An Interview With the Austrian Alt-Pop Band, HUNGER!

Get to know the Austrian alt-pop band HUNGER! Their new single “Naked” was released this past summer. Listen to “Naked”

“Naked,” is about the all-too-relatable emotions of inner struggle, bolstered by the ever-present feeling of self-doubt in a society where social media forces constant comparison. HUNGER has had multiple successes so far including over 2.7 million streams on Spotify, a 2018 Mitsubishi commercial, a feature on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and countless touring and festival opportunities.

Connect With HUNGER here:

FB- https://www.facebook.com/hungertheband

IG- https://www.instagram.com/hungertheband

TW- https://twitter.com/hungertheband

WEB- http://www.hungerband.com

Learn more about HUNGER in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What is on tap for the rest of your day?

Hi! Thank you for having us.

Well, today we have two more interviews and then we are heading back to the studio. Later, we have a conference call with our team. Right now, we are in Vienna and the management is in Los Angeles so we try to keep in touch everyday, which is not easy because of the time difference.

Since we are now at the back-end of 2018, how has this year treated this band? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year? How close are you to reaching it?

We had some serious legal issues for more than a year with our former production company/label holding us back from releasing music. It was really exhausting, but it’s a huge relief to be back on track, being able to do what we love the most and to finally release new music. To be honest, to be able to say: Hunger is back – that was our biggest goal for this year.

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this group together? Was it hard to think of a name that you all could agree on?

We have all known each other since high school, even though we didn’t go to the same school. Dany and Jojo used to play in a band together and Luc also had his own project. We often joked around that one day the three of us would form a band that would conquer the world – we usually had some beers lifting our self confidence on those kind of nights. Still, the idea got stuck in our minds and about 10 years later the band Hunger was born.
The band name came up as we were writing our first songs, it just felt right. Hunger is such a strong word which can be applied to so many things and really represents how we feel about music.

How do you think your hometowns have influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group?

We all grew up in the same area (the suburbs of Vienna) which is not really famous for its music scene, but there was a small club/bar where all kind of bands had the opportunity to perform and the three of us where quickly fascinated by the idea of playing in a rock band. Luc started off with his project and after some months of rehearsing he had his first show at that venue. One or two years later Dany and Jojo formed their band, and so it all started. We loved to listen to bands like Millencolin, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Finch, Yellowcard, and so on … the clubs and festivals we went to played that kind of music, it was just logical and a dream for us to play in a rock band one day.

If we think back, we, together with some other good friends started a new area of live music in our home town.

Let’s talk about your newest single “Naked.” What was the inspiration for this track? How does it compare to anything else you have released?

“Naked” is a very personal song, but it also really fits current developments in our society. We wanted to address today’s rising pressure and judgment we all have to deal with, especially in the world of social media where people are hunting for “likes” or care way too much about what the community thinks about someone. The song also features a different sound and highlights another musical side of Hunger.

How creatively involved were you the making of the music video for “Naked”?

 We had a very clear vision of where we wanted to go with the video and did a lot of the work ourselves. The ‘white’ shots in the video, for example, were taken in a small self-made pool filled with water and milk. It was a journey of attempting several ways to get the color of the video right. We tried to get three different moods and characters in the video: First a naked and vulnerable side, which starts with pretty dark imagery and over the course of the video it develops into a more positive and beautiful world. Then a weird and introverted character in a blend of blue and red colors and lastly a more confident masculine persona appearing in the second verse. It was Luc’s first solo performance and he did a great job, we are looking forward to shoot a lot more stuff in the near future.

When do you hope to release more new music and full album of new songs? How do you think “Naked” prepares listeners for more music from this group?

Right now we are in the middle of writing and recording the album. It feels great to be back in the studio, it’s almost therapeutic – letting our feelings and emotions flow into our songs. “Naked” is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to come and we can’t wait to share it with our fans. We are planning to release another single before the year ends and the album will come out in the first half of 2019 – but don’t worry, we won’t let you guys wait for too long.

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

Being in a band offers you so many options, music is the language that every soul in the world understands, it opens doors to express yourself and reflect the mood you are in.

For us it’s just a dream come true to write songs and at the same time being able to perform them live. It’s like falling in love with someone, often you spend time texting (the writing part) and then you start to go on your first dates, drinks, dinner, just having a great time together and watching yourself falling in love – which corresponds to the live part.

Do you have any upcoming fall or winter tours planned? Where can fans see you perform next?

Unfortunately, we don’t have any live dates scheduled at the moment, due to our situation in the last year. We are focusing on finishing off the record but we are trying everything to be back on stage as soon as possible – the beginning of 2019 at the latest! That’s a promise.

Do you find that all of social media and keeping up with your fans has gotten so overwhelming? OR do you rely heavily on others to take care of that for the band? Which platform would you say that you enjoy engaging with the most?

No, we take care of our fans, you wouldn’t let anyone else text with your boy/girlfriend, would you? Sometimes it takes a while to answer, but we believe it’s important to interact personally. At some point it will get more and more difficult, but we try our best to keep it a real band-fan relationship.
If you want to contact us it’s probably best to write to us on Instagram at “hungertheband” or on Twitter, but we are on all common social media platforms.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how you all think being musicians and in this band still gives you the most joy in life today? Do you find that your music is an escape to all the current events?

We are very aware of the political situation and it’s frightening as hell, but in our songs we try not to get involved with political issues. We write music to open people’s eyes without choosing a side and try supporting them in all their different life situations. Yes, playing in a band is our passion and we will never let go of our dream, no one should ever let go of their visions and dreams. Everyone is painting their own picture, it’s all about the way you color it and what you want it to look like.

What musicians would you love to work with in the future? What artists have really been inspiring this group and your music since day 1?

There are so many amazing artists out there, it’s hard to choose, but to narrow it down we would say The Neighbourhood, Muse, The 1975, 21 Pilots … They all were an inspiration to us and of course it would be a thrill to share the stage one day and to get to know them.

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

We write songs to heal scars, deal with problems, ours and others. If you hate our music that’s fine, if you love it that’s even better. The band and our fans are a big family trying to get through life, just believing it’s way more fun to go through all the good and bad times together.

(all photography provided by www.Lafamos.com)