Off the Record

DJ Lucid 0:00
What's good everyone you're listening to WKNC at 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh, we are a student run nonprofit radio station based out of North Carolina State University. I'm DJ lucid, and this is Off the Record. Here with me today are the very talented members of the band Hiding Places. I'm so glad I get to chat with you guys over the phone today. Why don't we do some introductions?

Audrey Kealan 0:24
You're awesome.

I am Audrey Kealan. I play guitar and sing in hiding places and write songs by myself and with the members of hiding places. Yeah, very excited to be on the radio waves.

Henry Cutting 0:45
Awesome. My name is Henry Cutting. I played drums in Hiding Places. And I'm also the Pisces of the band. Audrey let me know that. And I'm excited to be talking on the record on off the record. So good to say that.

Nicholas Byrne 1:04
I'm Nicholas Byrne. I play guitar and song right and mix sometimes and hang out with these two. Yeah, so we're excited to be talking with you. Henry and I are in Bushwick and Brooklyn right now. And it looks like Audrey is in the car.

Audrey Kealan 1:25
Yeah.

Nicholas Byrne 1:27
Good. Some good stories about related to the band and shows and artwork and that kind of thing.

Audrey Kealan 1:34
Yeah, this has been the icon in the band's history. My art car painted like, it looks like a topographic map. So.

DJ Lucid 1:46
So you guys are located all over the place right now?

Audrey Kealan 1:49
Yes, yeah. I live in Carborough, and am probably moving to New York within the next two months. Probably yeah. Within the next two months. But yeah, they've lived in New York for a couple of years.

DJ Lucid 2:06
Gotcha.

Audrey Kealan 2:07
rdreudrFew years. Yeah.

DJ Lucid 2:08
Well, I appreciate you guys meeting with me today. Where are you guys from originally?

Audrey Kealan 2:14
Where are we from? Originally, we're kind of a collage of places like the south. We are from like the south east. But yeah, I grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and moved to Chapel Hill for school in 2019.

And that's where I met these people. Nice.

Henry Cutting 2:33
Nice. I'm from Wilmington, North Carolina, originally. And then I went to school at Chapel Hill, also just where I met these cats.

Speaker 3 2:43
Yeah. And I'm from Athens, Georgia, and then went to Chapel Hill. So yeah, I mean, it's been really cool to have, I think all these different influences in the band, but it is, every time someone asked us like where we're from, or where we're based the answer long. And I think it's also really influenced our songs in a cool way where it's like, we have multiple writers in the band, Audrey and I write songs. And I think our songs are influenced by place. We talked a lot about actually, we haven't talked about this more recently. But we used to talk about how nature was really influencing our songwriting. And I've realized, since I've been in the city that the city has also influenced songwriting, as far as the kinds of sounds that I'm attracted to. music I listen to when I'm walking through the city versus driving in my car, you know, that. So I think it's really interesting that we do have a like, place is influencing our songwriting through the eyes of multiple members of the band.

Speaker 4 3:51
Yeah, that's so interesting, because like, I feel like for a long time, I've made music that that feels like you would want to play it when you're driving, like through the mountains or something like that. Because that was like the, the main way that I listened to music growing up, and when I first started, like, recording music and writing music, so yeah, it's interesting. I mean, like, I lived in London for like, six ish months, and then returned for a while and then left and then returned it for a while again. And it was like when I was there, I felt more called to listen to like, darker, like, more moody, like city kind of music. So maybe that's something is happening to all of us right now. It's really cool that it's combining a little bit

DJ Lucid 4:33
Yeah. So you guys just recently kind of went back to your roots at Chapel Hill performing at cat's cradle, right?

Speaker 4 4:34
Yeah. And how with my sister Maura. It was awesome. It was so sweet. It was very like, awesome to be able to play the back room like Cat's Cradle back room because I've never played that room before and everyone who works there is just so sweet and like it felt really relaxing. I think this is also speaking to the city versus like small town kind of culture of like, I think there have been shows that we've played in New York that have felt stressful or rushed or really awkward because everyone is most people feel like probably exploited and like overworked in New York is just a hard place to live. Yeah. And so I think yeah, like playing playing here was cool, because it was a place where we all met and also playing here was cool because it felt extremely relaxed, you know? To say that they're like, chill, extremely chill people in New York, because I know there are but

Speaker 2 5:40
two of them right here. Come on. We also shout out to cat's cradle and the folks over there because we did receive a full bag of car burritos, flour, tortilla chips, red cones, and large queso and large salsa of every variety. And the chipotle ones. My favorite so probably like my favorite show we played.

