Interviews: Scarhaven
1. Scarhaven proudly embraces the spirit of '90s grunge in an era dominated by polished production. What drew you to that raw, emotional sound, and why do you think it still resonates today?
What drew me to that era was that the music never begged to be beautiful. It could be ugly, beautiful, violent, and vulnerable at the same time. I think it still resonates today because these are real human emotions like loneliness, anger, desire, grief, and love. Especially in today’s time, like you said, everyone and everything tries to be so perfect, and no one is perfect. We need to recognize when something is real rather than manufactured. Let’s not lose sight of what makes us human in a world that’s pushing a polished existence. Nowadays, perfection is the norm, and imperfection starts to feel sacred.
2. Your new single, "My Way," speaks about rejecting a tyrannical system that pushes society toward conformity. What inspired that message, and how does it reflect your own experiences?
I wanted “My Way” to be an anthem for people not to be afraid of exercising and expressing their freedoms in the world and our country. Especially in a time when the moment you have a difference of opinion, you are canceled, shunned, and hated. Why don’t we all focus on the positives and what we do agree on instead of hating one another? As long as your beliefs don’t cause harm to people physically and emotionally, believe in what you want to believe in and don’t be a follower just because it’s the current norm. There needs to be more love and unity in this world and in our country 100%, but that doesn’t mean sacrificing your freedoms, hiding behind the leader, and going with the flow. I have experienced this in my own way when everyone at school just followed the leader and was a hype man for each other. No one seemed to think for themselves. Look at the broccoli haircut epidemic where these dudes all look the same. It’s quite hilarious to me.
3. Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana are cited as key influences. Which elements from those legendary bands have had the biggest impact on Scarhaven's identity, and where do you deliberately forge your own path?
The honesty and integrity that these bands bring lyrically and musically is what has the biggest impact on us. The truth and vulnerability that they bring, talking about real emotions, is what has impacted us. We acknowledge that they have an influence on us. However, when it comes to writing and establishing ourselves as artists and individuals, we check our influences at the door and pull from our own hearts and life experiences. Everyone in the band listens to a ton of other stuff, not only the 90’s grunge bands. That being said, we all share the love for those bands, and it is one of many components that unites us together and makes it an easy process to collaborate together in the writing room.
4. There's often a fine line between paying tribute to a classic sound and simply recreating it. How do you make sure Scarhaven feels fresh while honoring the grunge legacy?
I think it’d be different if we only listened to the 90’s grunge bands and that’s the only influence we had. But we all pull from so much outside of those bands. Not only musically, but other forms of art too, our current lives, and the current world we live in. I think things like that are what keep us fresh and current. Scarhaven has its own mythology. There’s more theatricality, biblical imagery, romanticism, and confrontation in what we do. We aren’t trying to return to Seattle in 1991. We’re writing from the scars, contradictions, and spiritual confusion of the life we’re living now. I would like to preface that we are not a political or religious band. We are just pulling from our own experiences.
5. "My Way" recently premiered on SiriusXM Octane. What was your reaction when you learned the song would be featured there, and what has the response been like so far?
We were so stoked that “My Way” premiered on SiriusXM’s Octane. We are so thankful to Vincent Rockwell and Jose Mangin over at Octane that they were able to have our song played. This wasn’t our first taste of being played on Octane, though. Our song “I’m Not Dead Yet” off our first EP was played on Octane, and that was the first time one of our songs has ever been played on the radio, which was huge for us. Any time an artist hears their song on the radio, you have a pinch-me moment and ask if you think this is real. But the response has been great thus far and has given us a lot of new fans and listeners who are also listening to our other songs too, which is great.
6. The lyrics of "My Way" carry a strong sense of rebellion. Do you see Scarhaven as a band with a social or political voice, or is your goal more about encouraging listeners to think for themselves?
I don’t think “My Way” carries a sense of rebellion. If exercising your freedoms, thinking for yourself, and not being a follower is considered rebellious, we are in big trouble. We are also not a political or religious band; we are simply artists living in the current world and seeing what is happening around us and reacting to it. We aren’t politicians, and we have no right to preach and tell people how to live their lives. If we wanted to be political, we’d become politicians and quit music. I understand we have a platform to reach people, but that is not our job to push a political side or our own politics onto someone. Our job as artists is to remind people of their humanity and the love to have for yourself and others. It’s simply to connect as human beings, unite people, and to remind them they are not alone.
7. Your music balances heavy, distorted riffs with vulnerable, emotionally charged lyrics. How does your songwriting process typically begin—does it start with a musical idea, a lyrical concept, or something else entirely?
It really varies. Sometimes it starts with a cool riff or a musical idea that moves us and then builds off that way. Sometimes it starts with a lyrical concept or something that’s happening to one of the guys or me in real time. Other times we pull from a film that may move us, a painting, or any other form of art. Could even be nature. As corny as it sounds, the world is our oyster, so we can really pull from anything, but it must make us feel something deep inside; whether it’s positive or negative, it must move us.
8. Grunge has always been associated with authenticity over perfection. In today's music industry, do you feel there's increasing pressure to fit trends, and how do you resist that pressure as a band?
Truthfully, as a band, we find trends to be very cringe and go hand in hand with being a follower. We don’t pay attention to trends we know are happening, but that’s not for us. It feels almost gross to do something because it’s trending and you feel like a puppet. There isn’t pressure for us cause we rather just be ourselves, regardless if a trend can help us reach a new fan. We like to be true to who we are and don’t worry about trends. It's silly.
9. As a relatively young band carrying the torch for grunge, what misconceptions do people have about the genre, and what do you hope new listeners discover through Scarhaven?
I’m honored that you think we are carrying the torch for grunge haha, we do love grunge, but we don’t solely want to associate ourselves as being this “nu grunge” or modern grunge band. We are just a band that leans rock, but I don’t even wanna say rock band because there are so many other directions we can go as a band. Putting a label on it freaks me out a little because it makes me feel creatively constricted. So I like to say we are just a band. I hope I don’t get heat from that statement haha. I don’t even know if some of my bandmates would agree haha. I hope our new listeners discover a sense of belonging and human connection through Scarhaven. A sense where you feel welcomed and have fun listening to our music, but also helping the listener through hard times by having them relate to the human experiences we all go through.
10. With "My Way" introducing many listeners to Scarhaven, what can fans expect next? Are there plans for more singles, an EP, or a full-length album that expands on the themes explored in this release?
So “My Way” is our first single off our second EP which will have a total of 7 songs on our second EP. Our first EP, “Changing,” has 6. We just released our second single off our second EP called “Clouds,” but we are doing a single-by-single release every 4-6 weeks; we’ll release the next single until our second EP is fully out. After that, we will probably promote those first two EPs by playing live as much as possible. We are always writing, so a full-length album should come out maybe at the end of next year or the beginning of 2028. As for similar themes, you’ll have to wait and see for yourself haha.
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