Q&A: Homes At Night Talks Inspirations, Songwriting & Debut EP ‘If You Were A Stranger’

Q&AMusic

Dec 13

☆ BY Gomi Zhou ☆

WHETHER OR NOT YOU’VE HEARD OF — Homes At Night before, the band’s debut EP, If You Were A Stranger, will remind you of your fondest memories from the worst nights ever in the most gentle way possible.

Lighthearted yet painfully nostalgic, the EP’s organic instrumentation stands out from the alternative-pop debut of the Nashville-based duo, composed of Hank Compton and Aksel Coe. While “Sugardreaming” features drilling acoustic guitar that sends ripples of the sweetest indie-rock jams, lead single “Bonnaroo” is quite the folky moment. “Tell Emma,” on the other hand, features elements of modern rock but is alternative pop at its core. If you listen closely, you’ll find many intriguing, luring bass lines in the background of most of the tracks, stringing the project together and tying the narrative up into a neat bow.

Like a breeze that signals the first hint of winter, the first fallen petal off a blossoming stem, If You Were A Stranger tells a tale of departing but not yet departed love. Compton and Coe’s songwriting is vivid, almost pictorial and relatable to many in the Nashville indie scene, without ever mentioning the subject of heartbreak deliberately. Beyond the intricate storytelling style of songwriting, much of the vertigo-like, lingering melancholy is simply the result of clever instrumental builds.

Upon the release of If You Were A Stranger, Luna chatted with the duo over email about the process and inspiration of the EP. Read our conversation below.

LUNA: Hi! How are we doing? What’s the weather like where you are?

HOMES AT NIGHT: Hey! We are good. We live in Nashville, TN and it is starting to get a little cold!

LUNA: Why is this EP called If You Were A Stranger?

HOMES AT NIGHT: Considering the EP was lyrically built around the cycle of relationships ending and then trying to rebuild afterwards, we thought it hinted at the thought of “what would’ve happened if we never met?” and “would it save me from the hurt that I’m in?” Also, it is a lyric from our first song, “Bonnaroo,” in the second verse.

LUNA: Who/what were some inspirations for the folkier, acoustic underlays in the tracks?

HOMES AT NIGHT: A lot of the acoustic elements of the record came from the beginning stages of writing. Most of these songs started with Aksel and I both on acoustic guitars in the living room of my old house working out these arrangements together. So we figured, why not build the songs from that place. We also love Mike Kinsella’s guitar playing from the [music] project Owen, and we’re pulling a lot of inspiration from that.

LUNA: I feel like everyone has their own love/heartbreak stories at the Bonnaroo Festival — tell me a bit more about your song “Bonnaroo.” What do you like about the Nashville music scene?

HOMES AT NIGHT: “Bonnaroo” came from a place of feeling a relationship hitting its limit and having to make the decision whether or not you need to fight for it or let it go. The Nashville music scene has such a supportive temperament, which has allowed each artist and writer within it to embrace their originality.

LUNA: When it comes to including details in your songwriting, how do you decide what to keep in and what to take out? Maybe use the writing process for “Tell Emma” as an example.

HOMES AT NIGHT: Great question. Most of our songs are written about real-life events and we do think it’s important to process life through our songs. At the same time, it’s important to make sure that nothing is too specific so the songs can speak to other people’s life experiences, and also [want to make sure to] not air out things that should be private. It’s a pretty defined line and easy to cross. Specific details definitely help a song “stick” more, so we just keep them about ourselves mostly.

LUNA: Personal favorite sonic moment on the EP?

HOMES AT NIGHT (COE): I love the guitars on the chorus of “Tell Emma.” We wrote that song with our good friend Louis Johnson, and Hank tracked those guitars the same day we wrote the song. I remember us all being so stoked about how distorted and big the guitars felt.

LUNA: If you can use three words to describe the EP, what would those words be?

HOMES AT NIGHT: Nostalgic, anthemic, and heartfelt.

CONNECT WITH HOMES AT NIGHT

INSTAGRAM

SPOTIFY

Listen

INSTAGRAM

We can’t wait for our upcoming NYC show with @arayaworld @fetchtiger & our new addition @gildedlily222 🎉 Get your tickets now - link in bio 🎫

Have you listened to our first episode of ‘Off The Record’ yet? We kick things off with @akidnamedrufus to talk everything from immigration to gender identity & boy is this a good chat 💛 Listen at the link in our bio 🎧