Northern Irish alt-rock band Harley & The Wolf have released their new song, Lost Hope And Mixed Blessings. The song is part of their EP Youthful Souls which will be released at the end of October. We asked the band's drummer Pete the BIG questions . . .
Tell us three things about yourself?
I’m the drummer for Harley & The Wolf, I’ve been playing drums for 19 years now. I’m also currently working as a creative development intern, so I do a lot of our promotional material for releases and social media like artwork, cover photos etc. One of my favourite types of music is electronic/ambient/chill and if I ever got around to a solo project it would be totally different to what I do now.
How would you describe your music?
I often get asked by people "what kind of music does your band play" and I never really know what to tell them. We collectively agreed early on that we didn't want to put specific labels on our music, we just wanted to get together and write the kind of music we loved and wanted to write. That being said, if I had to choose a way to describe our music, I would definitely say it's dynamic, we can write very intricate quieter parts while also hammering out massive anthemic choruses.
Who are your musical inspirations?
For me personally, these have changed a lot over the years. Being a drummer, I grew up admiring guys like Joey Jordison, Lars Ulrich, and The Rev who was one of the biggest influences on me as a young drummer. Stylistically I drew a lot of influences from the bands I listened to growing up, bands like Paramore who had that very unique sound and style when it came to things like rhythm. Underoath were another band who had a big influence on me due to their unique approach to certain parts and their overall approach to song-writing. I often find inspiration for ideas for Harley from different genres, for example, I am a huge fan of electronic music and find that I can draw a lot of inspiration from many of the different artists I listen too.
What are you most looking forward to post-lockdown?
Gigs/touring, for sure. We've spent pretty much all of lockdown writing and recording which has been a fantastic opportunity for us to experiment with a lot of different musical ideas. We've written and recorded a lot of music during the pandemic and now we're just eager to get back out on the road and share it with the people in the way that we love the most.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I’ve been really enjoying the new Spiritbox single Hurt You and by this point I’m convinced that they’re unable to write a bad song.
Favourite lyric of all time?
It’s very difficult to choose an all-time favourite because there’s so many bands I love that write great lyrics, but in recent years, one that stands out for me, that I have to belt out when it comes on is the opening line to Architects’ song Hereafter. "Now the oceans have drained out, can I come up for air, Cause I’ve been learning to live without and I’m fighting with broken bones".
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
It would have to be Bubble by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote. It’s one of my all-time favourite tracks of any genre. It’s such an eclectic mix of different sounds and textures and one that I never get bored of.
Where can people find your music/more information?
We’re on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, people can follow us there! Our music is also on all major streaming platforms as well as Bandcamp, so however people listen to music, we’re easy enough to find.
