The Calgary-based Alternative 4-piece Homeless in Hawaii returns to BuzzMusic with a lively outro to summer with their single, "Faded."
Bandmates Tanner Cyr, Devin Taylor, Leonard Menon, and Layne Murdoch have been busy tweaking their upcoming album "The Fear of Missing Out," surrounding self-improvement and modern anxieties that stand as obstacles.
Garnering a fanbase across Canada through various tours, the boys are back and ready to continue their vehement venture in the music industry. Homeless in Hawaii's newest single "Faded" swiftly satisfies their eager fanbase with an anthemic feel that easily exhilarates anyone with ears. The blistering brass and up-tempo beat brings a natural drive to send summer off with a bang and reminds us of warmer nights pre-pandemic.
Taking a listen to "Faded," Homeless in Hawaii opens with an upbeat brass intro through high energy trumpets, a gripping kick, and an equally gripping bassline. What we love about this group is that whenever we hear there's a new single, we know it will capture a thrilling groove that keeps our toes tapping.
Once the lead vocals kick in with this rhythmic and clear tone, he begins singing a message of being separate from someone, yet still enjoying the present moment with optimism. The scorching hot chorus takes the cake for summer anthems, indeed a refreshing experience with the band's unique alternative sound. The bridge offers Daft Punk-Esque robotic vocals, ending the track with another dynamic layer to peel back.
With a groundbreaking and upbeat single, Homeless in Hawaii's "Faded" brings multiple levels for the listener to explore while grooving away with the track's natural pull.
Hey Homeless in Hawaii, it’s great to have you back with us at BuzzMusic. What was your initial inspiration for "Faded?” What pulled you to create such an anthemic and lively tune?
Classic rock and party anthems of any sort were the initial inspirations for our new song, Faded. Our approach evolved to incorporate personal experiences and a social commentary on self-destructive habits over time. The carefree culture of partying and endless distractions young adults hide behind presented us with the opportunity to not only comment on potentially detrimental habits but to do so in a musical reflection of the happy-go-lucky party facade. We strived to capture the energy that you would find at the typical house parties, clubs, you name it. Below the surface, however, we found the room and space to say how we feel about this kind of culture. Ignoring the negative impacts of such a lifestyle can unintentionally damage immediate and personal relationships for those coming into themselves or struggling to do so. Our message is that everyone comes to a certain point in their lives where they must grow from their past mistakes and past selves. Sometimes that can be hard for the younger generations who already have so much to deal with. Our fears and anxiety toward self-reflection can prevent us from deserved growth. We wanted to discuss personal responsibility and accountability in the face of poor personal decision making while not necessarily condemning it outright. The atmosphere of party culture is fully embraced with our song and with that, we believe Faded brings self-reflection and self-worth to the forefront for the listeners in a very fun way.
Diving deeper into "Faded," what lured you into creating these uplifting and exhilarating brass instrumentals? Did you frame the rest of the song around the brass, or was brass the needed touch?
The brass elements of Faded grew to have enormous importance in the end but started out as an afterthought. The demoing for Faded was a more classic rock in some ways. It was bass, guitar, and drums only. Much simpler than where it exploded into. The framework for Faded was entirely written and structured around the bass and it was that foundation that we built upon over a two-year process. Faded was the fourth song written together starting back in May 2018. Up until a month before release, we’re still tinkering with every aspect of Faded. It was the addition of the brass that lend us down this very experimental path for Faded and we’re grateful for where it brought us with the song. The brass ultimately defines Faded for us when we look back on it.
"Faded" captures many dynamic sonic levels through hi-fi electric guitar, bass, brass, synth work, vocal filtering, etc. Seeing as the track is so textured and unique, was it a lengthy creative process? Did you face any challenges with the song's creation?
Faded was very much a lengthy creative process and in many ways, sits among some of the toughest nuts we had to crack with the forthcoming Homeless in Hawaii material. It took two years to get from point A to point B with just Faded. We had moments throughout that time where Faded was beloved by us all and then there were all so those moments where we were frustrated with Faded. It was a headache to come back to and address from time to time. Some of the biggest problems, funny enough, were relatively minute. The bass tone was a huge talking point for us all the time. Redoing it over and over again. With that too was the percussive elements. The kick and snare were always being adjusted or changed. Some of the more creative changes that become necessary over time were many guitar parts that we ended up throwing out and going back to the drawing board. Now that it’s all said and done, we couldn’t be happier with Faded which makes us very proud of the song. It’s a treat for us to now be able to sit back and just listen for fun.
Will "Faded" be featured on your upcoming album 'The Fear of Missing Out'? Why did you choose to release the single at the time you did?
Faded will in fact be featured on our upcoming album, The Fear of Missing Out, and so will every song we release from now until the final record. It was a simple decision early on that Faded would eventually become a single. Faded holds special importance to the grander narrative of our full record. The significance of Faded’s release right now is to establish the foundation for a small narrative we’ve also developed to span across the next slew of singles and their music videos. The music video for Faded which can be found on YouTube or Ghost Killer Entertainment is only Chapter 1 of this short story/narrative. We’re extremely excited for more songs to continue this visual story and fill in the puzzle pieces purposely left empty by Faded. These creative aspects were developed long ago for us to achieve such content now and best explains our current choice and release for Faded. The importance of such thematic narratives is our highest priority for Homeless in Hawaii and ‘The Fear of Missing Out’ right now. We are huge fans of connective tissue and the small things that make investing in content worthwhile.
What can fans anticipate from your upcoming album? We can't wait to hear it!
Fans can expect a unique and adventurous album that won’t be defined by any one genre necessarily but rather defined as Homeless in Hawaii entirely. From the beginning, we approached creating this Homeless in Hawaii album as a concept from the ground up years ago. Of all things, Cinema and specifically the Marvel cinematic universe of films and characters have been our truest and biggest inspiration every step of the way. We set out to address adulthood, death, life, self-growth, self-reflection, anxiety, and more through grand and elaborate metaphors within a universe, we’re building for ourselves and our music. To understand that is to understand the framing of The Fear of Missing Out as being a hero’s origin story. To come from who you have been, whether that be good, bad, or villainous (as our album will show), to becoming your new and best self; a hero. What we hope for is that everyone takes the time to listen to this project fully when it’s all available. Even while each song is intended to also be enjoyed on their own respectively, the entire album experience elevates them all. FOMO isn’t your typical album and in our minds, is a musical movie somewhat. It’s an event and journey that we cannot wait to share. At the heart of the album are life’s relatable emotional peaks and valleys. All of which accumulates in a ten-minute album closer called “Superhero” that’s akin to Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day. Our promise is that our album will offer something for everyone!