Speaker 1 6:06
They're still in my fridge getting like gross right now. I need to throw them away? Well, because you know, you eat the chips like you finish the chips before you finish the salsa usually.

DJ Lucid 6:20
Well, thank you cat's cradle.

Speaker 3 6:21
That was a funny one. Because we I mean, we've been playing shows every couple months in New York. All the different venues across Brooklyn and Manhattan and in New York, a lot of venues and in London to they backline amps and they backline kit. So you show up and there's, you know, a couple amps to choose from. And then we so we got to Cat's Cradle backroom when we got there and we're like, we're the amps like, amps here. And then we call the friend who is on the way back from band practice. And like, you know, they were at the venue with an amp, like in a matter of like literally under 10 minutes.

DJ Lucid 7:05
Oh, wow,

Speaker 1 7:06
it was amazing. Yeah. Shout out to Riley Milburn. He makes music under the name With love.

Speaker 4 7:13
All right. So one thing I'm always curious about when I'm meeting bands is What's the origin behind the name Hiding Places? Who came up with that?

Speaker 1 7:25
Great question. I love that question. It was very collective, it was very, it was a very belaboured process to to find a band name. We literally I have a list actually on my computer that I came across the other day of like, lit probably 200 possible band names that I took off of the criteria on collection website. Because he was like, based on like, random, like arthouse movies. And and that that is an example of, you know, a bunch of possibilities of names that we thought about before. We decided on Hiding Places, but we we we kind of boiled it down to a few different possibilities. One of which was secret places, one of which was hiding places. And I don't remember the other ones, but I know Henry that you remember the other ones. So what are the other ones?

Henry Cutting 8:16
I forgot? Oh, no, no, I didn't. But secret places just sounds so nefarious. I'm glad we didn't

Unknown Speaker 8:22
choose that.

Audrey Kealan 8:22
Yeah, me too.

Speaker 2 8:24
Yeah. Sounds mischievious. But um, no, I really liked group hug. That one was it's very similar to the band group love. Yeah, they're not as poppin anymore. It still felt wrong. But I think like the intent behind choosing the name was to represent kind of like the softness of our softness and intimacy of the music, which was pretty cool. Yeah,

Nicholas Byrne 8:53
I think it was also, like, Audrey and I first got together. And I think we were messaging Henry around like December 2020. And, and so I think it was still kind of pandemic mind where we were like, everyone had, you'd have your places that you'd go to, or it's like your room or like your porch or the trail down the street. So I think that like we were maybe we were thinking about place and the way that we were talking about it earlier. But I think it was like, a time where it was like, kind of like you're hiding out. Yeah. So I don't know, there might be that, that influence in the name as well as it just being like a name that I think feels kind of mysterious, in a way where it's like it can be interpreted. I don't know, we also it was it's hard to find a band name that another band hasn't used. Yeah. And that was part of the checklist as far as like, you know, there's a there's a vibe check on a band name. You're like, there's a pesticide check. to Spotify search is like, is there another band who already has the name? Yeah. And we were surprised that there wasn't another hiding places actually think there was a band in the 80s. The name hiding places, if you Google it, yeah, but I don't think they last very long. Maybe they released like, a couple songs live. Might have out lived them? No. I mean, like, I love the band name.

Audrey Kealan 10:30
Not out live the people I don't know about. Henry what were you about to say.

Speaker 2 10:35
Um, I was gonna say, dudes to be like, I know a spot and bring bring you to their hiding place.

Audrey Kealan 10:42
Yeah, I mean, honestly, that is also like, what, what influenced the name for me because like, it's very, I know, a spot. It's very I know, a spot energy. Like, I think that's something that I've really noticed is I'm so obsessed with the, like, feeling of finding a place where you can be alone, or with like, only a few other people that feels like, it's literally another dimension and like, hidden away from the world, like, ever since I was a child, I would always have these dreams about like, about, like, secret rooms, in, like, in houses. And like, that was just such a thing I was obsessed with. And, and then when we decided on the band name, I remember like living in I was like living in Arizona for like, six months during the pandemic. And we, me and my housemates would like, it was very much like what Nicholas was saying, you know, we had our like, living room that we hung out, and we had our rooms and we had the outdoor spaces we existed in and then there was this place down the road that I'd always bike to in the mornings and like journal and like, write like little phrases or like things that would eventually become songs or read in that little, like, weird, secret little place that felt like it was just for me, but it was like, the middle of a road that was it seemed, was intended to be a road when it was built, but then became like, just a piece of like pavement. But yeah, I'm really interested though, in like, the the feeling of being alone, in like a secret place that is tucked away from the world. And I feel like that is what songwriting is for me. Because it's like, the place that I go to, like, recharge, and to like, reflect, and like, like, heal. And that's like, that can only really be done with myself. A lot of times, I think there's like a kind of a pace that that gives me that can only really be done with myself. Yeah, I'm still really exploring it though. And I think that I'm really happy that we named the band hiding places, because that is like, it holds so many concepts that are like so meaningful to me, you know?

DJ Lucid 12:55
Yeah.

Speaker 2 12:55
Lucy, have thought about what you would name your band? Or do you have a band?

Speaker 4 13:00
No, I'm not in a band. That's why I live vicariously through you guys. And you guys have been working together for over a couple of years. A few years now. Is that right?

Henry Cutting 13:15
Coming up on thturee years

DJ Lucid 13:16
coming up on three years? Wow. So awesome. How did you guys meet and come together as a band? How did that happen?

Nicholas Byrne 13:24
I mean, it was all through the radio station WNYC at 9.3 FM Chapel Hill. I met Henry through my friend Eleanor, who is the station manager at the time at our house. Remember, he came by and like just chilled. After coming back from studying abroad in Copenhagen?

Henry Cutting 13:45
Yeah. All right. It was a morning after a Four Loko for me. So I was pretty vulnerable. So me and Nick hit it off pretty, pretty quick.

Speaker 3 13:56
Guy. And then I also met Audrey, like through the email listserv. at XYZ. I was throwing parties at the time. This party series was called Office Hours. And we did a bunch of events in like 2019. And we were looking for a photographer to like, come and take photos at the event. And I sent out an email on the listserv. And like, under five minutes, Audrey responded like, hey, I can be there like and I just remember like, I wish I had the email if you break. I'll try to find it right now. Try to find it because I'm pretty sure there were like a lot of exclamation points. Of course, there were. Yeah. So nothing has changed. But yeah, I mean, I remember then checking out Audrey's work and then just being like, well, now now we're working with the best photographer that I know at UNC. So that was kind of my first introduction to Audrey and the work and their work that they do. Andrea does beautiful portraits, and the music scene and the extended art scene. So that was kind of my introduction to Audrey's work. I think we also I think we actually met though, we met at the parties, but then there was also the one at Duke coffee house where there was like, we were shared a tequila Red Bull or something like that something.

Speaker 1 15:33
Yeah, it was crazy. Yeah. Okay, so the email, I actually texted you, because in your email, you said, Hey, friends, first of all, you should totally come dance yo ass off at night light tonight. Super pops lab bangers from 10pm to 2am and 18. Plus, plus, plus, plus, plus. We are looking for a photographer to help shoot some sets of some of the sets tonight text me at number if you are interested, or have a friend who's interested. So I'm I'm going to try to find our texts, which

Speaker 2 16:02
I guess well, Audrey is doing that I met Audrey. Also through the radio station. I was the outreach coordinator and like Community Manager in 2019. And Audrey had just joined the station. And I was like, This person is already building community around themselves everywhere they go. So I would like to work with them. So we do house parties and shows it like cat's cradle and stuff, and then the pandemic hit. So after I graduated, I moved with Nick back to Athens, Georgia. And we were just kind of like messing around on this farm that his family has messed around with music with music. Then Nicolas one day was like, No, this person Audrey. And I was like, shut up. Of course I know Audrey. And Nick is like, they sent me their songs. And they rule. So then I laid down some drums on some stuff they had recorded, and then it was kind of like, this is a pretty good fit. We should try to make this something

Speaker 1 17:07
Yeah, that I love. Your recounting of that story is literally perfect.

Speaker 4 17:12
So you guys kind of met through like the college radio, how does it feel to be on the receiving end of the mic?

Speaker 1 17:20
Literally awesome. I also feel like okay, I need you to squat if I needed to give me some insight on this because I heard that there is there has been sort of like 10 Maybe this is another radio station but like historical tension between WKNC and w x, y z. Is that true?

