The Howlers: “We don’t carry an ego with us, just the desire to keep going in a world that always tells you to stop.”
From loss and grief to their cinematic sound, Adam Young chats about ‘What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All’.
Photo: Hannah Driscoll
The Howlers have been through more than most bands. Not only have they fought through creative differences with former bandmates, but they’ve also experienced a huge amount of personal loss, illness, and grief. Just considering frontman Adam Young alone, who lost two family members during the pandemic and experienced two stress-induced strokes back in 2022, it’s remarkable that the desert-rock trio are still making and releasing music today, defiantly rising in a world that has more than once tried to make them stop.
Drummer Tom Triggs is credited as being the addition that helped university friends Adam and Guus ter Braak (bass) continue as The Howlers after the former band went their separate ways during the pandemic. Having moved in the same circles as Adam and Guus for a while, Tom fit into the band ‘like a round peg in a round hole’ and helped stick the now cemented trio back together, and stronger than ever.
“That bond is more like family than just a friend or bandmate,” Adam says. “We know when each other needs a helping hand or when they need space, being in a band can be intense. When you’re on the road together, you’re in each other’s pockets 24/7 for weeks so you have to have a strong bond.”
It’s in this friendship, resilience, and unconditional love that the trio’s forthcoming 15-track debut album What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All came to be. Taking inspiration from an eclectic collection of influences, including the film scores of Ennio Morricone and desert blues pioneers Tinariwen, Kurt Vile, and Father John Misty, The Howlers have set themselves up to make a huge impact with this expansive collection of tracks.
So, we caught up with frontman Adam Young to find out a bit more about The Howlers’ first album What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All, which is set for release on May 17th.
Your latest single ‘Cowboys Don’t Cry’ sees you explore a softer rock sound, why did this feel right for the track, and can we expect more songs like this on the album?
The first demo of the track was just me with an acoustic guitar. Very raw but the album already had a track on it like this, so it took a bit of trial and error (I think there were church bells on it at one point). But the orchestral side of this song really tied the album together and worked with the song as well. The album is full of subtle strings and trumpet and cinematic scores so yeah there's lots more to come.
There’s a cinematic quality to your music as well, do you think you see life through a cinematic lens or is this just a by-product of your creative process?
A bit of both really, although it’s not how we write. We don’t get in a room and say right let’s give [Hans] Zimmer a run for his money, it’s more just how we sound when we get together and combine our individual and joint interests. Authenticity is the name of the game, and we wouldn’t want to try be anything we’re not. So I guess in some regard it’s a by-product for sure, but it’s not forced. It’s always a case of ‘how can we make this better’ in a subtle way that nobody would expect.
When were the songs on ‘What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All’ written and how did they come about?
Mostly over 2022, we finished the album back in October 2022. I sat on it a bit figuring out who we were in between 3 or 4 tours over 2023, but they all came about as a result of the unimaginable amounts of pain and trauma we collectively experienced over recent years and have managed to grow through. Together we’ve lost 7 loved ones and friends over 2 or so years, with one of us experiencing the vast majority of that — that informs you as a songwriter: grief is a powerful tool.
Did recording the album near the beach in Eastbourne influence its sound at all?
We’ve worked out of the studio in Eastbourne a few times — it’s a nice hidden gem that a lot of artists now use on the down low. Demob Happy, Kid Kapichi have all recorded there around the same time as us. It’s like a little retreat, with an old 1970s studio tucked away in a courtyard owned by a guy called David Lynch (queue Twin Peaks theme). It’s no thrills, no distractions. You’re there to make music and it definitely informs what you do while you’re there. Having the beach a 30-second walk away is a nice head clearer. Tunnel vision is a big one in the studio for any artist so getting out to breathe in some sea air, skip a few stones and then go back to the studio, [means] more often than not you’ll hit gold that 2nd time around. We’ve recorded in some of the best studios in the country, but we’ve got a soft spot for ‘The Zoo’ that’s for sure.
What’s your favourite song on the album and what is it about?
I think all of us would argue till the cows came home about this, but all I will say is we struggled to narrow the album down to 15 songs as it is, and then struggled to pick the singles. We’re proud of everything. There’s a track called I Need Your Love which is a bit different for us but it’s a great song, and Side A ends with a tender cut Wanting, Waiting, Wishing, which is a great crowd pleaser.
Given the album was a way for you to process some difficult emotions, how does it feel knowing it’ll soon be out in the world for everyone to hear?
In a nutshell, it’s like a birthday. You know when your aunt says ‘So how do you feel?’ — no different. You live and breathe these songs for such a long time that their meaning stops being yours and becomes the fans by the time it comes out. It’s cathartic for sure but you never really know.
What do you hope people will get from the album?
An escape from whatever they need. That’s always been our number one goal to offer people something that isn’t hate or anger or satire. It’s a record that is as much yours as it is ours. So, if a fan listens to the album, finds their own meaning in the songs and speaks to us about it, then what could be better than that? We never set out with a 5-year plan to play Wembley, but we did set out to make a meaningful difference to whoever wants to listen. We don’t carry an ego with us just the desire to keep going in a world that always tells you to stop.
And you’re going to be touring the UK playing in-stores in May, do you think it’s important that these songs are heard in intimate venues and that you’re able to maintain a close relationship with your fans?
100%. A lot of artists lose that along the way. After every show, whether it’s 200 or 2000 people, we go hang out around the merch stand, speak to fans, and hear their stories. Just the other day I took a fan and his son up on stage after a show to look at all the gear and have a chat. Those things matter — we won’t ever stop doing that, so doing our first in-store tour stripped back and then chatting to everyone there, whether its 2 or 20 people, it’s all worth it.
The Howlers’ in-store tour will begin on Friday 10th May in Glasgow before finishing in Portsmouth on May 17th. Full details can be found below.
What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All is out May 17th.