Amber Run’s Joe Keogh Shares Biggest Revelations From His ‘How To Be Human’ Album (Exclusive)

With AI advancing to the point where ChatGPT passes the law exams and David Guetta is making music with artificial Eminems, now is a great time to ask the question: what Exactly does it mean to be human? For Joe Keoga third indie rock band amber racethis question is present in all the songs of his new album, as a human being (published February 24 on TRIPEL). Marking Amber Run’s first LP since 2019 Philophobia, as a human being look at the band – guitarist and vocalist Joe, bassist Thomas Sperring and keyboard player Henry Wieth – tackling heavy themes of guilt, pain, death, terror and joy, while also delivering some of the most captivating music of the band’s career.

Because death is such a fundamental aspect of being human, the theme is woven throughout the album, both in a sense of purpose (“Funeral”) and in how one learns to let go and change as one grows. “Making this album helped me let go of the guilt about decisions I personally made years ago,” Joe says. hollywood life in an EXCLUSIVE interview. “It helped me take ownership and ownership of my thinking at the time. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to delve into this with my closest friends. I will be forever grateful for the care and support we have given each other during the process of recording this album.”

Doing as a human being it didn’t just help Amber Run think about what makes homo-sapiens tick. She also helped Joe remember why he started a band in the first place. When asked about the biggest revelation he had recording the album, she says HL, “That making music should be fun. That you should be laughing all the time. Either what you say is so true it’s funny or what you’re doing is so beautiful you can’t believe it’s yours.”

This realigned approach is everywhere amber run. The song shines as a clear sonic presentation of the trio’s crowds, while also showing who the band is, was and will be. “We are all huge music fans and the flavor is quite eclectic. Our rule of thumb is that if it’s good, it’s just good, regardless of genre or motivation,” says Joe.

There are elements of indie rock, dream pop, classic alternative and post-punk as a human being (“Thanks for thinking about ‘The Beautiful Victorious,’” Joe says of Peter Hook-ish bassline in the song, “That was exactly what we were looking for!”), but the album isn’t a pastiche of influences. It is a representation of the experiences and perspectives of the group.

“We grew up attending a lot of punk, hardcore and rock shows and wanted a track that conveyed that ‘all that matters is the live show’ sensibility,” says Joe. “Those four on the ground, dynamic chest beating. artists like The national team, Good Iver, AND arcade fire It will always be important to the chemistry of what we do collaboratively, but let’s try not to follow their performances too rigidly, or we lose what makes our band ours!

However as a human being It’s the band’s first album since 2019, they haven’t stopped. They have released a trio of lengthy EPs: The search (Act I), The Beginning (Act II)AND The Wound (Act III)) – along with a handful of singles. “We love making music and it’s hard not to do something you enjoy,” Joe explains. “We no longer think about release schedules, deadlines or industry standards. We’re trying to write songs and then record and release them the moment they’re conceived. The whole project feels innocent again, like it did when we started.

However, the band is not as young as it was when it started. Joe himself grew up and became a father in the intervening period philophobia AND as a human being. While these significant life changes may lead to an emotional disconnect with the music he was making as a young 20-year-old without a care in the world, Joe still finds value in these older songs.

“Personally, it’s not difficult for me to connect with old music because: 1. I like it; 2 – I’m proud of it; Myth #3: They themselves are little reminders of moments in time,” he shares. “Past material helps inform and inspire the next set of things. What worked for us? What didn’t? Why? And basically, we’re trying to say things that are important to us, but we’re just pushing the air. I think if you take everything too seriously, you’re going to have a hard time getting to the real point of what you’re trying to say. The ‘gravitas’ and the pressure chokes the process.” .

What helps Joe find value in these older expressions is that he doesn’t see music as simply a static preservation of a moment or a timeless and everlasting expression. “I don’t think these two statements are opposites,” he says. “None of us are that different from each other. So what I’m experiencing now probably won’t be that different from someone who is going through a similar period 50 years from now. As mentioned above, achieving timelessness can inadvertently keep you from achieving it, because you’re so busy trying to make it great that you forget to sprinkle in some humanity. But it’s just me and how are we going to do it.”

And so, with this exploration of “how do we” be human, what is one of Joe’s nagging questions about the whole process we call life?

“Is there more to all this?” reflect. “Are we missing something?

Fans can figure that out for themselves. amber race AS human being hits streaming services February 24.

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