“…a raucous dip into empowerment…”
–The Line of Best Fit
“A beautiful vocal matched to a black heart.”
– Clash Magazine
Ever evolving alt-rock outfit HAVVK prepare to release their raucous new album To Fall Asleep on 15th March 2024 via Veta Records.
Julie Hawk (bass, vocals), Matthew Harris (guitar), and former Bitch Falcon drummer Nigel Kenny—create grunge-fuelled music, packing a powerful punch that leaves you pining for more. HAVVK’s emphasis on social issues in their art—from bodily autonomy to “filthy landlords” is reflected in their commitment to connecting with fellow artists. Hawk herself aims to uplift DIY musicians with SelfMade, an organisation which uses workshops and other events to connect artists with each other and with industry names. Bolstered by a growing network of fans and collaborators (including Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra, in which Hawk plays bass), HAVVK are keen to get people on the dance floor with their gritty, arresting music.
These upcoming tracks were primarily recorded in Belfast’s Start Together Studio with producer Rocky O’Reilly (Wheatus, And So I Watch You From Afar). This is an album about sleep, and the things that keep us awake at night. Talking about the album, Hawk says, “we started talking about sleep a lot as a band a few years ago when I was experiencing insomnia. I was waking up with an unshakable feeling of urgency, like I was forgetting something and then letting my thoughts spiral for hours. Sleep was something I had always taken for granted, so at first this felt like a huge betrayal from my body. But it wasn’t really. Actually, it was my body trying to tell me something. I had to really listen to it, and examine how honestly I was living my life, and how much energy I was giving to things that I didn’t have the capacity for.”
“The more we talked about it, as a band and with other friends, the more it became a point of fascination for the record. Sleep issues can be really isolating. But it’s also such a universal subject, but it’s also so personal and unique to every person. The songs look at sleep – or lack thereof – from many different angles; the frustration and panic of not being able to control something so fundamental to us, the unresolved fragments of daily life that catch up with us when we’re sleeping, and the joy and privilege of having a safe space to call your own – where you can shut the world out every night – whether that’s your home or the safety you feel within your own skin,” the band elaborates.
Since moving back to Ireland after fostering music communities in Berlin and London, the three-piece has discovered a new, unabashed confidence. HAVVK have been championed by notable taste-makers like The Line of Best Fit, Clash, The Guardian, DIY and many more, with notable placements on Spotify editorial playlists such as New Music Friday, Alternative Generation, Alternative Ireland, and Fresh Finds Rock, as well as Apple Musicʼs New in Rock and New In Alternative. The band have received national and international airplay from KEXP, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Radio X, Amazing Radio, RTÉ and 2FM to name a few.
Renowned for their riotous stage presence, HAVVK have toured extensively throughout the UK, Ireland and Germany, including their ‘Drawn Together’ project, a 12-date UK tour which saw them team up with over 50 female and non-binary artists including Menstrual Cramps, Medicine Cabinet and Scrounge, in 2019 to promote equality in music. HAVVK have sold out shows in Londonʼs Seabright Arms and Berlinʼs Schokoladen and Loophole, and have supported the likes of And So I Watch You From Afar and The Drums. The band have also made notable appearances at The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, and Ireland Music Week, as well as a TV performance on Other Voices.
Combining an abrasive edge with an exquisite finesse, activism is at the heart of all HAVVK create, with their music covering a range of topics including inequality, gender-preconceptions, and generalisations faced by different social groups.
Catch them live next on their upcoming album tour. Tickets available here.
Album Art Work and Track List
- Daylight Robbery
- Expiry
- A Strong Possibility
- You Say You Won’t
- White Noise
- To Fall Asleep
- Take It From Me
- Keep It To Myself
- City Creep
- Waste of Time
- Nobody Told You
Artist: HAVVK
Album: To Fall Asleep
Label: Veta Records
Release: 15th March 2024
For fans of: Sleater-Kinney, Sprints, Slowdive