DJ Lucid 17:39
Well, I think that Chapel Hill and state have historical tension in general, so I wouldn't

Audrey Kealan 17:46
be surprised. Okay, well, I like sort of like Romeo and Juliet during this interview. I know.

Nicholas Byrne 17:52
When I was younger at Chapel Hill, there was a like annual kickball. To radio stations. It's back. It's back. It's back.

Henry Cutting 18:02
No. And I like to think I like to think that my regime, like my leadership class was kind of like a bridge, a bridge. presidency almost like real. We mended a lot of those tensions and hard feelings. I like to think,

DJ Lucid 18:21
well look at you. We're still doing it now. Wow, you guys, you've known each other for so long and you work so well together? How does that incorporate to your writing process? Would you say it's more divided, lyricism and instrumental? Or is it more collaborative?

Audrey Kealan 18:38
I think we just do literally so much. Like, like, like, when we are together, we record like 10 songs, and we, you know, place emphasis on like, three, four or five of them when we are recording. But sometimes we place emphasis on more and like, I think it's just like, we have this, like, this obsessive mentality with music. Like we're, it's just all of our lives. And it's something that we all want to do forever. So I think we just like, we just do so much. So it was so something breaks through always. And I feel like we all are so obsessed with it. So that's our our workstyle is like, because there's so much we and we all put so much and we connect there's always going to be something that we connect on. Yeah. And there's also a lot of other ways to I feel like we're all really we have really good work ethics like all of us.

Nicholas Byrne 19:35
Yeah, I feel like also, the way that we work together is always evolving. And I think that it will always that it will continue to evolve to Yeah, I feel like part of just like the cooperative nature of being in a band is like learning to, like, evolve and like watching in like space for other people to evolve as well. Oh, so I think that like, we, we exercise, patience, you know, too, as, as much as we can. Yeah. I think it's also like, it's a, you know, as Audrey was talking about earlier, like the songwriting process, it can be, like, really personal. So I think it's, and then the opening up and sharing that with the other members of the band is is a similar moment of, you know, converting your introvert, introverted. Self, yeah, like group setting. And then, and finding ways to, for each of us to pour ourselves into whatever the project is, and kind of figuring out, like, on a song basis or a project basis, like, what what form the work is going to take. So I think it's yeah, I really enjoy working with with you both Henry and Audrey. I think I mean, really, like it's cool. And I think it's difficult. I think it's like, yeah, part of part of each of our stories of growing as artists,

Speaker 1 21:13
yeah. And we are so committed to each other. Also, it's so awesome. Like, I feel like something that I learned about being in a band is that it's unlike any other kind of relationship that I have ever had in my life and that I will ever have in my life. And it's, it requires so much commitment. And like, I just feel like I've learned so much about commitment from these people to

Unknown Speaker 21:13
Just going off, like the romantic relationship that we kind of all have with each other. It's important to kind of like, you

Audrey Kealan 21:45
somewhat had to say it romantic.

Speaker 2 21:51
But it's important to block out time when we are together because obviously, we aren't very often to do silly things that are outside of music, on a hike, or like, I mean, like me and Nick live together. So we get a lot of time to kind of like do non hiding places stuff. But it's important to be goofy and get away from the intensity of writing.

Audrey Kealan 22:12
Yeah, yeah. And I also feel like I a lot of my, like, I think I have, I have learned about myself a lot through Have you Henry and Nicholas, and also working with Anthony, who used to be the basis of hiding places like, I, I feel like I There are a lot of parts of me that just have have, like blossomed and grown because I've had access to the parts of you all that like show me those parts of myself. You know,

Nicholas Byrne 22:41
I think like, I don't know, I don't know if you've noticed this about, like, lyrics, Audrey, but like, I feel like, I mean, that's certainly like the name of the band too. But like, some things in their meaning, like, reveal themselves over time. Yes. Yes. Like, on different timescales to like, you know, sometimes I'll write something, and then listen to it a month later and be like, after I've done some kind of internal mental growth or whatever, yeah. Oh, wow. Like I was really on the verge of realizing this thing that I have. biased and like, kind of actualized. So I feel like there's, there's depth to it as well, like, when you like, look back into our catalog and like, read the lyrics that we wrote, or the kinds of the songs the kinds of energies that we were attracted to, or and making. They continue to resonate or like, reveal part of our story. Yeah. Can you tell which I think is really cool.

