From the unlikely creative setting of lockdown 2020 emerges OWES, a Hemel Hempstead quartet whose sound defies easy categorization.
Blending elements of grunge, electronic, punk, and pop, the band has evolved from GarageBand iPhone demos to competition winners who’ve shared the stage with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Hugh Grundy of The Zombies.
Now with five years under their belts and fresh off releasing Because I Love Him, Distractions continues to forge their distinctive sound in garage studios rather than traditional recording spaces. With a sharp wit and refreshing honesty about the music industry’s challenges, the band offers a glimpse into their creative process, influences, and what keeps them going.
We caught up with Harvey (vocals), Callum (guitar), Charlie (bass), and Eliot (drums) to talk roundabouts, recording, and what makes them happy.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
HARVEY: I’ve been teaching for most of the week and today is no different. Apart from that it’s just the general life things, whilst hoping my car will start and not give up on me I suppose. Rock and roll.
CALLUM: Working, unfortunately.
CHARLIE: Drilling planks of wood together, before launching tungsten at a wall in a drinking establishment local to the city of St. Albans.
ELIOT: Today, I am teaching drums.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, what do you love about it?
HARVEY: There isn’t a great deal to talk about when it comes to Hemel Hempstead. Not a lot goes on but people are trying. It’s a place to live but with nothing to do really, London isn’t far which is okay. If you like winter sports and big roundabouts you’re sorted though.
CALLUM: We are from the lovely, historic town of Hemel Hempstead. We love it because we’re all from here so we don’t really have a choice but to. There’s a music scene growing here and that’s great to see. There’s also a big roundabout.
CHARLIE : Hemel Hempstead, it’s a thrilling place complete with an indoor ski slope, and a roundabout you can drive around both ways. I know, it’s like something straight out of Eraserhead. More fried chicken than Kentucky and not nearly enough good boozers. Why do I love it? It’s home.
ELIOT: There’s a lot nearby Hemel, London is relatively close and I suppose there are worse places to live. Big roundabout.
HAPPY: What’s three tracks that you currently have on repeat?
HARVEY: “Mulder And Scully” – Catatonia / “It’s Amazing To Be Young” – Fontaines D.C. / “Take Me To The River” – Al Green
CALLUM : “Nausea” – Gurriers / “Not Enough” – Rosa Caelum / “Guilty Conscience” – Kneecap.
CHARLIE: “Baby Jane” – Rod Stewart / “Printhead” – The Fall / “Cornfield Chase” – Hans Zimmer.
ELIOT: “The Riverboat Song” – Ocean Colour Scene / “Man In A Box” – Alice In Chains / “Pink” – CAN.
HAPPY: Your formation coincided with lockdown in 2020, forcing you to work remotely. How did that unusual beginning shape your creative process and band dynamic?
HARVEY: Awful period of time but probably the best thing that could’ve happened to us. We were awful. My god, we were awful. It gave us time to figure things out, not that we did, but it gave us time at least. We wrote, grew and learnt and I suppose that’s what time is for. Seems like a lifetime ago now.
CALLUM: Lockdown was kind of a blessing in disguise. It allowed us to constantly write material because there was nothing else to do and all grew at our instruments. It felt like a nearly 18 month prep for us.
HAPPY: The competition win with The Zombies led to performing with Hugh Grundy – what was that experience like, especially given the local connection between Hemel Hempstead and St. Albans?
HARVEY: It was pretty phenomenal. We had done virtually nothing all year bar a few small shows so to finish off with that, and a good show in London the following month too, was a really good end and definitely set the tone for the next year. The fact it helped finance singles is major too – love that such an established and successful band are so connected to where they are from. And Hugh Grundy is one of the soundest people you’ll ever meet.
CALLUM: It was an unreal experience. We entered not really thinking anything of it as these things never seem to amount to much, but to get to the final and then win was amazing. We had come out of doing nothing for practically all of 2024 and to cap it off with that was excellent. And I’ll never forget playing with a legend like Hugh Grundy.
