Hurricane Fall Aftertaste Interview

Hurricane Fall have released 'Aftertaste' ft. Crawford Brothers, their newest single, along with its video. 'Aftertaste' is a fusion between pop music and contemporary country and was recorded at the Crawford Brothers home studio in the Hunter Valley with Zac Crawford and engineered by Rhys Zacher from Spinlight Studios.

Written by Pepper (Hurricane Fall), Ben and Zac (Crawford Brothers), the song they say, "seemed to just write itself melodically" and came together like "a songwriter's dream." Taking a pre-existing hook line that Zac had written as a starting point, and with two guitars and a cheap keyboard, the bands created a song from a very personal and emotional place.

"The song was written from the lyrical standpoint of losing someone you immensely care for and finding it impossible to ever shake those feelings," says Hurricane Fall. "It's about the deep emotions and memories that come back up when you hear a specific song on the radio – a song that you and your loved one had a very personal connection with. The song you hear on the radio pulls at your heartstrings as it's an instant association and summary of 'what you had' and it rips you apart."

Directed by Ben Crawford, and shot and edited by Tom Blake from Gravity Films, the video for 'Aftertaste' intercuts between a couple on the emotional rollercoaster from love found to love lost, shot in the heart of Maitland, Lorn Bolwarra and Phoenix Park areas, and the musicians and artists on location at Tocal Homestead in the Paterson area of NSW.

"We had a close friend and her partner play out the overall 'story' of the song, showing two different points of view with main focus on the male protagonist - touching on memories of the 'past' and the realities - 'post' relationship," says Hurricane Fall. "We wanted to visually show two different perspectives and take the song to another place and on a journey through love, joy and happiness to heartbreak, regret and frustration."

Hailing from Tamworth, NSW, but now calling Newcastle home, Hurricane Fall kicked off 2020 with a bang, releasing their much-anticipated debut album 'Ain't Leavin' in January. Although not released as an official single, the track 'Lost' was added to Spotify's Fresh Country playlist and has received over 365k streams to date. Similarly, their last single 'Top Down', has been streamed over 305k times. Their previous releases also tasted success with their debut self-titled EP reaching No. 2 on the iTunes Country Albums chart, and their follow up EP, 'How We Get Down', reaching No.4 on the iTunes Country Albums chart.

Recognised as one of the hardest working bands in the Aussie country rock scene, the boys regularly perform at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Gympie Music Muster and also headlined internationally, at Top Paddock Music Festival in New Zealand in 2015, and have supported Tasmanian heavyweights The Wolfe Brothers as well as US country music legend and actor Billy Ray Cyrus on his Australian Tour in 2018 alongside Kasey Chambers, Caitlyn Shadbolt and O'Shea.

You can catch Hurricane Fall perform at one of the following shows:

Thursday 26th - Sunday 29th August 2021 - Gympie Music Muster, QLD
Friday 1st – Saturday 2nd October 2021 - Deni Ute Muster, NSW
Tuesday 23rd– Tuesday 30th November 2021 - Rock The Boat

Interview with Pepper, Hurricane Fall

Question: How would you describe your music?

Pepper: Our music is a fusion of Contemporary Country, Blues and Pop.


Question: Can you tell us about Aftertaste?

Pepper: The song was written from the lyrical standpoint of losing someone you immensely care for and finding it impossible to ever shake those feelings. More-so, it's about the deep emotions and memories that come back up when you hear a specific song on the radio; a song that you and your loved one had a very personal connection with. The song you hear on the radio pulls at your heart strings as it's an instant association and summary of 'what you had' and it rips you apart. 'Aftertaste', regretfully ended up becoming a true story for Ben. The message of the song is from a very personal and emotional place.

The song came about through a writing session with Pepper (Hurricane Fall) and Ben and Zac (Crawford Brothers). There was a pre-existing hook line that Zac had written, which we thought was a perfect starting point. We sat around in the kitchen with two guitars, a cheap Casio keyboard and started mumbling all sorts of things, ha! Quite quickly, we locked in a verse melody which then took us straight to the pre-chorus and then on to the hook. The overall bare bones of the tune (honestly) came together super fast! It seemed to just write itself, melodically. We came up with a rough outline of the lyrics that first day, then Ben went into hide-out and touched up a few things before we did our first demo session of the song with Jesse's vocal added to the mix. It was a songwriter's dream, to be honest.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Pepper: We love that people enjoy our music and that they can relate to the songs. The fact that our songs have helped people through hard times warms the Hurricane Fall hearts. Our statement of purpose as a band is to bring happiness to our listeners.


Question: Has the airplane incident last year influenced your music?

Pepper: We were very humbled by the incident, being lucky - SO lucky - to still be here has certainly given us a fresh perspective on life in general. We are now more inclined to take a step back and think about things, rather than rushing in. We have taken this approach to writing, and the whole recording process, which we hope our listeners can hear in the new music. The incident has also driven us harder to keep making music - life is short, do what you love.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Pepper: Pre covid, we would have to say the band definitely preferred live performance. The lockdown has allowed us to work more in the studio and fall in love with that process as well. That being said, we pride ourselves on our live performance – it will always be our first love!


Question: What should we expect from your upcoming tour?

Pepper: Heaps of new music and a brand-new show. The energy that comes off the stage when we perform is electric, that will never change, and we can't wait to get back to it!


Question: Tell us about the Golden Guitar Award!?

Pepper: We were ecstatic when we heard the news. We have been working hard for many years, so to be nominated for the Best Duo or Group is awesome! It is great to be recognised by your peers and to be amongst some truly talented musicians.


Question: What is the story behind the band name?

Pepper: Would you believe the name came from a brainstorming naming session? Jesse Vee came up with the name, the premise behind it is that the storm is coming for you! LOL.


Question: How did the band come together?

Pepper: Jesse and I (Pepper) have known each other for many years. We started playing in a cover band and realised that our voices really gelled together! We started writing music, with no intention of homing in on a particular style, and what came out of the writing sessions was contemporary country! We loved it and love the genre as we have been fans of country music since childhood. Over a couple of years, we have built a band that has some serious chemistry to bring our dream to life.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Pepper: We love a great melody and a killer story! We have long been avoiding writing too many love songs, but have come to the realisation that this is what people relate the most too. Hence, 'Aftertaste'!


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Pepper: Never! You can't fail if you never give up!


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Pepper: Having a broken neck and fractured back was a bit of a challenge, but aside from that, trying to compete for space in a saturated market as an independent artist is a massive struggle. We do not have the budget that is thrown at signed artists, so it is a massive team effort to make sure we 'keep up with the Jones', so to speak!


Question: What's a typical day like?

Pepper: As Covid has decimated the music scene, we have all had to take on side hustles. We are teaching, recording with other artists, working on homes installing electrical and internet! Our days are busy, as are our nights with practising and recording music!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Pepper: We all love life on the road. The people you meet, the stories you hear and live. We feel blessed to perform for a living (pre-covid, of course)! We cannot wait for normality to return so we can get back on the road. It's our happy place!


Question: What's next, for you?

Pepper: We have a stack of new music to release and, all being well, shows to perform. We are looking forward to performing the new music to packed out venues!


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Pepper: Facebook 
Website  


Interview by Gwen van Montfort