Audrey Kealan 23:47
Yes, yes. The way that like, yeah. That's, you see, the way that the way that making music and song writing is, is a time traveling experience, I think is really magical, because it feels like when I'm writing a song, there's like a future version of me that's coming out. And sometimes there's a past version of me that's coming out. And sometimes I just feel extremely in the present. Like, it's very interesting. And then and then also like, being able to listen to that later. Is really crazy and cool as well. So it's like, it's just so awesome. It's like it's very growth core, you know?

DJ Lucid 24:29
Yeah, you were talking about like, your meaning changing. Your sound changes a lot, too. You guys have a lot of range. Like I would say some of your songs kind of have like a rock vibe. Some of them have like, indie. How would you guys describe your sound personally?

Audrey Kealan 24:46
Well, we've come to the phrase or to the description slash genre of folk grunge, which I think is kind of accurate, because for me, it captures the the fact that I am and I feel like we are very inspired by like, folk music. Specifically just like from growing up in the South and like witnessing like bluegrass and like just Appalachian music like but also we are really interested in like 90s music and like grunge and that like more like gritty like angry and motive, like aspect. And I love using like folk song like structure. Like I feel like a lot of ours. A lot of our songs just have like a verse and then an instrumental chorus and then another verse, which is like very folk song core, you know, but yeah, what about y'all?

Henry Cutting 25:46
Anything? Um, I like folk grunge lately when we've been sending our music out to people as a music band. Always,

that's not always

gonna be just one person. Yeah. And it's not a podcast.

Speaker 3 26:05
It's not a podcast. We've also, I don't know, I came up with this. I think the other day sulk rock also. Yeah.

Audrey Kealan 26:16
That's right. You came up with?

Speaker 3 26:17
I think I came up with it. I don't I looked it up. And you can look it up. Let's see. It could have been from someone else.

Speaker 1 26:25
No I believe you. That's just so awesome. That's literally so awesome. But yeah,

Speaker 3 26:29
I feel like sometimes we lean lean into sulk vibes, where it's like there's kind of a it feels happy to play sad sounding music. And I don't know we like, like, artists like Jason Molina and Elliott Smith. And those. I feel like that's kind of like sulk Yeah.

Audrey Kealan 26:52
Yeah, that's so that is so good.

DJ Lucid 26:55
That's good yeah

Speaker 3 26:56
Like, it's emo in a way. Uh huh. You're talking about that last week? Audrey, I think

Speaker 1 27:02
Yeah I mean, I think that honoring my emo phase like the part of me that is that that was emo. And is still emo is so important to me. Like, yeah, yeah, part of it is Emo, I think, as well.

Unknown Speaker 27:15
Like emo melodies, I think.

Speaker 1 27:18
Yes, yes. And harmonies? Yeah.

Nicholas Byrne 27:21
So there are a lot of influences. And I think it's, you know, it's, we've been a band for three years, and are putting out our third EP, this coming year with our first single coming out on December 1. And so I think that, you know, we've been figuring out our sound and, and expanding our influences to each other. Yeah. So we'll see what Yeah, sounds like.

DJ Lucid 27:47
Let's talk about that. You guys are coming out with a new project called crown of tin. Is that your new single? Yeah. What's the inspiration behind that?

Audrey Kealan 27:57
I wrote it when I was in my first year of college is my first semester of college. And I was learning GarageBand for the first time, and really just writing songs alone for the first time. And that was just a sort of diary entry about how I was feeling homesick, and like detached from like, my community that raised me and feeling like, like, isolated in college, and just like the weird experience of college. And then, yeah, I was the first song I ever sent to Nicholas to show him what my music was like. And, yeah, it's like, I wrote that before hiding places was even a thing. I used to put out music under the name tidy. But yeah, and so I think it's like, really exciting to be releasing this song with like, my voice on that recording is from when I was like, 18 went from what I wrote the song like from that, that was like the original demo, and we just sort of added to and added to it with recordings that we did over time. And we've we've recorded the song so many times, like in so many different iterations throughout the past three years. And I'm so excited to be releasing it and so happy that we're using a lot of the audio from when I was recording it. Something that's really cool about it, too, is that the person who like mixed the song is a part of that community that I missed when I was 19. His name is Colin Miller, and he's so awesome. He makes his own music and he is just such a important part of the Asheville music scene. So I'm like really lucky that he's spending time with our music and the way that he is sort of honoring that part of myself who was so inspired by him when I was so young, or you know, younger than I I'm now

