By: Staff
Hauspoints Releases Their Debut Album "Eel Feeling," Featuring Infectious Single "Hear No, See No"
What an absolutely unique and creative way to kick off an album. "Eel Feeling" opens with the track "88.3 ONFM," instantly reminding us of the frustrations with modern music, where raw, authentic sounds seem lost. The track delivers a vocal blast, almost as if someone is shouting their complaints through a megaphone. It’s relentless, filled with raw energy that hooks you in from the start. We absolutely love the way it commands attention without taking a breath.
Next up is "Hear No, See No," and this one’s a game-changer. Its infectious opening beat grips you immediately, setting up an explosive ride. The rolling guitars come in, weaving in and out, adding an iconic layer to the track. Hauspoints seamlessly blends punk rock, indie, and even a touch of dance vibes into this song. As the sustained synths kick in, there’s an undeniable dance floor energy, wild and unstable. Imagine this live, the crowd is bound to go crazy, maybe even reviving some good old-fashioned slam dancing. And the vocals? Absolutely unique. The delivery evokes the energy of Devo, but Hauspoints stands firmly in their own lane. When the guitars blaze back in, it’s a moment you’ll be craving, bringing a rhythmic and explosive sound we’ve missed on stage.
"Meat Bingo" follows, and once again, the band doesn’t hold back. This track showcases their talent with a more jazz-infused free-flowing arrangement that feels alive and real. There’s no cut-and-paste, studio-built sound here. The music is alive, played live, recorded live, and it radiates pure energy. The thunderous bass and electrifying vocals will hit you hard, delivering blistering guitars and thumping drums. The band’s ability to inject humor into the track, with lines like “Or a Supermecado,” is sure to become a legendary in-joke. Trust us, you need to playlist this one, even if you don’t have time to listen right now.
Finally, we dive into "Catflap," a track that tells you to “make some assumptions.” The beauty of Hauspoints’ music is how they allow listeners to create their own interpretations. It’s a clever balance between guiding you in one direction while leaving enough room for your imagination to run wild. Much like well written poetry and works of the past, there is an expectation of the listener and observer to create their own interpretation and that's the goal of this artist which is what makes it so exciting. You can hear echoes of your favorite bands here and there, but the overall creation is undeniably unique, brought to life by an immensely talented group. We didn’t share with you the entire album because we wanted to keep some surprises, but we’re telling you now: do not sleep on this one!
You can find this release on any major platform, see below for links to take you straight to some of the profiles. Make sure to playlist, stream and share "Eel Feeling" by Hauspoints!
Powerful Quotes about this band:
“Unafraid to experiment…one of the most exciting new bands on the UK music scene” - Plastic Magazine
“An improbable hybrid of LCD Soundsystem and Squid” - Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music
“Music with fuzz, crunch and edgy creativity” - William Wolstenholme, BBC Introducing
“A persistent and forceful amalgamation of Prestwich’s post punk luminaries The Fall, plus Squid and NEU!...and thanks to those fierce saxophones…Roxy Music” - The Unsigned Guide
Wait… there's more!
We had the chance to catch up with this exciting artist for an exclusive interview in "The Cage" Music Blog, where we discussed their music and got to know them better.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview
Please tell us the names and roles of each band member.
I’m Palmo, I play guitar and I suppose you could loosely describe what I do as singing. There’s Rob who also plays guitar and sings, Nik who plays bass and synthesisers and Chazz who plays the drums.
Is there a story behind how you chose your band name Hauspoints?
The band started as a loose studio project between myself and Rob, and the name came from a discussion about the arbitrary nature of the house point in schools, and how the practice encourages kids to compete against their peers.
Can you describe the type of music that you play and the genre(s) you represent? Are there different styles within your genre?
It’s a difficult one to pin down. People say we sound like a cross between The Fall, LCD Soundsystem and some of the newer post-punk acts. It’s a melting pot of genres because we enjoy such a wide gamut of different music, from contemporary stuff to the classics; folk to grime; noisy, grungy, crusty punk to disco and everything in between.
How did you develop the concept of using the sporadic bursts of noise throughout “Eel Feeling”, inspired by your car radio?
All of the sounds you hear on the record have essentially been transmitted through and re-recorded from a small portable FM radio. So all of those noises aren’t synthesised or stock audio, they are actually happening in real time
Can you explain how the northern perspective shaped your lyrics, particularly on tracks like “Hear No, See No”?
The lyrics on the whole have that perspective, because that’s the only perspective I have, having lived in the North of England all my life. Hear No, See No fits into that bracket, but the subject is without, not within. Although if you count drinking too much and waking up in a garden, then that part fits into the northern aesthetic, in my experience.
“Hear No, See No” delves into the complexities of intellectual property. How did this idea emerge, and what message do you want to convey?
I wouldn’t say there’s a hugely deep message, it’s a subject of interest to me and it’s an exploration of that. Like, I remember the piracy ads on rental videos in the 90s/early 2000s. I love hip-hop and finding the original songs that were sampled to make those records, and the fact that that music was made from other, existing music. The recycling aspect has always fascinated me.
How did the success of your 2023 single “Total Diversion” influence your approach when creating “Eel Feeling”?
Total Diversion was the first thing we put out with Crackedankles, and it sold out really quickly which was amazing. To have people buying your records is a huge confidence boost. Had it not been for the backing from Crackedankles, we’d have still put an album out- but it wouldn’t have been the same album. Because we have a DIY ethos anyway; which really is shared by Crackedankles, but two proverbial heads are better than one, and we were able to do something a bit bigger, better, more polished than we would’ve been able to in doing everything by ourselves.
How has the airtime on BBC 6Music and BBC Introducing impacted your confidence as a band going into the release of “Eel Feeling”?
The support we’ve received so far has been really cool. People like Will Wolstenholme at BBC Introducing is doing a great job for relatively unknown artists like us.
How does the humour in your lyrics help convey the themes of absurdity and modern life, especially on “Eel Feeling”?
I don’t know how to look at things any other way. You see some things and have to say, that is just bizarre. Human behaviour never ceases to be a point of fascination and bemusement for me. Some things, however, it’s a situation where you either have to laugh or cry. Being from where we’re from, it’s almost a requirement to try to make a joke out of serious things, it’s gallows humour.
How do you balance your personal voice with the desire to entertain and keep yourself entertained, as mentioned in your press release?
Everything I write is personal, even if it doesn’t necessarily sound heartfelt or real. I tend to take those things and look at them from a different angle, take the piss a bit, and that’s what comes out in the songs. And that’s my idea of fun.
Which instrument serves as the foundational starting point for any musical creations, and how does it influence the direction and overall sound of the compositions?
It varies song to song. Sometimes I’ll have a really scrappy idea on guitar, sometimes it’ll be a bassline, sometimes a drum loop. Everyone brings their own ideas to the table and we explore them, either flesh them out or they end up on the scrap heap.
Where do you create your music—at home in a recording studio or with a producer? How do you finalise your work—self-mixed and mastered or through another source?
Everything up to this point has been self-produced. We have our own studio/rehearsal space, but we made the decision to work with someone else for this record, to effectively get out of our comfort zone and bring in a fresh perspective. Rob Whitely recorded the album at his studio, Whitewood, in Liverpool. He’s an incredible producer with great ideas.
What was the most challenging part of bringing “Eel Feeling” to life from the initial idea to the final recording?
The creative process was probably the easiest part. That’s the part that we’re most used to, we’re kind of old hands at that stuff. There’s a lot of admin that comes with putting out a record though, dealing with PR, licensing etc. When you’re DIY like we are, there isn’t a team of people to do that for you. And we’re no exception to the rule that generally, bands, creatives, have little time and patience for admin.
What part of the music-making process is the most stressful—for example, the creation, the actual release date, etc.?
As I say, the creation part is the most satisfying and where we really sit comfortably. The actual tracking of the album was intense, we did the lion’s share of it live in three days. So it was just take after take, getting everything down. In the end we didn’t even overdub that much in terms of the core instrumentation.
There is a lot of technology available today. Some artists have described it as “overwhelming” or “too much.” The current climate of music is growing with computers being more prominently used for both creation and correction. Do you feel this has a positive or negative impact on the end result for music?
There’s a couple of ways to look at this. I could go on for a while, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as I can. Technology, any technology, when you boil it down to its base components is just a way of making a task easier, more efficient. It’s effectively a tool, and you can use a hammer to break a window or to create something beautiful and functional. It isn’t the tool’s fault that people use them for destructive purposes, or in this case purposes which are deconstructive to creativity, to artists as a whole. The flip side however, is that without Dave (or Ray, I can’t quite remember which) Davies sticking a screwdriver through the speaker in his guitar amp, there’s no ‘You Really Got Me’, no distorted guitars and none of the things that followed. My point is, sometimes you have to break things to find new ways of working.
Describe your favourite type of venue for performing.
I’ve played in cellars, front rooms, the back of lorries. Those gigs were always the most fun. But that was when I was making music where you could just play loud and it sounded good. There’s a lot more nuance to Hauspoints, and we need a bit more from a live engineering perspective to do that kind of thing anymore. Never say never though.
What is the live music venue scene like where you currently reside?
Fairly non-existent, which is a shame. You don’t need to travel far out of town to play somewhere decent, but there aren’t really any proper venues in Chorley anymore. There used to be loads, but people have moved on I guess.
Tell us about the last time you performed. Where was the show, and what was your experience like?
We’ve just done the launch party for our album last weekend. It was really great, the reception we’ve had for the record so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and the same goes for the live shows.
How would you handle travelling and being away from home for an extended period while on tour?
I’m not sure. At one time I would have relished it and would have bitten anyone’s hand off if an extensive tour was offered. But I, along with other members of Hauspoints, have young families now. Being away from them for any extended time would be really difficult.
Do you follow a process or ritual before a performance to manage nerves or performance anxiety?Put on a decent pair of socks. Nothing bad ever happened to anyone wearing a really good pair of socks.
Which musicians before you have helped shape the music industry and had an impact on your personal development?I mean, the list is just never ending. Having been in bands and involved in different projects for all of my adult life, the social circles I’ve tended to keep are musicians, artists, people active in the industry. They know who they are, and I’ll always be grateful to those people for their support and friendship. And those circles are what directly led to the formation of Hauspoints, so there’s that too.
If there were one thing you could change about the music industry, what would it be?More power to artists, more revenue going directly to artists as a whole, less of the people who promise you the moon (for a fee) and deliver some old cheese on a stick. I’d like artists to realise they don’t need those people, they don’t need to be beholden to anyone. Yes, they’ll probably make less money overall and not be as showered in glittering limelight, but it opens the door to other creative possibilities, other creative people to collaborate with, without the added pressure of being treated like a product.
Most people love or hate social media—where do you land?There are aspects of it I hate, and there are aspects which I think are ok. I couldn’t say I love it though. If you think about the etymology of the thing, these are media channels, and one of the main focuses of media channels is to gain, and keep viewers. The content, or creators who are contributing to these platforms is secondary. So when you see platforms advocating creators, or creativity; that isn’t their prerogative. That’s not to knock anyone on these platforms though, we’re on there, simply because in not doing, you’re making a rod for your own back. And there are people creating cool stuff for people to enjoy, and putting it out there. To have a go at that would be a disservice.
When you reach the stage where you have the admiration and respect of world-known artists, which band or artist would you love to call and say, “Let’s go on tour together”?There’s a few bands knocking about at the moment that I’d really like to work with. The Cool Greenhouse is one, who I heard and loved since they put out their first single. Another is Silverbacks from Ireland. They’re a great band with an incredible sound.
What is the most inspirational thing a fan or anyone has told or shown you about your music?He’s not necessarily a fan (although he might be now), but Wayne Carey who writes for Louder Than War said that the album “will have you grinning and dancing simultaneously and will surely be one of your albums of the year.” Can’t really be more complementary than that.
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared this artist’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!
Check out this latest release and listen to more of Hauspoints on Spotify & YouTube.
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