Following on from the release of their much-loved debut single 'A Jet's Pink Trail' in January last year, Leeds-based outfit Ten Hands High have been riding a wave of praise and acclaim ever since, and now look to do it all again with their latest jam '6 Weeks'.
Taking their cues from other indie-pop juggernauts such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Circa Waves, and Two Door Cinema Club, '6 Weeks' makes for a wonderfully bright and summery new offering. With its light and catchy guitar hooks, insatiable rhythm, and singalong vocals, their newest delight looks set to be one of their most captivating releases to date.
So with their new single doing the rounds right now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What were the first instruments you fell in love with?
Finn: For me it was the humble acoustic guitar. It's a great feeling when you get a few chords under your belt and realise for the first time that you can play along to so many tunes with (in my case) a limited to non-existent knowledge of music theory. Tom seems to be able to play pretty much everything so I have no idea what he came to first to be perfectly honest.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
Tom: I’m sure we all have wildly different answers for this. Between us, we have a huge range of musical influences but when we come together, it always sounds like Ten Hands High. From a humble drummer’s perspective, I take a lot of inspiration from Biffy Clyro’s Ben Johnston. His ability to compose unique yet appropriate parts is incredible. I do my best to keep things interesting, but ultimately serving the song is top priority.
What kind of music did you love as teenagers?
Joe: I can only really speak for myself here as I didn't know the boys when we were teenagers. Back in my teen years I was in to all types of alternative music (my music taste back then was compiled pretty much exclusively from the Kerrang channel on TV), ranging from pop-punk bands like Blink 182 and Knuckle Puck all the way to some quite heavy stuff like Slipknot and Linkin Park. My favourite bands throughout my teens were Foo Fighters, QOTSA and RHCP though and these remain some of my favourite bands today.
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
Tom: I remember playing Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s at a friend’s house when I was about 11. There was a song called Hold On Loosely by 38 Special and it has the most incredible guitar solo. Every time I heard that song it blew me away and I got my first guitar soon after. Funny thing is, I never even learned the solo! Maybe I’ll give it a go soon. I’ve been obsessed with playing music ever since and have had some amazing experiences over the years.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Joe: There's loads of great indie bands on the scene in the UK: check out Nature TV, Luna Bay, and St Peter's Dream. I'm also into a few Aussie bands at the moment, in particular Planet and the Paper Kites.
How many of your songs have you written about people you’d rather forget?
Tom: Well I’m not much of a lyricist myself but we have all brought lyrical inspiration to the table at different times. Looking back, some songs are about people we’re not close with anymore, but once it’s down on paper it can evolve and take on a new meaning. Sometimes I listen back to old songs we’ve written and think about them in a completely new way, given my current circumstances.
What has been the most unusual moment in your career so far?
Alexi: This year has been pretty unusual… But not because of Covid. This year has been unusual because we’ve had the same members for the longest time in our career… Our lineup’s always been changing but we now feel like FINALLY we have the right mix of personalities and musical variety to properly start the car.
Outside of music, what are your biggest passions?
Finn: I’m a huge football fan and so is Joe, supporting Arsenal and Everton respectively. I also love playing but recent attempts have shown me that I am miles away from mid-teen heyday - uni life seems to have taken its toll. Alexi and Tom have done some pretty insane travelling that I am immensely jealous of. The dream is obviously to get out on the road together as we embark upon world domination. I am (half) joking but a UK tour is a huge priority for us once it is possible to do so.
If you weren’t musicians, what other path do you think you might have taken?
Alexi: I mean we all have part-time jobs now anyway (apart from Finn who’s still in pre-school) to allow us to pursue music but if we were all to put our all into another line of work it I reckon I’d go into something like film or another industry where creativity is at the forefront of the job. I’m guessing for the boys but I see Joe as a teacher of some sort because he has the patience of Gary Barlow, Tom would be some rocket-scientist, mates with people who only speak in equations and formulas. The ‘other path’ that Finn might have taken is the path to the airport to go back to Turkey so that he could finish finding himself on his covid-cancelled year abroad.
And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to start a career in music?
Finn: You’ve got to be resilient because there are going to be setbacks in your journey. There’s no formula to success and even bands who seem like they blew up out of nowhere in most cases had years of slugging it on the live circuit garnering little attention. Basically, not everyone is going to like your music and that is okay.
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Ten Hand High's new single '6 Weeks' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.