DJ Lucid 30:01
well I'm really excited to hear it and I think on that note we're gonna take a short break to play y'all crown of tin by none other than hiding places coming out December 1 So we'll be right back

Audrey Kealan 30:37
counting down she's she you again winter is me singing in my room and never ends

taking a short dance under the sun when I can

going on some picnics with my off new friends

Waking up at 9 I pull my body out of bed

Watch the people run again every one just shuts down it open up the door it's utter silence here instead

I want to live inside of Kevin or a Ken animals are smiling at me will make conversation our countries and look around and wear my crown again I'll climb trees and look around and wear my crown again.

Speaker 4 33:59
that was crown of tin by hiding places currently unreleased, so make sure to check it out on December 1. Now, we got to talk about your performances guys. Do you have anything big coming up in particular?

Speaker 2 34:14
No, we're kind of in a in a hibernation season right now. Well, we're releasing music but then we'll be on touring a bunch early next year when our upcoming EP is fully out

Audrey Kealan 34:29
yeah, we're playing this music festival in New York

Henry Cutting 34:33
called New Colossus of

Audrey Kealan 34:36
New Colossus such a cool name in March but that's really the only thing that we have like I'm playing a set with my friend grace on fiddle and my friend Sophie on mandolin rubies on five points in Durham. Opening for H Pru's, who is a person who we played with A while ago, and a band called Dead oceans, and then there's going to be another local act playing as well. So yeah, I think that'll be a really fun time. I've just been doing solo sets and like sets with, you know, sparser instrumentation, but playing hiding places songs still. But yeah, we don't really have any shows coming up that are like full band. But if you want to hear our songs with wonky instrumentation, you can, you can come to rubies on five points in Durham on the fourth of December.

Speaker 4 35:33
That's great. When were your last or when was your last performance? It was fairly recently, right?

Audrey Kealan 35:39
Yeah it was in Wilmington. We played

Speaker 2 35:42
the fuzzy needle, which is is a really cool record and bookstore in Downtown Wilmington, probably the coolest store in Wilmington. Check it out. It's very intimate. It's kind of set up like a living room. It's like a little sun, warm lighting and couches and stuff. So it's cool to play as my first hometown show with hiding places. So it was cool to show all of my friends and family the band. Because not that our audience is all friends and family. It's not. Yeah. So that was a really cool one. Yeah. Good. Always good to play in Wilmington, Asheville in Chapel Hill. Hometown.

Audrey Kealan 36:20
That's right. Yeah. It was so sweet. Yeah.

DJ Lucid 36:23
First, first, hometown performance. Why don't you guys tell us about your first performance as a band.

Speaker 3 36:31
We played in Athens, Georgia. Not sure it was probably 2021 at Flickr, which is kind of the hub of the like, alt music scene in Athens. And I don't think it was too eventful. But there were some videos recorded of it was like it was our first show. And this there's this guy, who I'm forgetting his name, but he's kind of a legend in the Athens music scene, because he just goes to shows probably four or five nights a week and just films the entire sets and then uploads it to YouTube. So you can go see our first set. Yeah, we don't have any uploaded on YouTube. And so I think we're like a little bit. We're like, we're very green. As performers.

Henry Cutting 37:24
It's under Athens live music. But, you know, maybe just listen on checkouts.

Audrey Kealan 37:32
Yeah, there are some unreleased songs live, though on YouTube that this person recorded, which is really cool that the fact that like, that is those those audio waves are on the, on the internet, in some capacity, even though it's like, you know, some songs that maybe we won't even release ever? I don't know. But I was really, it was extremely fun. Yeah, so and it was a hometown show at the same time for Nicolas,

Speaker 4 37:59
at least. So speaking of your unreleased music, before we close off, we are going to be playing you guys one more song by hiding places coming out in January 2024 called after image. Do you guys want to tell us a little bit about that?

