Matt Flood talks us by the confessions, chaos, and catharsis behind Caskets’ third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, out November 07 by way of SharpTone Information.
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Not too way back, Matt Flood discovered himself spiralling.
Hitting the highway in assist of Caskets’ second album ‘Reflections’, on the floor all the things appeared nice. Watching the venues develop in measurement, streaming numbers climb, and reward for the report are available, the frontman ought to have been buzzing, however one thing wasn’t sitting proper.
“I believe with ‘Reflections’ we had been attempting to jot down an album that we thought the followers would wish to hear, slightly than specializing in what we wished the followers to listen to,” the vocalist admits.
“We put loads of stress on ourselves as a result of we wished it to be larger and higher than ‘Misplaced Souls’. That had a detrimental affect on my psychological well being, and our relationship as a band suffered as a result of I withdrew into myself. I wished to get again to the best way issues had been.”
With their debut album skyrocketing them onto the radar of so many, the stress had undoubtedly bought to Matt and his bandmates, however that realisation marked a turning level for Caskets.
Discovering their approach again to the spark that first ignited them, their third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ was created with reclamation at its core. A report of brutal honesty, overspilling with anthems of self-reflection, grief, and development – that is the sound of Caskets discovering themselves once more.
Rock Sound sat down with Matt to uncover extra concerning the journey behind ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, and to search out out why he’s sure these are the perfect songs they’ve ever written.
THE SOUND
After ‘Reflections’, Caskets initially wished to make the heaviest album they probably might.
Planning to dial up the screaming and breakdowns to the max degree, it was solely after they arrived on the demo section that the imaginative and prescient shifted barely. While undoubtedly nonetheless their heaviest effort thus far, these towering, melodic choruses are nonetheless there, alongside loads of surprising twists and turns.
“There are particular issues that we’ve all the time wished to do in our sound,” Matt displays.
“I take heed to loads of acoustic music. Plenty of people music like Simon and Garfunkel, loads of the Eagles, and stuff like Newton Faulkner. Plenty of that music is in a decrease key than what I’m usually singing in. I’ve all the time wished so as to add extra vocal pop components, extra aptitude, so enjoying round with extra influences was a acutely aware resolution we made this time.”
You may hear it within the digital glitches of opener ‘Misplaced In The Violence’, the ‘80s synth-pop shimmer of ‘Closure’, and the darkish, brooding heaviness of ‘Sacrifice’. Experimenting with sounds they’d been apprehensive to include into their id prior to now, it’s a report constructed on threat, ardour, and intuition, slicing by the security nets and miraculously sticking the touchdown.
“’Closure’ was the third music we did for the album, and it’s considered one of my favourites,” Matt says.
“We caught pop melodies on songs, we added synths, and the entire course of was a great deal of enjoyable. We had been including layer upon layer of various concepts and tweaking the melodies. These little tweaks can change the entire outlook of a music and having the time to have the ability to try this was wonderful. We had been continuously fascinated by how we might make it higher, however we had been additionally having enjoyable with it. It was like a breath of recent air.”
THE LYRICS
“This entire album is about me coming to phrases with my trauma,” Matt explains.
“A few of that’s in my previous relationships and issues I’ve not discovered closure with, however for the primary time I’ve additionally delved into my experiences with religion. Once I was younger, I used to be dragged into religion by sure folks in my life. It fucked me up somewhat bit, and I didn’t know what or who to consider in. I used to be searching for some steerage for a very long time, and I wished to consider that religion can be that. It wasn’t, and I spiralled after that.”
Having channelled so a lot of his personal life experiences and feelings into these songs, if you happen to ask Matt to decide on one phrase to sum up ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, it’s honesty. Nicely conscious of what it means to listen to a lyric that sums up your scenario higher than you ever might your self, that’s exactly what drives every music on this album.
“I don’t wish to write songs about getting laid, smoking weed, and going to golf equipment,” he shrugs.
“I need folks to really feel my ache, and I believe the one approach to try this is to be utterly uncooked, utterly trustworthy, and really matter of truth. I wished to go even deeper and discuss all of the issues that I used to be nonetheless too scared to speak about after we did ‘Misplaced Souls’. It’s fairly self-critical, however I’m human. We’ve all accomplished dangerous issues, and we’ve all harm folks. It felt essential to open up about that.”
The likes of ‘Closure’ and ‘Make Me A Martyr’ dive into the crippling nature of self-sabotage and the poisonous cycles we will discover ourselves in, while the report’s blistering title monitor performs out like a pained confession. Elsewhere although, there’s loads of therapeutic to be present in ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’. Take for instance the empowering notes of nearer ‘Damaged Path’, an ode to going through the ache head on.
It’s an album that might have been not possible to make with out the unbreakable belief Matt has solid together with his bandmates over time. Spending a number of months of every yr cooped up in a bus collectively, they’ve grown nearer than ever, and that brotherhood helped push Matt into the entire locations he’d lengthy been anxious to enter.
“We’ve matured a lot. There’s no approach I might have written an album like this after I was 23,” the vocalist says.
