An Interview With the Alt Pop-Rock Band, Æves, On New Music, Favorite Artists and More!

The alternative pop/rock band Æves recently released a brand new single called “Loaded Love.”

Aeves members Molly and Matthew, both accomplished songwriters and scene veterans in their own rights, had become disenchanted with the state of modern pop music when creating the band. After nearly a year of planning, Æves was revealed to the masses through their debut single “Revolution.” An anthem of self-empowerment, “Revolution” took aim at a pop-scene gone stale and showed listeners that infectious melodies can carry more than just a message of drunken clubbing and one night stands.

Connect With Æves Here:

Twitter – twitter.com/aevesmusic

Facebook – facebook.com/aevesmusic

Website – aevesmusic.com

Learn more about Æves in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Where does this interview find the band today? Is there music playing in the background? What music do you all like to listen to when you are relaxing or answering interview questions?

I (Molly) am sitting on my porch with my cat and listening to White Reaper’s newest record, The World’s Best American Band, and it is such a jam. If you haven’t listened to it, I do suggest doing so. Relaxing? Probably some Pinback or some Cloakroom, or Death Cab. I appreciate Ben Gibbard’s songwriting with a passion. I honestly find myself doing these in random places all the time, but when I’m out on my porch I have a clearer head so I find myself gravitating towards that space.

How does 2017 so far compare to last year? Did you all approach this year differently then you did 2016?

2017 has been approached entirely different mentality. Last year, we put out our first EP through Little Heart Records, run by one of our best friends, Bryan Puckett. God bless that man. Unfortunately, he passed away, which honestly pushed us to do more and go further in his honor. We approached 2017 with an all or nothing mentality. Go hard or go home. And that’s exactly what we did. January, we went out to L.A. to record with our bud Marc, and working with him was honestly so sick. He got our vision, and we vibed, and it was so organic and so sick. We recorded our newest EP (yet to be released) with him, and also our newest single, Loaded Love. I am so excited for new ears to hear that song. Honestly, we are so stoked on it as a band.

Growing up, did you always want to be musicians? Can you recall the moment you realized that you could really make music together and be a band? Why do you think your name truly represents this group and the music that you create?

Well, I always knew, but it took me a while to figure that out. When I was younger and remember when you’d play like imaginary pretend games with your friends and whatever, before I even picked up an instrument, mine was always that we were in a band (or that we were actually Pokemon trainers, but that didn’t end up panning out as a career path) and I always had this little red toy mini keyboard that I would try to play the melodies from shows on when I was like, 7. I had a brief few months playing violin because I saw someone playing violin for the Backstreet Boys when they were on a talk show in my kitchen one morning, so that was the first instrument I wanted to attempt to pick up. I had a bad experience with it and quit, ha. I actually went through playing almost every sport until I was in high school and half way through I was like, “Hey parents, I want to try an instrument” because by that time I had already been going to shows and all that stuff, and I wanted to inspire others in the way my favorites inspired me. Lo and behold I discover that my “gift” is music and that I have an ear and then that’s kind of where the pieces of that fell into place for me in my brain. I didn’t think I had a voice that was worth listening to until one day on a limb I covered a Touche Amore song, which was the first one I sang on, because up until then I had always just done instrumental covers, and they somehow found it and made some kind of comment about my voice being good and up until then I always thought my voice was nails on a chalk board, so thanks, Touche Amore. You created a monster.

Pretty sure Matt figured it out before I did, he was always in choirs, and taking voice lessons, piano lessons, and knew. So kudos to you, Matt.

When Matt and I decided to form AE, we were both coming out of band break ups. We’ve been friends since middle school, but never actually decided to pursue writing music together and such until 2015. It was just kind of a why haven’t we tried writing together yet type of thing and we finally did and it worked.

Our band name translates to “those who fly” and we just thought it kind of encapsulated our aspirations, in the fact that music is a great release and makes you feel free, almost like you’re flying. I know it sounds corny, but it’s something we felt fit us.

I always like to ask artists how their hometown has been an influence on the kind of music they make and really what kind of a band they are today. So how do you think your hometown in Kentucky has affected you?

Well Louisville is a small big city. I say that in the way that everyone knows everyone and it’s all like two degrees of separation. I think the people and relationships that we have built here have shaped us more than anything else. The midwest definitely has a charm about it, when you take out all the nonsense.

What was the inspiration for your latest single, “Loaded Love”? Generally, how do you two go about writing music together? How does this track compare to your previous single “Revolution”?

Loaded Love is about having a relationship that is so passionate and powerful, alongside fighting off your own inner struggles and negativities, and how sometimes it’s hard to balance out the two things. A Loaded Love is a love so powerful that it’s like a loaded gun. While it sounds like it could be a bad thing, it’s also a very powerful, and driving force. You can conquer your world, or you can destroy it. It’s a love song, but it’s also a sad song.

