Ohio alternative 5-piece Silent Hearts are no strangers to hard work. Following the release of their EP, Love II War last year, the band was quick to get right back to writing and recently released their surprise single, “Remember Me” followed by their most recent track, “Stranger”, an anthem for fans who might be feeling lost or alone.
With “Stranger” serving as a strong start to 2019, Silent Hearts have plans to release even more new music this year, and with the hopes to have their biggest year yet, they’re not planning on slowing down any time soon. Get to know more about the band and listen to “Stranger” now below!
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Silent Hearts for anyone who might be hearing you for the first time?
We just want to write relatable music for everyone. We want to be a symbol of hope for those who feel hopeless, and be a voice for those who have fallen silent. We want to be a healthy avenue of escape for people who may be going through physical or mental battles, even if it is only for a few minutes listening to one of our songs they relate with.
Last year, you guys celebrated the release of your debut EP, Love || War. Now that it has been out for a while, what are some of your favorite things about the EP?
We had the opportunity to work with a great, Grammy-nominated producer who we consider our good friend, Matt Dalton. We have worked with him before on previous projects of members throughout the band, and it was our greatest work with him yet. The namesake and lead single of the EP, “Love is War” was actually not on the initial lineup of tracks, and it was written in our RV parked behind the studio during the evenings when we were there recording the other tracks. We went back to the studio a couple weeks later to record it. This EP has a lot of different feels to it, so it has a track to fit really any mood, but it helped us to hammer down what sound we want to go for as a band moving forward. This was a great start to our journey as Silent Hearts.
What goals did you have in mind when you first started working on the EP, it being your debut release?
We wanted to appeal to a wide range of listeners. We wanted to start a strong base of momentum and gaining fans with a high-quality and memorable debut work that also showed our versatility as musicians. We wanted to start using our platform right away with a clear message and staying true to our mantra of being a “voice for the voiceless”.
How do you feel you’ve grown as musicians with the writing, recording and release of the EP?
Ever since releasing the EP and seeing what the fans like about it gave us a clearer picture of what was going to work and what wasn’t. We’ve been much more experimental with samples, soundscapes, and overall styles recently during songwriting and we feel our current fans will enjoy it as well as possibly appealing to new fans in a different perspective.
Not only did you drop Love || War last year, but you also ended 2018 with the release of your latest single, “Stranger”. Can you tell us a little bit about the track?
Stranger really shows truly how much we have grown over the course of 1 year. We recorded this particular track with Nick Sampson, who has worked with names like Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men, We Came As Romans, Born of Osiris, Polyphia, and many more. There was a surprise single titled “Remember Me” released between the two that was produced with Andrew Baylis of Nine Shrines (Also worked with Sylar and Awake at Last). Both of these tracks showed a heavier side of our sound, and our fans seem to enjoy it. Stranger was released at the end of the year because we wanted to make a statement that we are here to stay and not just a one EP and done band.
You kicked off 2019 with the release of the video for “Stranger” as well. What inspired the concept behind the video?
We have been working with our friend and great director John Fleischmann since the beginning, as all three of our music videos to date are directed and filmed by him. In storyboard meetings, we wanted something plain, washed out, yet effective. The setting is taking place in someone’s “mind” so to speak. The masked people as well as the gun are a metaphor of the mental demons someone may be facing, whatever battle they are in, may it be physically or mentally. The struggle scenes are representative of when a person tries to break the vicious cycle of whatever is ailing them, but the demons involved try to hold them back and bring them back down. This goes along with the lyrics as well as our overall message and meaning behind our name.
What would you like fans to take away from “Stranger”?
It is difficult to see someone become a different person or a shell of themselves, especially when there is an outside influence on them that is doing it. Try to be a beacon of light and positivity in their lives if you feel it is up to you. If you are the one going through something like this, people want to help and see you succeed, you are not alone, as much as it may feel that way to you sometimes. Don’t let someone become a “stranger” in the context of the song. Don’t become one yourself, don’t be afraid to accept or ask for help.
With “Stranger” out now, could we expect to hear some more new music in 2019? What other plans do you have coming up this year?
We have been working on more material that we are really excited about! We are actively lining up some other things that may give us the potential to have our biggest year yet! We will be announcing some new things very soon.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity! We love getting the chance to talk about what we stand for and offering insight into our work. We want to thank the fans as well for their awesome support, especially for Stranger these last few months, it would be pointless to do all of this if it wasn’t for all of you! This is just the beginning, we can’t wait to show you more!
STAY CONNECTED WITH SILENT HEARTS: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram