Introduced by Monk
The pandemic of 2020/21 crippled most of the world, but perhaps one country which suffered more than many others was Australia, where repeated, extended lockdowns and what could be seen as some of the most prohibitive restrictions imposed anywhere brought life to a virtual standstill for much longer than, for example, here in the ÜK. But, humankind has always battled against aversity, and among the heartiest soldiers of our breed, especially over the past few years, have been musicians, many of whom somehow found a way to be even more productive than they normally might have been…
Among the many bands from the land down under (sorry – NOT!) who didn’t let the small matter of being confined to barracks for months on end were Melbourne melodic metalcore mob NTH RD. The quintet have just released their latest single, the hugely reflective and emotionally draining ‘I Watched You Fade Away’. So, what better time to have them introduce themselves to the wider Überverse? So, I hooked up with bassist Lucas Banim and drummer John Mihaloudakis to delve into their back story and explore their plans from hereon in… I started, naturally, at the beginning, by asking them how they came together as an entity:
Lucas: After meeting in high school, Billy (Balassis – guitar) and I started jamming together around 2015. Shortly after, we began writing songs after connecting over a shared love for metal and rock. In late 2016, we met John and hit it off right away, and started playing Metallica songs as a group. We first performed together in late 2017 and in 2018, we performed at a friend’s party with Jordan (Kellaway) on vocals.
Afterwards, we asked him to join us properly, which is still the best decision we ever made – it opened us up to having so much more creative freedom and stage presence. We started writing the songs that would become our first EP, Panic, in 2019, but we were unable to record them until 2021 due to the constant lockdowns here in Melbourne. We decided to delay our official debut until 2022, so that we could establish a consistent release schedule and perfect our live performances in preparation for the launch.
Personally, as a historian, I have an interest in etymology, so I feel have to ask about where the band name came from and if it has any special significance…
Lucas: We all used to live off of a road called North Road when we started the band, and would take the road to visit each other’s houses to practice. When we got our logo, we really liked how it stylised the name as ‘NTH RD’ and we stuck with it!
Music is categorized into various genres and sub-genres. How would you define your sound? What individual and collective influences do you draw on for your sound?
John: We usually like to class our music as metalcore or alternative metal. I’d say our influences from our EP ‘Panic’ and our latest single were definitely Deftones, Thornhill and Bring Me The Horizon. We’re all loving the new albums from Bad Omens and Dayseeker at the moment as well.
You have just released your new single ‘I Watched You Fade Away’… can you tell us a bit about it?
John: ‘I Watched You Fade Away’ was actually recorded at the same time as our debut EP. We chose to keep this single separate, as we felt it told a different story, and felt like a bit of a stylistic evolution in our sound, since it was written after the EP. [It] definitely hints at the new direction we’re heading towards, and it’s a sound you’ll be hearing from future NTH RD songs.
Are there any particular lyrical themes/personal issues you are addressing in the song? Are there any particular issues/subjects that are important to you that you like/wish to address in your material?
Lucas: The song is about the loss of a friend, and watching someone “fade away’” from someone that you thought you knew into someone that you no longer recognize. We wanted it to act as a kind of epilogue, or a companion to the EP.
Chris Vernon, our producer, was essential in shaping it in the direction of the sounds we were exploring at the time, serving as a natural next step in the development of our sound.
How important is social media in getting your music out there? Do you think it is useful for bands like yourself who maybe don’t have that big “corporate machine” behind them and dominating traditional media outlets?
Lucas: We’ve found the power of social media to be crucial in us finding our fanbase and keeping them engaged. It’s been integral in helping us get out there and in front of people’s faces. I think a lot of artists view social media as a bit of a chore, but we try to use it as a manner of showing the world who we are, and interacting with our fans and potential listeners online.
Is it more important than, say, streaming outlets especially given the fact that the financial returns for streaming can mean a band doing a lot of work for relatively little reward – i.e. you earn very small percentage returns, with the services themselves taking large chunks of your potential income. Is it worth the effort, or is it a fact of the business that you just have to accept?
John: Very few artists can afford to not utilize both social media or streaming services nowadays. We used to be pretty slack with social media, until we realized that most of the promotion side of things really takes place on the internet and on social media platforms. I guess it’s a fact of the business that we just have to accept. We actually really enjoy using Facebook and Instagram to connect with our fanbase on that deeper level that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Do you think that things like social media platforms, streaming services, etc., have made it easier for fans to discover new bands, or has it led to an even more competitive marketplace in which you need that vital USP in order to get attention?
Lucas: The rise of streaming has been a bit of a double edged sword. While artists aren’t technically getting paid what they deserve, they’re also being provided with a great platform for promoting their music. It’s definitely made it easier for fans to discover new music, especially with Spotify’s ‘fans also like’, ‘artist radios’ and ‘daily mixes’, but it has also made it more competitive.
We learned pretty quickly that being a ‘good’ band just isn’t enough to get people’s attention anymore – you pretty much have to already be an incredible band out of the gate for people to even pay attention. It’s certainly a lot of pressure, but we prepared for years to ensure that everything was as solid as possible before we debuted with ‘Wearing Thin’ in February earlier this year.
Even still, we still have so much to learn.
Even though life has returned back to normality (for the meantime anyway), do you think the option of things such as lives streams, which really took off during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, will continue to be used by bands, especially to reach into territories where they may not be able to play, or afford to go to?
John: Definitely! NTH RD has actually started live streaming all of our gigs recently, even though we’re relatively back to ‘normal.’ We felt that a lot of our new fans in different states and overseas should have the opportunity to get a glimpse of NTH RD in a live setting now that we’re starting to reach people across the world. Live-streaming is such a useful tool for us, especially since we’re not an international touring band quite yet.
So, what is next for the band? What is the plan for, say, 2023 in terms of getting out there and bringing your music to new and expanding audiences?
Lucas: We’re going to continue promoting ‘I Watched You Fade Away’ and play some yet-to-beannounced gigs! We’re also currently planning to tour Australia and take the new EP and single around the country! Stay tuned because we have a lot planned for the next year, with even more new music coming in the new few months.
OK, now a bit of fun, and a couple of quickfire “out there” questions to give us a wee bit of an insight into your personalities
• Ice cream: vanilla or strawberry?
Lucas: Vanilla all the way!
• Gravy or curry sauce on your chips?
John: Gravy.
• Salted or sweet popcorn?
Lucas: Both at once. The Cobs sweet and salty ones are classic.
• Smarties or M&Ms?
John: M&M’s. Anyone who genuinely enjoys Smarties more than M&M’s is kidding themselves.
• And the big one: pineapple on pizza?
John: Pineapple definitely belongs on pizza. Grow up!
Final question: now that live gigs are fully up and running again, we’ll give you your choice of any three other bands (signed or otherwise) you would choose to play with on a bill and where would that gig be?
Lucas: Damn that’s tough. I’d have to say playing with Thornhill, Holding Absence and either Dayseeker or Bad Omens at the Corner Hotel would be hard to top!
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