Speaker 3 38:17
Sure Yeah. So this is a song that started as a demo that I made and then grew into a song with the full band. And yeah, we'll we, it was probably December 2021, or 2020. Yeah, December 2021, in the winter in New York, my first winter here, and I was in graduate program, getting a master's degree in lighting design. And so I was thinking about light a lot, and how it affects how it affects people. And I was also really depressed at the time, and I think was like kind of the, the first time that I was kind of hitting that level of depression. And, you know, light is also has a huge effect on like, your serotonin levels in your body. And so like, during the winter, like Seasonal Affective Disorders is really real. And so it was my first winter in New York. And, you know, this song emerged from a songwriting class that we did as a band. Robin Pecknold did a school of song course, and I think taught us techniques about visualizing images, and then writing in that headspace, and so I remember looking out my window in Brooklyn. A lamp that was over someone's door and coming up with this riff and then and then writing it and then it grew into a cool song that we recorded in London when we visited Audrey who was studying abroad over there at the time, and getting involved in a music scene over there. And so that was that was a really special thing to do as a band was travel and go over there and record the song. And it was a like a satellite studio of Abbey roads. Studios, which was really cool. What was it called? The angel studios.

Speaker 1 40:22
Yeah, Angel studios. It was so awesome. Yeah, and our friend Liam helped us out with recording and our friend Bassist it helps our the recording too is like Bassist. I was studying it at the Abbey Road Institute for audio engineering. And he like was just letting us record at this like incredible studio where like, various like scores for different films had been made. It was just like, extremely special.

Speaker 2 40:51
Florence and the machine recorded the dog days are over there. I don't even know that. True. It's on their website portfolio right next to the Lion King soundtrack. Oh, oh.

Speaker 1 41:06
That's crazy. Yeah, it was very special though. And when Nicholas sent it to me, I was also experiencing winter in London for the first time. So it was like extremely validating because I was in this place that was really new to me. And because you know, of the pandemic, my experience of like, be studying abroad was very odd, because it was just like, students were awkward as hell and like, didn't really want to think also British British students just like, or at least the students that in the classes that I that I was taking, were very set in their communities and didn't feel interested in branching out too much. So I was feeling kind of isolated, but eventually was caught by the music scene that I was a part of, and made me feel really at home. So it was like the soulful full circle thing of like, hearing the song and feeling isolation and and recording the song and feeling like deeply connected to people.

Speaker 3 42:00
It's kind of an explosive song to it starts quiet and then has kind of a massive, massive bridge.

Audrey Kealan 42:07
Yeah.

Nicholas Byrne 42:08
Yeah, I'm proud of this song.

Audrey Kealan 42:10
Me too.

DJ Lucid 42:13
So why don't you guys tell our listeners where they can listen to this when it gets released?

Henry Cutting 42:20
Well, all of our songs are on Spotify. That's right. This song will be out early 2024. But you should check back weekly because sometimes, Audrey will make just an awesome playlist full of our friends music. And and you should check it out. You can also follow us if you'd like to. There's no compulsion behind this. But we do have an Instagram and it's hiding places banned. So yeah, it's where all our stuff is.

Audrey Kealan 42:53
We got the updates going up over there all the time. But okay, so we collaborated with our friend John Vance, who makes the coolest clothes ever. They have this like collective slash fashion brand slash clothing line called Wallah which stands for we all look alike, but they are collaborating with us to make merch for every single song that drops so when count of 10 drops we will have a little denim tote bag that is hiding places merch that people can buy if they want to. And yeah, it's super exciting like knowing that there's going to be this like visual element to our music other than like a music video, you know, because those are so fun, but it's also really awesome to see that like people can wear and like express themselves with stuff that is is related to our music. So yeah, like when we also share after image with the world we will be sharing another piece of hiding places merch that is unique to afterimage.

DJ Lucid 44:02
That's great. I'm super psyched that you guys have all these new projects coming out. Yeah, me too. And I'm super psyched that I got to talk to you guys about them today.

Henry Cutting 44:14
Thanks for having us on.

DJ Lucid 44:15
Yeah, thank you guys for coming and talking to me.

Henry Cutting 44:18
I think the the beef between Chapel Hill and NC State is now settled.

Audrey Kealan 44:24
Yeah, squash all consider squashed. Awesome.

Unknown Speaker 44:28
I'm glad that we were able to resolve that. I appreciate y'all for tuning in. And you can check out the interviews I do with other local artists at wknc.org/podcasts by clicking on off the record. I'm DJ lucid, this is off the record and you were just listening to hiding places on WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh. I'm gonna send you off with one more song by our friends called after image that is currently unreleased. So make sure to tune in And thank you for listening and I'll catch you next time

Transcribed by https://otter.ai