It really depends, honestly. Sometimes we’ll be at the practice space and someone will have an idea for a lyric or an idea for a melody and then we just start branching off from there. Most of the time, Matt is the lyrics, and I am the music. We both obviously throw ideas back and forth with both things, but the foundation of a lot of them is Matt sending me lyrics, and then I’ll just improv a melody or chord progression that I feel fits it. A lot of times when I’m reading lyrics, I read a melody with it in my head (I’m hoping that made sense, but its cool). After that we’ll kind of edit and build the song from there.

Revolution was our first single we ever put out, and so it was definitely a learning experience! We were and still are trying to evolve our sound as a band, and I think we always will be striving to evolve and better our music. With Loaded, I feel like we moreso knew where our heads were at and where our brains were going with this one.

How do you think your sound and really your style has grown since you first started making music together? What has remained the same?

Our sound and style has definitely grown. When we first started, we were kind of shooting darts in the dark. We never missed the board, but I feel like the more we write, the closer we’re getting to the target. I feel like our sound and lyrics have grown, we’ve grown as songwriters, and we’ve honed in on a direction we want to go in. What’s remained the same? Probably where our hearts and brains are with the whole thing. We want to make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons, and we always want to keep an authenticity to us, and even bring an authenticity back to pop music.

When do you hope to release a full collection of new music? Are you working on that now?

I know we’re going back to work with Marc again this winter, but we don’t have any dates set in stone, but we’re in talks of it. We do have an EP right now that we’re sitting on that will be coming out sometime this fall or winter.

What are your plans for the rest of this summer? Do you have any tour dates scheduled?

We’re working on getting the EP together, writing more, writing a whole bunch more, and playing a few shows. We don’t have any tour dates announced, is how I’ll word my answer to that.

Where do you guys think you are happiest- on stage performing, in the studio recording new music or elsewhere?

Molly: For me, personally, it’s definitely writing in my bedroom. I’ve always considered myself more of a songwriter than a performer. I will always be a songwriter at my core. It is my release and it is where all of my emotions go and it is my outlet and a means of a diary, if you will. Don’t get me wrong, I love performing, in the sense that you are able to connect with other people and see other people relate and appreciate art that you’ve created. It makes the world feel a little smaller sometimes, which is comforting, because honestly in reality it’s quite daunting, but I’m not about to go into an existential crisis in the middle of an interview. But I would definitely say that it’s when I’m writing alone in my bedroom. After a good writing session, it feels like someone took a plunger to my emotions, and flushed out all the bad stuff.

Matt: I’m happiest in the studio or on stage. Being in either place allows me to let go of worries and be able to connect with an audience.

Who are some of your favorite artists? Who would you all to work with in the future? What would be a dream collaboration for this band?

I have so so many favorites. I grew up on Fall Out Boy, Relient K, Saves the Day, MxPx, and then also my favorite boy bands NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, and then like can’t forget The Goo Goo Dolls, your popular 90’s stuff, because that was what was accessible to me as a kid, and it was good.

Current favorite artists are all over the place. I’ve got so many different favorite bands so I feel like every time I answer this question it’s a different answer. I love Lady Gaga, so much. Rozwell Kid, The Menzingers, Will to Die, Trapped Under Ice, Oso Oso, and Manchester Orchestra have all put out killer stuff this year. Also I am in love with the new Demi Lovato song. Hands down such a bop. Gonna also mention that Shawn Mendes put out a catchy as heck record, too.

I would love to work with anyone who inspires me, honestly any of my favorite artists, anyone whose records I actively enjoy.  So that’s a whole long list of people. Any of the artists above. Any of the artists I’ve done covers of. So many artists.

I know for Matt he’d love to work with Brendon Urie, Tegan and Sara, and definitely Sufjan Stevens.

As a band? We’d die to work with Fall Out Boy. Huge influences on our music and lives.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I think the underlying message would be a mix of things. About staying strong, standing up for what you believe in, and knowing you can get through the tough shit, and that you’re not alone. Don’t be afraid to feel your emotions, and also, empower yourself to get through the tough stuff.

What advice would you give to a band just getting started? Or even to someone young that is thinking of becoming a musician one day?

Get connected with your local music scene. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to write a bad song. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to express your emotions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to go in a direction that other people would think isn’t “cool”. I can’t think of a single thing in my life that wasn’t at least slightly intimidating before I started actively doing said thing. If you’re thinking of even becoming a musician, just start now. Just start writing. Pick up an instrument, pick up a pen, search a YouTube how to video, ask a friend for help. Do the dang thing. Start learning covers of songs of bands you enjoy, and write your own from there. Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you want. If money is an issue, do not be ashamed to have to sacrifice your dignity and cave in and get a First Act, because I know we don’t all come out of the womb with a Telecaster or a PRS guitar, so, if that’s all you can afford, that’s okay. Just start somewhere. I’ve never had a vocal lesson in my life, and any improvement I have had in my voice is thanks to YouTube! Thanks YouTube!

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

Listen to it, enjoy it, feel ya feelings, and take what you want from it. You deserve it all.