A QUICK CHAT WITH HEADWRECK
Brisbane alternative metal outfit Headwreck return as their most authentic selves with chaotic new single Buzzsaw.
The punchy new track contrasts the light with the dark, representing two entities trapped in a back and forth cycle, where the harsh and clean vocals are either side of a conversation on betrayal. Produced, mixed and mastered by Chris Lalic (Windwaker), the single journeys through highs and lows with a groovy industrial backbone that drives the single through moments of aggression and passion, broken up by soaring peaks of clarity. Buzzsaw moves through cleverly articulated musical moments that amplify the glitch-heavy chaos that has become synonymous with Headwreck.
The single is visualised by a music video created in-house by drummer and videographer Colby Horton. The clip drops the 'tough guy' act and shows Headwreck as their most genuine and goofy selves, enjoying the music they make and the bonds they've created.
We sat down with Connor Hickman (vocals), Colby Horton (drums), Jamo Benadie (guitar/clean vocals) and Dayne Paix (bass) to chat about their latest single and their new chapter.
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Congrats on “Buzzsaw”, banger track. Could you tell us about how that song came together and what it means to you?
Connor: Buzzsaw was one of the first tracks we collaborated on with our new producer, Chris Lalic. We went to Chris after deciding we need to completely rethink how we create our music, as we were caught in a loop. Working with him has been one of the best experiences whilst doing Headwreck. Not only have we created our best work, but we have so much fun with him doing it.
Dayne: Buzzsaw means the world to us, it's the first step in a new direction for us.
Having been over a year since the release of your sophomore EP “Reflection Room”, what’s been happening behind the scenes for Headwreck over the last year?
Colby: The last year has been wild with a fair few plan changes. Originally, we had 3 singles that are now scrapped that we wanted to release. We wrote these in our old process where it was just an instrumental written by Jamo, with Connor vocals and lyrics written on top. We made a change and attempted to write everything as a group, which was a first. We did believe these demos were a step up from what we had created before, but we had faith we could still do better.
Connor: We reached out to Chris in early 2024 and have been writing and recording with him throughout this year. It's definitely been a period where we have focused on behind the scenes, as opposed to live shows and social media posting.
Historically we’ve seen the band take more of a DIY approach when it comes to recording, what was it like having a piece of that control handled by another producer and has there been any part of the process that has remained the same for Headwreck this time around?
Jamo: For me it was almost a relief in a way! It allowed me to simply sit down and just write whatever without the pressure of finishing an entire instrumental. Between my own ideas and the other guys’ I had made about 25 short demos (1min ish) and took the top 15 to Lalic to see what could bloom from there. And honestly I’m super stoked to have all the parts we’ve written pretty much stay the same, so I can still achieve that feeling “from nothing to something”. Letting Lalic take charge on developing the song and structure has really taken the songs that step further that we were missing in the past. As well as a fresh professional sounding mix/master, which I was starting to struggle with myself.
Has there been a lesson or take away for you working with Chris Lalic on the new material?
Connor: Definitely a lot of writing habits we’d never considered in the past. Between the first and second session, our demos took a major step up. This was purely due to taking on habits learnt from working with Chris.
Dayne: Chris also really encouraged us to embrace our “fun-side.” I think being more genuine in our music has allowed people to connect with our personalities a lot more alone.
“Buzzsaw” showcases a more fun and rejuvenated side of Headwreck, what influenced you to bring this side out to light with your imagery and branding and is this something you’re looking to explore more in the future?
Connor: We want to put an image out there that is much more genuine to who we are as people, and this was heavily encouraged by Colby
Colby: With us undergoing a new writing process, a new approach to the visual aspect of things felt super fitting. I (Colby) had felt super tired from trying to feel like a ‘tough’ band and being so serious. Like yeah, metal is heavy and stuff, but Headwreck as human beings are not at all, we’re pretty goofy and try to just make eachother smile when we play live. The inspiration for this change was just wanting to make something more genuine to us and who we are. I feel like every band drops a clip but you don’t understand that band anymore because their personality doesn't shine through, they just ‘fit in’. This fun imagery will be explored way more as it’s genuinely who we are as people, so it’s not hard to pursue what comes naturally to us.
Your drummer Colby Horton also worked on the video for “Buzzsaw”, keeping the Headwreck DIY ethos alive, has this allowed the band to be more creatively liberated beyond the music? And why is it important for Headwreck to have this DIY approach?
Colby: The DIY approach is just something that we keep coming back to cause at the end of the day we feel like we can capture/produce exactly what we’re thinking of. DIY just makes it much more personal and feels deeply connected to us, we set the boundaries/limits of what we do and definitely is freeing in a way!
Are there any other hidden talents the members of Headwreck are hiding from us?
Jamo - Very good at Chess and pool (8-ball)
Connor - Can fall asleep anywhere, regardless of noise
Dayne - Great at drawing and art, especially characters
Colby - Video editing/content creative, with an eye for humour
What can we expect next for Headwreck and what are some goals moving forward?
Connor: We have 12 months planned. Just lots of new music, hopefully some more cool shows and having way more fun that we used to, and should have been having this whole time.