“We went into this report not fascinated by attempting to please different folks. We wished to jot down songs that happy us. The reality is that if we don’t prefer it, our followers can in all probability really feel that by our music and lyrics. If we’re not 100 per cent in it, they’re not going to hook up with it as a lot. I by no means need our music to really feel pretend or ingenuine.”
THE COLLABORATORS
Recorded in LA alongside producers Zach Jones and KJ Strock, the band entered the studio with over 20 songs totally demoed. The method of whittling them down occurred in Zach’s studio, positioned in a separate constructing behind his personal home. Consisting of a reside room and a recording room, in addition to separate dwelling areas, it allowed Matt and his bandmates the liberty they wanted to create.
“They’re two of probably the most skilled and proficient producers I’ve ever met. We instructed them what we wished with this album, they usually took it straight on board. They immediately grew to become part of the workforce,” Matt nods.
“I’m a rustic boy from England. I’m not used to being in one of many largest cities on this planet recording an album with world-renowned producers. I used to be in awe, and that feeling drives you. We knew that we had been going to make the perfect piece of music we’ve made to date.”
“When the opposite guys had been doing guitar work, I might simply go into the entrance room and chill on the PS5. Zach additionally has a new child child who came around from time to time, in addition to his canine. It was so good to have that homely feeling whereas in a recording studio. I don’t wish to go wherever else to do our future stuff now.”
It’s not possible to speak concerning the collaboration concerned in creating ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ with out mentioning Australia’s Make Them Undergo, too. Trying again, Matt remembers sitting within the studio listening to a dirty breakdown they’d tracked for the pummelling ‘Our Treatment’. Realizing that it wanted a visitor vocalist, an inventory of potential choices took form, however none of them gave the impression to be the right match.
“We had just a few in thoughts, however on the time we had been listening to a playlist on Spotify,” he recollects.
“One of many tremendous heavy Make Them Undergo songs got here on, and it clicked. We reached out to them, they usually bought again to us right away. We bought the primary demo again from them, and it hasn’t been modified. We didn’t must ship it again to them, it was excellent the primary time.”
THE TITLE
For anybody who has been following Caskets’ journey for the final seven years, there are many Easter eggs to be discovered hidden within the album’s cowl artwork. While the obvious is the literal casket featured in its centre, there’s additionally the reflections within the puddles of water (a refined nod to album two), and the rose petals sprinkled across the picture.
“We wished to the touch again on the beginning of the band, and we used the image of the rose after we started,” Matt explains.
“We admire that branding as a result of it did quite a bit for us. Together with that little contact was to point out folks our appreciation of what our band has accomplished for us. We had it in loads of our early music movies, and I assume we’re nonetheless in love with it.”
With regards to the album’s title, guitarist Benji Wilson is as soon as once more the individual we now have to thank. Having named each report Caskets have put out, as quickly because the phrases got here out of his mouth, Matt knew it was the right match.
“We’d talked somewhat about what I wished to say on this report, and we had just a few demos,” the vocalist recollects.
“At first, we wished to name it, ‘This Is The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, nevertheless it was a bit a lot. It was easy to shorten down although, in order that’s what we did. It’s humorous, as a result of there’s no deep story to it. Benji simply mentioned it, and we knew it was the one. It suits into loads of the music’s tales, and that’s why the music ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ is the title monitor. That music is particularly about my ideology in direction of religion and God after I was a child. It inadvertently fell collectively very well.”
THE FUTURE
Rising up idolising Inexperienced Day and My Chemical Romance, being on the opposite facet of issues won’t ever stop to amaze Matt. Spending his early life stood in entrance of a stage staring up at his favorite musicians, he and his bandmates refuse to take a second of their journey without any consideration.
“We’ve gone by quite a bit as a band within the final seven years, and we’re nonetheless fucking right here,” he nods.
“We’ve got our followers to thank for that, and it’s the perfect feeling on this planet. I do know what it seems like to like a band with all of your coronary heart, and now there are folks on the opposite facet of the barrier that really feel that approach in direction of us. I like these folks. I do know the dedication it takes to go to reveals, and I do know what they provide as much as be there. I really like and admire each single considered one of them so fucking a lot. With out them, we wouldn’t have the ability to do that.”
Sharing a few of his darkest, most susceptible reminiscences with the world for the primary time, Matt has undoubtedly put an enormous a part of himself into the songs on ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, however as we speak, it clear he’s conscious that quickly they’ll not be his.
Each time somebody places on their headphones and listens to those songs, they turn out to be part of their story. Projecting their very own lives onto Matt’s phrases and discovering themselves within the music, for Caskets, that’s what that is all about.
“We wish them to like it simply as a lot as we like it,” Matt smiles.
“I need them to really feel one thing, and to share it with different folks. Not for our sake, however so it will probably assist different folks. If there’s anybody you assume would profit from listening to these songs, share it with them.”
“Most of all, I need folks to have the ability to sit down and cry to this album,” he finishes.
“I need them to really feel the ache, and I need them to really feel the honesty. Each music on this report is actual and each emotion you hear is pure. I hope that folks can really feel that.”
