9+1 Q&A with Hiraeth

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

We first met at the music high school we both attended, each of us connected to music in our own way. One evening, we decided to get together and play. It didn’t take long to realize how much we enjoyed creating harmonies. Our viola and guitar had to explore acoustic, folk music further. In a way, we were seeking a sense of “home” through our music and had a strong desire to express the emotions that often feel too complex to describe.

That’s why we chose the name “hiraeth” for our band. It’s a Welsh word that explains a feeling that can’t easily be defined—a kind of homesickness for a place you can’t return to, or perhaps one that never existed. It’s a deep connection to a home you can only understand.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

Our latest release is our first album, titled The Only Road I’ll Know, which we dropped a few months ago. After writing our own music for quite some time, we were really excited to share a more complete work. The album allowed us to experiment more. It’s the first time we’ve collaborated with some musician friends, so it’s not just acoustic. You’ll hear bass, drums, and harmonica adding to the mix. You can find the album on various platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp etc.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Non-music-wise, our lyrics are deeply affected by personal feelings and experiences. Nature is always a big inspiration for us. Musically, we come from slightly different backgrounds, though we share many common influences. Sometimes there is a lot of acoustic punk in the back of our our minds, but as a band, we’ve found ourselves drawn to and inspired by artists like Alice Phoebe Lou, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Devil makes three, Chuck Ragan, Laura Jane Grace and Rising Appalachia.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

To be honest, this is one of the hardest questions for us. We often find ourselves questioning how to describe our sound. There’s definitely the acoustic style that we both enjoy and feel has endless, creative possibilities. In general, we describe our sound as acoustic folk, because of the vibe we aim to create, our instruments, and the way our voices blend together.

As an acoustic folk duo of women in Greece, we realize that our setup is a bit rare, and that feels special to us. One thing we always mention is how different our voices are from each other, yet how they connect when harmonized. We like to say that harmonies are “our thing.”

We make music for ourselves and for those who truly connect with it. So, we believe you should listen to our music if it resonates with you, if it ”travels” you or if you can identify with it in some way.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Georgia: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, any album by Joni MItchell and an album that we both love-Paper Castles by Alice Phoebe Lou.

Christina: Frank by Amy Winehouse, Stay Alive by Laura Jane Grace, also Bohemian Rhapsody is a movie that we really enjoy seeing together anytime.

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

Both experiences are unique and fun, but we think we prefer live shows. It’s like our music takes on a different life when we perform and each time is so different. In those moments, we’re able to share our emotions directly with the people and they share theirs with us.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

Two winters ago we were performing at Thiva’s Squat, part of an anti-fascist festival. After our soundcheck a really heavy storm came and no one could leave or approach the place. So fortunately we had maybe our best unplugged live show until now. The crowd was about 15 people, who were looking us in the eyes while we were performing, “interrupting” us with questions like a live interview. We felt like we had a really strong experience with those people.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

“Mountain Tops” from our EP is very special to us. It was kind of the first song of our own. Back then, we were spending a lot of time with a group of friends who are also musicians, and this track brings back memories of those early days of creating our own music. It reminds us of a whole chapter in our lives, filled with our friends, a sense of gratitude. It also seems that a lot of people enjoy it.

Also, ”Dirty Home” from our new album. It was written effortlessly in a few hours and we love playing it.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

We’re finally living in the same town now, after spending a lot of years in a “long-distance relationship”, so we’re excited to write more music and continue developing our sound. We want to play live more often, as the recording process held us a bit back from doing so. Our first priority, though, is having an album release show soon! On the 30/11 you will find us at Ilion Plus playing with Junkheart, The Sexy Christians, Citizen Jim and N’ Cheezed playing for a good cause.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

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Photo Credits: Penelope Brachou (1st one), Christina Esc (2nd one)

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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