went on in that room on the day – the space was massive, so there were challenges capturing it all within the tiny window of a video camera.”

CVLT: HEIRS has always had a strong visual aspect to its releases – the look and feel of each album i.e. art, colours, fonts ect. You’ve mentioned in the past there is an ideology the band follows behind each recording, so “everybody is on the same page”. What is the specific ideology behind the HUNTER release?

COWARD: “This ties in with a concept that will reveal itself upon release of the new album. We are consciously trying to explore a different ‘realm’ than we have on the last couple of records – moving away from the oppressive, negative approaches of past in to something a bit more… I don’t know… if the previous stuff was a bad trip then this is a good one. Glowing light, sensitive touch, high contrast vision… blurred reality.”

CVLT: How were the band able to flesh this ideology out in the visual field when making the video?

COWARD: “I think the projected visuals really did all the work for us.  Whether or not it comes across to people in this way is another story and subject to opinion, but we are definitely happy with the outcome, and it feels like we have achieved what we set out to do.”

CVLT: Brent (Stegeman; guitars) has said in a recent interview while Fowl (2010) looked towards 80’s industrial and gothic sounds, this 10″ has a “futuristic feel – speed, technology, youth and violence”. Do you agree? How were you able to portray this shift visually?

COWARD: “I do agree.  Brent has a vision for what we are doing at the moment, and it is clearer than anything else we have thought about incorporating into the band in this way.  The shifts are just a ramification of us moving towards different sounds and visions, and I think after Fowl, we found a way of writing that everyone was comfortable with, along with a visual presence that will represent what we do a lot clearer than in the past.”

CVLT: Would you say there are any overarching influences that jumped out during the video production process? Could be from a range of fields, from film to literature or other musical origins?

COWARD: “We draw from a pretty large pool of influences with everything we do – it’s hard to pinpoint just how this all came to mind.  The main influence for us in the last 12 months, musically, has been the stuff released on 4AD in the early-mid eighties, like Cocteau Twins etc… there was a starkness to all of that stuff that seemed to develop, in terms of minimal instruments reduce colour palette, and we relate to this at the moment.”

CVLT: What were you initial feelings when you first saw the finished product (video)? 

COWARD: “I have been watching the footage over and over for the past three months, so my opinion of the clip right now, is that I am just really glad it is done.  The others are still very excited about it all.  I think, what I need now, is just some feedback and opinions from trusted friends, which will refresh everything for me. We have had some personal disasters over the past few months, which has been the only hinderance in the process, so having this finished feels like a big weight being lifted. I know Brent has been pretty close to the edge over it all so he will be pretty glad to move on to the next step, which is to finish writing the new album.”

CVLT: Stegeman also said the band set the bar pretty high, concept-wise, with the video/release. Do you think the band have been able to pull it off? Why/why not?

COWARD: “We will always be in the mindset that there is something more we could have done.  It is a pattern of thought that can lead to a terrible bout of negativity if you let it go too far.  These feelings do dissipate after time, and you can accept that period as what it was, instead of what more you could have done.  I look at the Fowl period, and feel like we accomplished more than what we set out to achieve, and I think this will be the same in due time.”

CVLT: Visually, how is the video the next step for HEIRS?

COWARD: “I feel with this, and with the record, that we are getting more of a feel for how far we can take things. We still have some way to go, for sure, but we are learning that if we take a more direct approach, trust our own instincts and be more assertive with what we want and where we want to take it, then we are more likely to achieve our goals. We make a good team, the five of us, and with this it definitely feels good to be moving towards imagery that we, as a collective whole, can feel comfortable with.”

 

HUNTER is out now through Denovali Records.

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