Kent based band, The Young Hearts, have been busy with the release of their new single London and getting signed to brand new UK record label Year of The Rat Records. We just couldn’t get enough of this incredible band so decided to have a chat to find out a bit more about making a music video, getting signed, and wandering the streets of London late at night.
Your new single London is brilliant, and the video works so well to go with it. Was the idea for the video something you knew you would do from when you started writing the song?
Thank you so much. I think when you write songs about specific events and experiences, you always want to recreate them for the audience as best you can when it comes to the video. After shooting the performance side of the video, there were plans for a whole narrative to be shot in the city. Unfortunately, the whole country went into lockdown and it was virtually impossible to finish how we originally intended. Visual Line, the production company, were able to complete the video with the more cinematic scenic footage of London, and despite its different journey, I think the outcome still conveys a similar atmosphere to our original plans.
When listening to London it gave me vibes of old school All Time Low and All-American Rejects, if you could recommend this song for fans of a certain band, who would that band be?
We get compared to so many bands, especially that crop of early 2000s Emo/Punk bands, which honestly, we love because everyone hears something different in us that reminds them of that time. Nostalgia is such a powerful part of music, and it’s not our intention, but that era was monumental in us growing up as musicians and people, so it was always going to influence the way we sound. To pick just one is difficult, but for the pure heart and honesty of their music, I think Jimmy Eat World had as big an impact as any on The Young Hearts.
Watch the video for London below:
What bands and artists are you loving at the moment?
The new Phoebe Bridgers record has been on repeat, it’s beautiful. New Found Glory, who we’ve loved from the start have a new record that is just brilliant. I’m personally excited for the new album from The Killers which finally got its release date in August, the singles have been amazing so far. The Bouncing Souls, one of our favourites, have announced plans for a new record with a new song that’s perfect. We are always listening to music so there’s tons of artists we’re loving right now.
The idea of wandering around London late at night seems oddly therapeutic and tranquil. What was the best moment from that evening for you?
The whole experience was pretty surreal. I was at a massive turning point in my life at the time and it was all a little bit scary, but some of the people I ended up speaking to, and hearing about their situations, it put things in perspective for me. I did head down to the Thames in the early hours and just the lights and the quiet by the water were really quite a picture. It was beautiful.
“It’s a huge moment for this band, who quite frankly, has gone through a lot over the years, and at times, it was hard to see us making it to this point at all.”
Not only have you released a great new track and video, you’re also now signed to a brand-new UK label, what was your first reaction to that moment?
A mixture of excitement and relief to be honest. It’s a huge moment for this band, who quite frankly, has gone through a lot over the years, and at times, it was hard to see us making it to this point at all. We’ve turned a corner and we are just genuinely excited for the next stage, and to have Year Of The Rat alongside us is a real boost for us.
You’ve been working with James Illsley for a while now, what does it feel like to be taking this next huge step alongside him?
It gives us a tremendous amount of confidence going forward. When we first started working with James, we were incredibly naive I think, but he saw potential in us with the music we were making and took a huge risk. He’s championed us ever since, provided us with so many opportunities, and it was a no brainer to sign with him and YOTR. We know that he has a lot of belief in us, and he’ll keep pushing us in the right direction, and what else do you want from a record label other than that.
On your upcoming tour there’s some great venues, what are you most looking forward to about getting back on the road and showing off your music?
We love the whole experience of touring, and not being able to for so long now has been hard. When you’re on the road, you get to meet so many people and see loads of great bands, I think that’s definitely what we miss the most. Plus, it’s great to just hang out with everyone in the band, we have such a good laugh together.
If you could sum up The Young Hearts in three words, what would they be?
Honest, heartfelt anthems. We’ve been asked this question a lot, and it’s never easy trying to describe how we sound, but I think this certainly sums up what is behind our music.
Any insight into what’s next for The Young Hearts for us to get excited about?
We have a lot of new music that we’ve waited a long time to release, and hopefully the shows we have booked will still go ahead this year. 2020 hasn’t exactly gone how anyone planned so far, but we are hoping to salvage what’s left of it by doing as much as we can.