Melbourne emo rockers Belle Haven have been steadily evolving over the past few years, most notably with their latest single “I Can’t Find the Words”. The band’s first new music since 2021 EP Time Changes Nothing signals a shift in their traditional metalcore sound as an upbeat take on the darker side of love.
We caught up with frontman David De La Hoz to chat about the single, tours and more.
“I knew we were gonna start the year with a bit of action, but everything has been snowballing – in a good way! It’s just a lot,” he laughs. “I think I spent most of 2022 in bed, so 2021 was the last release.”
While the band may have been quiet on the music front this past year, they still had a solid foot in the live scene. Belle Haven embarked on a co-headline tour with The Beautiful Monument last May, appeared at the inaugural In Peril Fest in Sydney last October, and supported Creeper at their Melbourne show in November. “I Can’t Find the Words” takes the band in a different direction and we asked David what the catalyst for the decision was.
“The honest, transparent truth is that, historically, CV (Christopher Vernon) and I have been part of Belle Haven for a long time and for Time Changes Nothing, he and I did a great deal of the writing. CV’s influence on that EP is blaringly obvious and when you take that input out, because he was not a part of the writing process of this song, this is what is authentic to Tom, Mara and myself.
Just after Forget Me came out, Paramore’s After Laughter came out and we all loved that record. We had romantic ideas on tour of starting a project on the side, and I think we actually did do a couple of demos, but the whole premise of that was to do something a little brighter and vocal-focused. So basically, take CV out and this is what Belle Haven sounds like.”
Despite its heavier lyrical themes, “I Can’t Find the Words” is an upbeat track with a lighter approach to the songwriting. Using Paramore’s more recent work as an example, it’s evident that conveying these darker emotions in a – dare we say it – fun way can be alleviating. But does it make them feel any better about the situation?
“Some writers talk about how they’re able to write stuff and let it go, and writing is still quite cathartic for me, but just ‘cause I write about something doesn’t mean that I’m free of that trauma. I don’t know if it made me feel any differently about it, but that particular song was kind of like unanimously cathartic.”
The new single is also the first to represent Belle Haven as a trio, comprised of David, Tom Mitchell (bass) and Daniel Marinakis (guitar). The band have still been writing consistently and working on new material behind the scenes as they learn how to create in a different way. It also helps that their peers have stepped up to offer their incredible talent for the band’s live show.
“Tom drafted the intro section, which is essentially the chorus with a different vibe, and he just demoed that himself and said ‘Just imagine this but in David’s voice’. We had been writing and demoing for quite a few months and we’d get so far with a demo and say ‘This isn’t it yet’, but I guess we were still fleshing out what it’s like with three cooks in the kitchen.
It very quickly came together and the band’s gone through a lot of change, both personally and musically, so I think this song kind of summarises a lot of those feelings for us. Belle Haven is like a revolving door of talent and we’re super grateful for that. We can’t get on stage with just the three of us, we need a band! We’ve worked with artists like Tapestry and Alera and that’s been a true privilege.”
Belle Haven are currently on tour with Banks Arcade and liveconformdie for their Future Lovers Australia Tour which looks like a wild time. We asked David how the new track has been received at the live shows.
“In Brisbane, I think it was a day or two after it came out, but there were people who knew the words. The energy in that room was really positive and it was the same in Sydney, then Canberra, that show was really fun.”
We also asked what his favourite local support has been so far and there was one that definitely stood out.
“Bad Party in Brisbane! I could talk about all the local supports, honestly, they were all really good. It was the first night of the tour, they were the first band to play, and we were standing sidestage like ‘Yo, this band is dope!’. I had the chance to meet them afterwards and they were so lovely and kind. I highly recommend you spin Bad Party if you haven’t heard of them before.”
Belle Haven will also be supporting RedHook with Bad/Love and Grenade Jumper on their 11-date Postcard from a Living Hell Tour across the country in May. With the reception they’ve had on their current tour so far, it’s pretty clear where he’s most keen to play.
“Well after Canberra the other night, I’m really excited to go back! I was looking at the flyer just before and there’s a few places on this tour that I didn’t know existed and for all I know they could be made up, like Maroochydore. Obviously, Belle Haven has a collective soft spot for the Valley. Last time we were there, we just spent a lot of time people watching and there were so many interesting narratives going on.”
Having started the year off strong with a new single and a couple of tours, can we expect more to come from the Melbourne boys in the coming months? The answer is a tentative yes from a tight-lipped but eager David.
“We’ve got a lot. When you’re Belle Haven, the prospect of new music is pretty rare, but there’ll be a lot coming out this year. We’re working on some interesting stuff that’ll be quite different and I’m really looking forward to it.”
You can get tickets to the final show with Banks Arcade at Enigma Bar in Adelaide on 25 February HERE. Get your tickets to the Postcard from a Living Hell Tour HERE. Follow Belle Haven on Facebook and Instagram for more.
