After over 10 years of creating folk rock hits, Houndmouth has returned to their roots in a big way. Their latest album, Good For You, was recorded in the same space where lead vocalist Matt Myers writes, and where the band recorded their first EP.
Known widely for their hit “Sedona” from their second studio album, Houndmouth continues to draw audiences with music that blends Americana storytelling with a modern sound.
I got the opportunity to sit down and chat with Myers ahead of Houndmouth’s Nov. 12 show at The National about the band’s journey, plans for Richmond and what's next.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Amy Jablonski: You'll be performing in Richmond on Nov.12. Has the band been to Richmond before? And how are you feeling about performing in the city?
Matt Myers: Yes, we played a show in Richmond maybe two years ago. The guy running front of house, our good friend Mike Reina, lives in Richmond as well. And we know the Head and the Heart gang, I know that most of them are hanging out in Richmond.
How has your music style evolved over the years, and what influences are shaping your current sound?
I don't know. I've just always kind of written songs, and sometimes I write more than usual, and sometimes I don't write it all. So just kind of whatever. I feel like not a lot of music strikes a chord too much anymore. I used to get into albums for like, a long time. I would find one record I liked and just like, play it for a year, you know?
And that seems like it happened less and less, making music and writing music. My ear is not really low to the ground right now.
Why do you think you haven't been listening to as much music?
There's probably a bunch of reasons I'm not listening to music at the moment. There's still a few records that have come out recently that I put on. I like the new Waxahatchee record a lot, and the new MJ Lenderman is really good. And weirdly, I haven't listened to the band in a long time. I just went back and listened to them.
Being founded in New Albany, Indiana, how did the local music scene and your early experiences there influence the development of your sound?
So Louisville had bands, and that's where you could go to play. There really weren't a lot of bands in New Albany, but Louisville has an awesome scene. It's like, on the border of you know, being in Southern territory, if I drive 50 minutes north, people think that I have a Southern accent. There's a Southern vibe and a Midwest kind of feeling in that area, I guess you can say, like American Gothic.
Your latest studio album, Good For You, has a really different vibe compared to the cover of “A Whiter Shade of Pale” that you released last year. What made you decide to cover this track?
I think we were just doing it for fun, one day. Just kind of keep working on stuff, stay engaged, get bored and do something. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” came up, and we just decided to try and cover it. It has always kind of been one of those songs that came on the radio when I was a kid, and I was like, “This is interesting.” The subject matter’s not quite pinpoint-able, and it just caught my ear.
Going back to your latest album, you recorded that at the Green House, the same place where you created your first EP back in 2012. How did returning to that space impact the creative process and the feeling of the album?
Yeah, it was just nice to not be in a studio, you know? And just be in the place where I wrote the songs, I know for me, if I can get kind of overwhelmed or wrapped up in what's going on around me, if everything kind of just stays centered in one place, it takes a lot of X factors out in recording. It kind of helps you, like, stay in the zone.
I noticed that several of your songs are named after places: Las Vegas, Ohio, Sedona. Is there a specific significance or theme behind using these locations in your songwriting?
I've always liked places. There's like a feeling and it goes along with them that I like, and a place or a setting kind of helps me navigate that, and it's just fun. Places are fun. Characters are fun.
I heard you mentioned in an interview a song technique where you open an atlas and wherever your finger lands, you write a song about it. Did you use that for any of your songs?
I don't think I ever did the atlas thing, but I did magazine articles: Like, I read a magazine article, and then you're limited to that tiny little story. If there's a character or place in there, then that takes the shape of it.
“Sedona,” from your second studio album, remains one of the most recognizable tracks for listeners who may not have followed your journey since then. How has your music evolved, and in what ways does it stay true to your earlier sound?
To stay true to the sound, it's not really staying true to a sound, I don't want to put anything out that I don't like a lot. There's also like a lot of time in between the records. So, I feel like just having that gauge of not wanting to release something just for the sake of releasing it is where my head's always been at.
I have one last question: After this fall tour, what's next for Houndmouth?
Fall tour, and then probably more studio time, and then probably more touring next year.
Houndmouth will perform at The National on Nov 12.
