An Interview With The Alt-Pop Duo HEIRSOUND About Their Debut EP, Merge!

Alternative Pop Duo HEIRSOUND, formed by Alexa San Román & Dane Petersen (formerly of Love, Robot) today released their colorful debut EP, titled Merge. It was recorded at VUDU Studio, produced and mixed by Mike Watts, engineered by Frank Mitaritonna, Tom Happel & Mike Watts and mastered by Joe LaPorta.

Merge consists of 6 songs, each song represented by a color that has an aura and a feeling, creating the color wheel. Up to the EP’s release, HEIRSOUND will be releasing a slew of music videos produced by San Román herself, each with the corresponding color as the theme.

HEIRSOUND are an Alternative Pop Duo formed in New York in December ’14 around the talents of singer/songwriters Alexa San Román & Dane Petersen while the members were still in transition from a previous musical endeavor.

Built around the dueling vocals & guitars of Petersen & San Román, the two set out to create an ethereal sound that they can call their own. Merging together from opposite sides of the country (Petersen from CA, San Román from NY), the duo start their journey as HEIRSOUND with a colorful six-song debut EP titled Merge.

First appearing on the public radar in October ’15 with the single “Do It Over“, the team’s new sound, & grassroots fan base became clear following a few months of visual artwork posts/teasers. Shortly after the release of “Do It Over,” the band dropped a new track titled “My Own.” HEIRSOUND is a duo who let you into their own world sonically as well as visually.

Learn more about Heirsound in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! How’s 2016 treating the band so far? How’s your summer been going? What were some of the highlights of 2015 for the band?

(Dane): It’s been an exciting year so far for the two of us because we’ve really been starting to release content that we put so much of ourselves into. It’s been fun sharing more of ourselves with the people who support us & with each release, I feel everyone learns a little more about HEIRSOUND. New releases have been & will continue to drop all Summer so we look forward to sharing. Highlight of 2015, for me, had to be the recording process of our EP. Bringing the whole thing to life together was special for us.

Can you talk about how this duo was first formed? Why do you think you work so well together? How did you come up with your name?

(Dane): Alexa & I met when we were a few years younger, both still involved in other projects on opposite sides of the country. But once we were introduced, we kept in touch & shared a continual mutual appreciation for each other’s music. We collaborated from coast to coast here & there until I made the move to NY in late 2013. A little over a year later we put our heads together & found what was next for us. We’ve always seen eye to eye musically but at this point we’ve developed a sort of family-like bond which, to me, is a big part of why we collaborate well together. We landed on HEIRSOUND after some thought on what would describe who we are & where we came from. We’ve come from collaborations both together & separately, but with HEIRSOUND we especially got to team up to make music we love & build a sound we aim to feel as unique.

In August, you will be releasing your debut EP, “Merge.” How does each song represent a color on the color wheel?

(Dane): Each song, for us, has it’s own individual feeling. Once we sat with it & would listen back, the colors were just there. 3 primary & 3 secondary colors to represent each aura all 6 songs made us feel.

What’s it been like filming the videos for “Merge”? How did you come up with the ideas for them?

(Alexa): Generally I’ll kind of have these “visions” when I listen to the songs & I always blurt them out to Dane; often times it’ll be before the song is even recorded!  For the EP I’ve sat with each song on repeat and just visualized… once I find something that gives me goosebumps even thinking about I try to explain it & shoot it.

Where do you generally get the inspiration for your music?

(Dane): Every day life. A long list of things inspire me musically & lyrically. All derived from the people/experiences that have come into my own life, & the one’s the two of us have shared.

(Alexa):  Real life… been that way since I was 13 & needed an outlet.  Creating music has been the place where I go to say what I need to say without hesitation.

How different is your music with this band then with you previous groups?

(Alexa):  I wouldn’t say it’s tremendously different considering the common denominator of my previous group and this one is me.  My writing has been present in both HEIRSOUND & my old band Love, Robot so this project is still me saying what I need to say… I guess it’s just a little bit less aggressive and straight tup rock.  I think I got out a lot of that aggression previously. (Laughter)

Who are some of your favorite artists? Who would you guys love to work with in the future?

(Alexa): We’re open to anything as far as genre goes… I just don’t believe that our music will be confined to one specific genre because of how vast mine & Dane’s emotional range is.  I think that fact alone will push us to collaborate with artists of all genres… I’d love to work with a hip hop artist or rapper.  I wouldn’t have enough space on this page to name all my favorite artists.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

(Dane): I’d just love to affect people positively. Even just remind people that they might not be alone in the things they feel or go through, good & bad. While being an example that with persistence, you can do anything you want if you put yourself into it.

(Alexa):  It’s always a bonus for me if anyone listens to my music & has a positive reaction.  I don’t write music for the purpose of people critiquing it…I write because I HAVE to.  When fans tell me that my music has helped them through tough times just like it helped me to write, then I have done something good for the world.  I also hope to set a good example for any person struggling with sexual identity as I have been through the hell that is “coming out” & seem to have made it out the other side.  I want to show people that I used a healthy outlet to get myself there & self reflection through writing is an amazing way to get to know yourself… so that you can defend yourself.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself and your music?

(Dane): Having any part of filling a person with happiness or inspiration or escape to a better place in their minds is definitely a fuel that fires the process. I’d like to continue to thank every person who’s shown support or shared their positivity with us in one way or another.

(Alexa):  We are grateful for all the support we’ve been given thus far & cannot wait to release the EP August 5th!  After that, we will already be writing & making plans for our debut album