Julie Hough from HAVVK and Stephen McHale from BARQ have teamed up as new alt-pop duo PostLast and released their debut single, Connect 4. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
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"Working on this project has been a very different experience from any previous group I've been a part of," says Stephen. "We jumped straight into collaborating with the main aim being that we should just enjoy the process.
"This meant that I was regularly treated to fantastic surprises when the weird little instrumental demo I'd make would come back to me in the shape of a pop song, with Julie's lyrics and melodies always sparking new ideas and interesting diversions from whatever I had thought the song might turn into."
Julie adds: "PostLast has been like a little fever dream escape from all of my regular projects.
"We come from such different musical backgrounds and have such different musical minds, so there was no preconception about what the project would sound like.
"I was very stream of consciousness when working on the demos. I've always loved Stephen’s guitar playing, and it was really interesting to have a departure from rock music and to work on a project with no previous releases to live up to."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Julie: Stephen and I met years ago when he was in BARQ, and both our bands were playing Hard Working Class Heroes. We all hit it off immediately and had great nerdy respect for each other’s projects. HAVVK and BARQ (and Harbouring Oceans!) ended up going on a big nerdy tour together called The Big Giant Head Tour. If I’d known we’d end up working together years later, I never would have expected the sound to be as soft and soothing as it’s ended up - it’s been a lovely surprise to see how our sound has unfolded.
How would you describe your music?
Stephen: When we started out we didn't really have a set plan of what our sound was going to be. I'd been making instrumental demos at home and just writing and recording whatever came to me without a specific sonic trajectory in mind. It wasn't until Julie got her hands on the tracks that they developed into proper songs, gradually forming themselves into a sound we're calling alt-pop. The wide mix of influences we're drawing from means that there's a lot of jazz harmony being backed up by an indie rock sensibility, with a hint of 90s grunge thrown in there too. I guess when you mix all that together you get alt-pop!
Who are your musical inspirations?
Julie: For this project, I’ve had Fears, AE MAK and Blonde Redhead on repeat as inspiration. I’ve also gone back to a lot of early St. Vincent and Thom Yorke’s more mellow moments, too.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Stephen: Well, apparently I was at an Eric Clapton soundcheck as a baby, but I started crying and causing problems (don’t blame ya - Ed) so we were gently encouraged to leave. I can't remember any of that though, so the first real concert I attended was Oasis at the Point Depot. Earlier that year I'd asked my Mam could I get a guitar for my birthday because I wanted to learn Wonderwall, so the thrill of seeing them live was probably the highlight of my life at that point!
What was the first record you ever bought/downloaded?
Julie: This is a bit of a grey area as I probably stole or burnt most of my first tapes and CDs off my brother. But the first time I remember buying my own music was B*Witched's C’est la Vie on tape. My mum brought me to Zhivago’s in Galway and asked the sales assistant what she’d recommend. I would have bought anything she recommended because she was a cool girl working in a music shop and this was officially who I wanted to be when I grew up. I’m so glad I can remember that moment. I felt like I had a whole world of music at my fingertips.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Stephen: Hmmm, tough one. Right now, it might be Pon Pón by Khruangbin. Their new album is fantastic morning music, it definitely gets the positivity particles rushing around the brain at top speed. I've found myself quoting/shouting the lyrics to Pon Pón a lot in day-to-day life so I guess that song in particular is making an impression!
Favourite lyric of all time?
Julie: "Took my money and bought a donut, The hole's the size of the entire world." - Modern Girl by Sleater Kinney.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Stephen: There's something about Weird Fishes by Radiohead that always has me coming back for more. The intensity builds and builds with each repetition of the verse, with new elements joining and ratcheting up the tension before suddenly cutting to the delicate subtlety of the bridge. They surprise us again by bursting back in with an entirely new section to end the song. I think the combination of all those elements really rewards repeated listens to the song, so I could probably listen to it for the rest of my life and still be happy to start it again! Although I could definitely say that about quite a lot of Radiohead songs.
Where can people find more information about you and your music?
Julie: We’re on all the usual social platforms, but you’ll get the best sense of what we’re up to on Instagram.
Alan Corr
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