Brisbane alt-metal quartet Headwreck are paving the way for a new era of heavy music in Australia. Their dark, bouncy new single “Let It Feel” is their first original release since their explosive 2021 debut EP Glamorise Demise. Produced, mixed and mastered by guitarist/vocalist Jamo Benadie, the band’s latest offering is their most unique and alluring yet.
We caught up with vocalist Connor Hickman and drummer Colby Horton to discuss the new single, latest shows and what comes next. After spending the first few minutes of the Zoom call discussing Brisbane’s disgusting weather of late, we got down to business.
Connor: “We released the (Linkin Park) cover and a new single, but that’s been done for ages, so I feel like we’ve been stagnant for the second half of the year, actually.”
Colby: “That little period was crazy because it went from your casual Brisbane shows to a show in Sydney, a week later we were playing in Sydney again, and then three weeks after that we were playing in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.”
Headwreck have been busy cutting their teeth in the live arena this year, having supported the likes of Stepson, She Cries Wolf and Saviour, and trying their luck in the Good Things Festival band competition. We asked the boys about their recent opening for Paledusk at The Brightside last Tuesday.
Colby: “Such a fun show! The coolest thing about it was since we played 30 minutes after doors opened, there were so many people there who we didn’t know. Everyone was just so kind and it was a big show of love.”
Connor: “I was at the merch desk for a lot of it, so I was just around everyone and it was a good feeling. It was sick to see Paledusk pull 250-300 on a Tuesday night as their first international headliner.”
The band will also be co-headlining a New Year’s Eve party at Brisbane’s Greaser Bar as part of a stacked lineup with Young Lions and The Comfort among others. You can get your tickets to the event HERE.
Connor: “That one’s stupid though, I don’t know why The Comfort are playing under us. Very keen and stoked to be co-headlining with Young Lions, that’s one for the pool room.”
The new single “Let It Feel” is a unique track with a variety of styles reflecting the band’s influences and where they want to take it from here. A crushing lead riff and harsh screams drive the song towards a cacophonous breakdown with powerful cleans. Interestingly, it came together from the idea of a collaboration with another band.
Connor: “Jamo wrote the instrumental side of things and we sort of all came together and rearranged it in terms of structure. Lyrics were thrown together by me and Jamo with everyone, but the inspiration was originally to be a collaboration. One of the riffs is one that we got given by She Cries Wolf and Jamo wrote the song around it.”
Colby: “In the song, there’s that big breakdown where there’s glitchy noises everywhere and we were like, ‘Look, it seems a bit one-sided’. I think it kind of incorporates everything Headwreck wants to sound like and draws inspiration from.”
Accompanying the single is a captivating video that serves as a great visual representation of the lyrics. The band performs the song in a white box as black vines creep along the walls to envelop them, reflecting the song’s themes of addiction – whether that be a substance or a person. As good as it looks, apparently the shoot was not at all fun.
Connor: “It was by far the most stressful music video we’ve ever done. None of us are at all hands-on craftsmen or carpenters, so us trying to figure out how to build a set was pretty cursed. We had to be there at 6am and Colby and Dayne are an hour away from there.”
Colby: “Pitch black, jump up and get ready to go, then we got there because we didn’t want to be late and all the other boys rock up 45 minutes late!”
Connor: “Jackson from Rumours was there helping out as well. He’s from Melbourne, he flew from Bali to Brisbane, caught an Uber to my house, slept for like three hours and then we got up.”
With a huge year of firsts and a promising trajectory, it seems like everything is getting exponentially bigger and better for Headwreck. We asked the band what some of their goals for the new year are and, given their impressive skills and work ethic, they are definitely achievable.
Colby: “For me, personally, a big goal is a tour. Play some new towns we haven’t played before, but also just explore, really. I’ve always had this dream of playing a festival, I think seeing Good Things this year really amplified that drive.”
Connor: “Man, it’s pretty much the same. It’s hard to say something different because we’ve literally been talking about this for the last week. The main thing is to try and get a couple runs up and down the East Coast and we want to get to Adelaide in 2023, that’s a big one.”
“Let It Feel” is available now on all streaming platforms. Follow Headwreck on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates.
