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Featuring beachy gusts of guitars, complimented by iridescent hooks, Los Angeles based band Hawai are gearing up for the release of their forthcoming EP ‘Working All Night.’ The upcoming project is set to drop June 17th and is full of energetic beats and atmospheric vocals. Lyrically, ‘Working All Night,’ documents the musicians’ tireless commitment to their own art.
GroundSounds recently caught up with the guys to talk about their latest EP, musical inspirations and more check out the exclusive interview below.
For those just discovering HAWAI, can you tell us a little bit about the bands formation and how you guys started making music?
Three of us (Jared, Jesse, and Me) have been playing music with each other since middle school. Over 15 years. We started as an instrumental band that played a couple 40 year old birthday parties. As we got older we took it a tad bit more seriously. But everyone at one point went their separate ways. I went to Nashville to pursue a solo thing, and eventually came back and reconnected with Jared (bass) and Jesse (drums). We added Matt (keyboards) to the team and began a project called J. Thoven. A few years went by and we grew up a little more, added Jack Rose (guitar) to the band and formed HAWAI.
What do you guys enjoy most about Los Angeles and the Cali coast?
It’s nice to live by the ocean. Sometimes you forget how close you are to it even when you get to see it everyday. I lived in Nashville for two years and that was one of the things I missed most. When you’re land locked, it becomes very apparent how much the ocean affects you.
How did you guys decide on the name HAWAI?
HAWAI checked off on a big list of wants for a band name. It was tough because every name you can possibly think of is taken, some by two or three bands. So we obviously wanted a name that we can call our own. We were looking for a name that evoked an emotion when you heard it. Something that would give you an idea of our sound before you heard the music. Also something that was memorable and familiar. HAWAI seemed to be the best fit.
Can you tell us about working on and bringing your debut EP ‘Working All Night’ to fruition?
It was a really eye-opening experience for us to make this EP. At the time of writing the songs for the record, my wife was expecting our first son. So a lot of hours went into making this thing, knowing our lives were going to change in nine months. I knew we had to be all in on this one. We found a great producer who we worked really well with, picked four songs out of a batch of ten, and went to work in the studio. We’re really happy with the outcome. It all feels like it makes a lot of sense and that our sound was discovered during the whole process.
What was the inspiration for the EP title ‘Working All Night’?
At the time, I was going through a big transitional period in my life…my wife and I had just found we were pregnant a week after we moved to Los Angeles. We moved to LA without any jobs in place, rent was more expensive then before, it all seemed a bit overwhelming. So there was a huge part of me that was writing to get us out of that phase. Lyrically you’ll definitely hear that slight frustration. But there was also a lot of inspiration taken from the excitement of being in a brand new city, getting out of my hometown, and meeting new people too.
Can you tell us about the writing and creative process involved with your first single “In My Head?”
The writing process was a tad bit scattered actually. We had the music mapped out but didn’t have much going on vocally. We knew the song wanted to go somewhere large, so we worked with a couple producers to help navigate the direction of the song vocally to make it go where it wanted to go. That song had such a schizophrenic feel to it from the start that I knew the lyrics needed to play with that. So the song lyrically is this concept of artificial love that someone has in their head. But really it’s to be interpreted however the listener feels.
When you guys are jamming out on stage what typically goes through your minds?
I hope my hair doesn’t look stupid!
Can you tell us about the inspiration for “On My Own?”
Ya, that one was inspired by Little Dragon. I knew I wanted a song that was super electronic feeling with a live band. They do that really well! I was really trying to get this ‘driving late at night through a big city’ vibe from the verses. And something really easy to sing along to in the chorus. So I kinda had this layout of a structure of what I was wanting before I had any parts to the song. And then just filled in the blanks as I went.
What bands/musicians are you guys currently listening to?
Andy Shauf, America, Szymon, David Bazan, and Nashville Skyline by Bob Dylan
After the EP release, what’s next for Hawai? What can fans look forward to?
Touring, Touring, and more Touring! And more songs. And more everything. See everybody soon!
