Heinali And Matt Finney Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the prject for those that are not familiar with your music?
1. this is a project that started in early 2009. we've put our 4 albums and we're currently working on 2 new songs plus our 5th album for Handmade Birds Records. our music is a mix of ambient/classical/doomgaze/drone/spoken word. Heinali is from the Ukraine and Matt is from America. we've never met in person.
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new release and how it differs  from previous recordings?
2. it's definitely our most fully-realized work. we've been striving for a darker and darker sound with each album and Ain't No Night is like black on black. that was the idea. a seedy portrait of people and places and the awful things we do to each other. there's elements of noise and drone metal and blues. we're in love with it and we hope you will be too.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

3. it's all over the place. addiction, lack of money, lack of faith, loss, rape, nostalgia, the death of America, the deaths of friends, the death of Matt's father. some of them are pulled from stress dreams. some of them are stories pulled from people close to me. most of them are things that happened specifically to me (Matt) though. the big picture would be coming as close as you can to giving up completely but still stepping back a little. it's been really tough lately and i wanted to paint that picture as brutally honest as i could.
4. One of the members lives in the US and the other in Ukraine how did you get in contact with each other and which route do you use to record music?

4. we met through a mutual friend. he used to post music from Heinali's solo stuff and Matt's old band. he recommended us to each other and we hit it off instantly. we haven't looked back. since we can't record in person for right now we do it by sending stuff to each other. we work through email and chatting online.

5. Currently you are singed to Paradgisms Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
5. they contacted us through our myspace. they said they really enjoyed our music and they would love to re-release our album Conjoined. we said sure and since we were already working on a new album they said they'd like to release that as well. they've been great to us. really supportive and helpful. we feel great about working with them.

6. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by ambient/shoegaze/drone/ doom fans?
6. it's been amazing. more than we can ask for. it's always awesome to hear that people enjoy what you do and that your work connects with them.  we're grateful for the response and word of mouth that our listeners have been generating. thanks guys!

7. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
7. our music started out with a lot of electronic/post-rock/classical influence. that's still all there and it will remain but we've progressively gotten heavier and darker. that was the idea. we wanted to make music that would punch you in the stomach. it will probably only get darker but there will be some twists and turns in there as well. we're constantly listening to different things and pulling influences from them so it's always changing and the ideas keep morphing. it makes it exciting for us.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full ime line-up?

8. Heinali still does some of his solo stuff but this is the main project for both us.

9. What are some band or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
9. both of us have tastes all over the map, as cliche as that sounds. but we do share a lot of similarities. Nirvana, The Angelic Process, The Cure, Explosions in the Sky and Joy Division are the foundation. Heinali loves classical composers and you can hear it in the way that he writes music. it's incredible. we've mentioned them in past interviews but it could go on for a while. right now, i've been listening to Omega Cen by Alrakis, Tunnel Blanket by This Will Destroy You, and Blackberry Belle by The Twilight Singers.

10. Your music is very poetic, what are some poets that have had the most impact on your music?
10. thank you so much! i don't read anywhere near as much as i used to but i've never read a whole lot of poetry to begin with. i started doing that because i could never force myself to write anything long. short bursts of anger and catharsis seemed to work best for me so i stuck with it. Raymond Carver is a huge influence on the way i write. i started writing lyrics when i was younger by listening to Nirvana and being obsessed with Cobain's words so those are the big two.

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
11. there's nothing outside of music. we like to read, watch movies/tv, but music is what keeps us together. it's our hearts completely and we'd be lost without it. again, that's really cliche but sometimes only a cliche can say what you mean. music is what keeps us going.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
12. thank you again for wanting to speak with us and we hope that if you're reading this you enjoy our music. thanks!