CHARLIE: The most surreal moment of my life. Having a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer admit he’s nervous about matching our style. It was humbling to be announced as winners.
We put a lot of time, money, blood and sweat into that set and to have it not only pay off but finance the recording of our singles thereafter was amazing. It’s great that local legends like The Zombies are so connected to the grassroots after all this time.
HAPPY: ‘Because I Love Him’ was discovered as a title in the back of a notebook. Are your other songs born from similar unexpected moments of inspiration?
HARVEY: Mostly, yes. There isn’t really a rhyme or reason to anything I do and as soon as there is I don’t really trust it. I like how something can be there and left for ages to be rediscovered with fresh context later down the line.
CALLUM: I don’t know, Harvey comes up with all the weird names.
HAPPY: Your sound blends grunge, electronic, punk, and pop. Which artists or bands have most influenced this eclectic mix?
HARVEY: Tough to pin down but I think the time I discovered them and the amount I listened to The 1975 really inspired me to fuse sounds in abnormal ways. I grew up listening to a lot of varied stuff and big arrangements always interested me, but I also like doing a lot with very little. It’s hard to pin down. Arpeggiators are great though.
CALLUM: It’s hard to say who and what exactly influenced us. We listen to a lot, including a lot of dance music so it would be strange for us to not include electronic elements.
HAPPY: You recorded ‘Because I Love Him’ with Tom Stammers in a garage setting. What draws you to this more intimate recording environment versus a traditional studio?
HARVEY: When we say garage, it’s still kitted out. He knows his stuff. I think the preference in setting is probably a hangover from formation. We demoed everything with an iPhone using GarageBand – and it was fine. It worked. And some of it, dare I say, even sounded quite good. As soon as you get a laptop involved you open up avenues. The money and time side of a massive studio feels unnecessary and a bit of a vanity thing to us, and we work really well with Tom so it’s an easy environment to get things done in.
CALLUM : We’ve known and been mates with Tom for a while, and have a really trusting relationship with him. It feels natural to work with him rather than a massive, fancy studio. I think we perform and work better in that setting anyway.
CHARLIE: For me it’s how the best music is made. Intimately, off the cuff and while with your best mates. I’ve known Tom since school and everything I’ve ever written and released has had at least a demo through Tom.
We’ve a long standing working relationship and that’s super important. Also the ability to be completely experimental and obnoxious and have the confidence to say: “That’s absolute rubbish” and work around it another way is so vital.
HAPPY: Looking back at “source DEMOgraphics” compared to your recent releases, how do you feel your sound has evolved?
HARVEY: Stuff just changes I guess. We were all about 18 when we started this so you’re still a kid, really. The interpersonal stuff comes with it and you kind of ignore it. I think it’s natural to listen to more music and eventually stop trying to copy Arctic Monkeys.
Songs come very much out of nowhere for me and the sonics appear as you discover it, and that’s probably the biggest evolution. Getting sharper at the creative bit and trusting ourselves and each other with what we know we can all do.
CALLUM: Our sound has changed dramatically and I think that’s more to do with what we were listening to around the time of that load of demos. We were all bang into IDLES and Shame and I think that reflects in those tracks a lot.
HAPPY: With five years now under your belt, what’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a band?
HARVEY: The industry is horrible, nothing makes much sense and that there is oftentimes zero reward for anything you do. But you do it anyway and hope it catches on, you just keep believing and giving everything you’ve got. Also, parking is insanely expensive.
CALLUM: That you have to put 100% into every little thing you do and be a complete perfectionist about your art.
HAPPY: What makes you Happy?
HARVEY: “When you approach a red light at the speed limit and it goes green. That’s probably the pinnacle. Oh, and Tom Cleverley.”
CALLUM: Free beers in the green room.
CHARLIE: Darts. David Moyes. The Fall.
ELIOT: Good question, music sometimes.
Check out OWES latest single here.
