Matt Flood talks us by means of the confessions, chaos, and catharsis behind Caskets’ third album ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, out November 07 by way of SharpTone Data.
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Not too way back, Matt Flood discovered himself spiralling.
Hitting the highway in help of Caskets’ second album ‘Reflections’, on the floor every part appeared nice. Watching the venues develop in dimension, streaming numbers climb, and reward for the file are available, the frontman ought to have been buzzing, however one thing wasn’t sitting proper.
“I feel with ‘Reflections’ we have been attempting to put in writing an album that we thought the followers would wish to hear, reasonably than specializing in what we needed the followers to listen to,” the vocalist admits.
“We put lots of stress on ourselves as a result of we needed it to be greater and higher than ‘Misplaced Souls’. That had a unfavourable influence on my psychological well being, and our relationship as a band suffered as a result of I withdrew into myself. I needed to get again to the way in which issues have 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 manner 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 file of brutal honesty, overspilling with anthems of self-reflection, grief, and progress – 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 seek out out why he’s sure these are one of the best songs they’ve ever written.
THE SOUND
After ‘Reflections’, Caskets initially needed to make the heaviest album they probably may.
Planning to dial up the screaming and breakdowns to the max stage, it was solely once they arrived on the demo section that the imaginative and prescient shifted barely. While undoubtedly nonetheless their heaviest effort to this point, these towering, melodic choruses are nonetheless there, alongside loads of surprising twists and turns.
“There are specific issues that we’ve all the time needed to do in our sound,” Matt displays.
“I hearken to lots of acoustic music. A whole lot of people music like Simon and Garfunkel, lots of the Eagles, and stuff like Newton Faulkner. A whole lot of that music is in a decrease key than what I’m usually singing in. I’ve all the time needed so as to add extra vocal pop parts, extra aptitude, so enjoying round with extra influences was a acutely aware resolution we made this time.”
You possibly can 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 identification prior to now, it’s a file constructed on danger, ardour, and intuition, slicing by means of the protection nets and miraculously sticking the touchdown.
“’Closure’ was the third track we did for the album, and it’s certainly 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 have been including layer upon layer of various concepts and tweaking the melodies. These little tweaks can change the entire outlook of a track and having the time to have the ability to do this was wonderful. We have been always fascinated with how we may make it higher, however we have 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. After I was younger, I used to be dragged into religion by sure folks in my life. It fucked me up slightly bit, and I didn’t know what or who to consider in. I used to be searching for some steering for a very long time, and I needed to consider that religion can be that. It wasn’t, and I spiralled after that.”
Having channelled so lots of his personal life experiences and feelings into these songs, for those who 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 may your self, that’s exactly what drives every track 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 feel the one manner to do this is to be utterly uncooked, utterly sincere, and really matter of reality. I needed to go even deeper and speak about all of the issues that I used to be nonetheless too scared to speak about once we did ‘Misplaced Souls’. It’s fairly self-critical, however I’m human. We’ve all executed dangerous issues, and we’ve all damage folks. It felt vital 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 are able to discover ourselves in, while the file’s blistering title monitor performs out like a pained confession. Elsewhere although, there’s lots 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 dealing with the ache head on.
It’s an album that may have been unimaginable to make with out the unbreakable belief Matt has solid along with his bandmates over time. Spending a number of months of every 12 months cooped up in a bus collectively, they’ve grown nearer than ever, and that brotherhood helped push Matt into all the locations he’d lengthy been anxious to enter.
“We’ve matured a lot. There’s no manner I may have written an album like this once I was 23,” the vocalist says.
“We went into this file not fascinated with attempting to please different folks. We needed to put in writing songs that happy us. The reality is that if we don’t prefer it, our followers can most likely really feel that by means of our music and lyrics. If we’re not 100 per cent in it, they’re not going to connect with it as a lot. I by no means need our music to really feel faux 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 came about in Zach’s studio, positioned in a separate constructing behind his personal home. Consisting of a dwell room and a recording room, in addition to separate residing areas, it allowed Matt and his bandmates the liberty they wanted to create.
“They’re two of essentially the most skilled and gifted producers I’ve ever met. We instructed them what we needed with this album, they usually took it straight on board. They immediately grew to become part of the staff,” 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 have been going to make one of the best piece of music we’ve made to this point.”
“When the opposite guys have been doing guitar work, I may simply go into the entrance room and chill on the PS5. Zach additionally has a new child child who came over 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 unimaginable to speak concerning the collaboration concerned in creating ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ with out mentioning Australia’s Make Them Endure, too. Trying again, Matt remembers sitting within the studio listening to a grimy breakdown they’d tracked for the pummelling ‘Our Treatment’. Figuring out that it wanted a visitor vocalist, an inventory of potential choices took form, however none of them appeared to be the right match.
“We had just a few in thoughts, however on the time we have been listening to a playlist on Spotify,” he remembers.
“One of many tremendous heavy Make Them Endure songs got here on, and it clicked. We reached out to them, they usually bought again to us immediately. 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 delicate nod to album two), and the rose petals sprinkled across the picture.
“We needed to the touch again on the beginning of the band, and we used the image of the rose once we started,” Matt explains.
“We respect that branding as a result of it did rather a lot for us. Together with that little contact was to point out folks our appreciation of what our band has executed for us. We had it in lots of our early music movies, and I assume we’re nonetheless in love with it.”
In relation to the album’s title, guitarist Benji Wilson is as soon as once more the individual we’ve got to thank. Having named each file 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 slightly about what I needed to say on this file, and we had just a few demos,” the vocalist remembers.
“At first, we needed to name it, ‘This Is The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’, but it surely 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 stated it, and we knew it was the one. It matches into lots of the track’s tales, and that’s why the track ‘The Solely Heaven You’ll Know’ is the title monitor. That track is particularly about my ideology in direction of religion and God once I was a child. It inadvertently fell collectively rather 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 youth stood in entrance of a stage staring up at his favorite musicians, he and his bandmates refuse to take a second of their journey with no consideration.
“We’ve gone by means of rather a lot as a band within the final seven years, and we’re nonetheless fucking right here,” he nods.
“Now we have our followers to thank for that, and it’s one of the best 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 manner in direction of us. I love these folks. I do know the dedication it takes to go to exhibits, and I do know what they offer as much as be there. I really like and respect each single certainly one of them so fucking a lot. With out them, we wouldn’t be capable to do that.”
Sharing a few of his darkest, most weak 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 develop into 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 would like them to find it irresistible simply as a lot as we find it irresistible,” 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 track on this file is actual and each emotion you hear is pure. I hope that folks can really feel that.”
