Interviews: Hype Lights

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Rock/Pop Punk band Hype Lights from France. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

We got the idea of the name by chance, it comes from a joke. We wanted something simple to understand, pronounce and remember and if possible with an interesting signification. Adrien wanted something with the word “Lights”, then our former drummer suggested we chose something ‘hype’, and cracked a joke and said, “Oh wait, here’s something, Hype Lights”. We all laughed and decided to keep it like that. In the end, we live in a world with a lot of hype everywhere which may detract us from our own path. Indeed, many of our songs are about the fact that we can find or lose ourselves in many situations.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Our musical style has taken a little while to emerge and our music has naturally gotten stronger as we played together week after week. We used to play pop-rock in the past and we decided to get a darker and harder rock sound than we imagined.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Not really. We had common relationships and it was precisely our will to play the music that brought us together, then we became friends.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

The four of us used to listen to a lot of different artists and bands even if we all had a favorite one at the moment. For Adrien, it is Silverstein because of their modern musical style and intensity with lots of harsh vocals and screams. Their two last albums have been a main source of inspiration for us. For Jerémy, it’s Movements, he’s been listening to nearly a thousand times their latest album Nothing Left To Give which has deep guitar sounds with beautiful harmonies and contrasts between overdrive and clean sounds (with beautiful Fender guitar sounds as we like), and also intense vocals and screaming just like Silverstein. Victor is fond of Neck Deep’s music which delivers a modern pop-punk sound that has succeeded in keeping the pop-punk energy that rocked his teenage years. Finally, Louis really likes Angel & Airwaves for the variety and the contrasts you can hear in their catchy music.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

A lot of bands we’re listening to help us compose our instrumental parts at first. We like music with deep atmospheres and intense vocals most of the time. Then, the songs we like are rather sad, with lyrics and voices a little bit dramatic and emotional. The lyrics of our songs come from personal experiences and illustrate the ups and downs we have once experienced, including anger, failure, loneliness, loss, nostalgia etc. However it is important to us to keep a positive message with a sincere lyrical focus and potent message which underlines the importance of never giving up even during the worst of times, and the problems that everyone faces on a daily basis.

6. Where was your last gig?

It was at home in Lyon, in a really nice place called Rock’ N Eat where a lot of big bands regularly play. It was an amazing moment we shared with 2 other bands we appreciate from Valence, where we are from, Wisewolf and Yvet Garden. It was a typical rock show where people were dancing and singing with us and jumping from the stage. We hope to play again at home in this place. The band is currently on a UK Tour from October 13th to October 22nd.

7. Where would you like to play?

As most of our influences and audience are from the US, we’d really like to plan a tour over there maybe in 2023 or 2024. Right now we are focusing on the recording of our upcoming album Leave It All Behind.

8. Who would you like to support?

As you can guess, we’d like to play with US rock bands. It would be a dream come true to tour the US and play our music with bands who have inspired us during all these years and since our teenagehood.

9. Who not?

There’s not a single artist we wouldn’t like to support. Artists that remain humble, friendly, and thankful just like us.

10. Have any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Everybody who plays on stage in front of many people experiences this situation. We usually are at ease on stage but we can still suffer from stage fright during gigs with a lot of people. Our tips aren’t revolutionary ideas though. Louis (drummer) would tell you to drink one or two beers before going on stage. Jeremy (singer) would tell you to remain calm because stage fright should fade after the first song. Adrien (guitar) will tell you to scream as loud as you can in your microphone and our bassist to dance and jump a lot on stage to relax.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Silverstein, Movements, Neck Deep, Angels & Airwaves, and a lot of current Alt-Rock bands. We all have different sources of inspiration we can still count on, mainly coming from the 00s or before. Louis has always been a fan of rock bands like Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. Adrien has always been fond of pop punk artists like Good Charlotte or Avril Lavigne. Jeremy also has many influences from his teenagehood like My Chemical Romance, Green Day, or Taking Back Sunday. Finally, Victor studied music years ago and has been listening to a lot of different genres from reggae, rap, rock, and pop-punk to metalcore, etc.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

There’s one story that is quite funny. Years ago we were invited by one of our fans, who seemed to like being dressed up as a siren, to play at a private party with her friends all dressed up like sirens as well. The whole thing seemed pretty creepy I can assure you, we had to refuse the invitation. It could’ve been a Sleeping With Sirens kind of night haha.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Since the release of the band’s debut EP ‘Reckless’, and more recently new single ‘Fever Dream’, we’ve been receiving a lot of support from fans (USA, UK, Europe, etc). It’s something that encourages us to continue writing and releasing new music, meeting new people during concerts, etc. Everyone has been so kind and gentle to us, we’re really looking forward to seeing what’s next.

14. What do you think of our site?

We love rock music which can be really dark and sometimes violent. Breathing The Core gives us news of bands, the latest releases, etc, so thank you for that.

15. Something to add?

Please check out our new single, Fever Dream. The video is here - https://youtu.be/4-M1nRaYGVs