Brisbane band Future Haunts are getting comfy with the unchangeable. “Weather Vane” is their latest single after an unusually quiet 2018. Along with their sunset-filled music video, the indie band chats with us about recording their song twice, finding a tape camcorder and bonding over food.
There’s an effortlessness to rock band Future Haunts. Wonderfully at ease, the four friends from Brisbane have put out a sweet DIY video for “Weather Vane”, their first release since 2017. The quiet year musically is due to, you know, life. Work, family, and with half its members playing in garage outfit Good Boy, time is a rare commodity for Future Haunts. Yet, the four-piece, when together, are magical.
“Weather Vane” is an atmospheric indie track, with intermingling guitars at constant odds to its smooth vocals. Calmly frenetic, a constant bass-line brings an inescapable feeling of inevitability. Vocalist and guitarist Ben Speight says the song is “about learning to accept the things you can’t change, becoming comfortable with who you are and placing your energy on the things that you can”.
Despite its moving parts, the band found the song quick to write. However, the single took two tries to record. “The first version we had was decent, but it just didn’t have that spark we were looking for,” they said. “So we decided to ditch it and record everything live in the same room”. The brave decision to re-record was well worth it. That day, they stumbled upon the main synthy guitar drone that twists in and out of the track. “Happy accidents as they say!”, unthinkingly true to their song’s lyrical message.
While others fuss over technicalities, Future Haunts shows that magnetic songwriting comes with being mates. They said: “We all just genuinely appreciate hanging out with each other on the weekend, going to see a gig or having a few beers together”. For the music video, they dig out an old camcorder to film some of their hangs. Shooting hoops at sunset and playing pool, pub rules style. Besides music, the band also shares a love of Vietnamese food and late night HSP’s. Speight says, “I think food is the recurring theme here.”
Q. You guys used a camcorder to film the music video. Where on earth did you find a working one?
FH: Dan’s developed a bit of an op shop camera obsession recently and he tracked down a working one for a good price. He reckons the best gear comes from the op shops in the outer suburbs or country towns. This one’s tape and everything so you know it’s going to deliver the goods!
Q. Besides playing in a band together, what’s something that you guys all bond together over?
FH: We’re all big fans of heading out for a good Vietnamese feed (“The Vietnamese” in the Valley near our practice room is a crowd favourite — the name says it all). We’ve also been known to conduct a bit of bonding over some late night HSPs. I think food is the recurring theme here. But we all just genuinely appreciate hanging out with each other on the weekend, going to see a gig or having a few beers together.
“We’ve also been known to conduct a bit of bonding over some late night HSPs.”
Q. There are so many individual moving parts between all four of you. How did you guys bring all the separate elements of this song together so smoothly?
FH: The basic elements of the song, including the lyrics, actually came together quite quickly. The trickier part was capturing a recording that reflected the initial feeling and energy the song first gave us. The final track we released is actually the second crack we had at recording it. The first version we had was decent, but it just didn’t have that spark we were looking for. So we decided to ditch it and record everything live in the same room.
Around 80% of this track is just the four of us with our instruments in a room. We only added vocals and a couple of minor guitar overdubs afterward. One of the “accidental” parts that play a substantial role in the ambience of the track is the weird synth/reverb type guitar effect which comes in and out at various parts. I’d been listening to a lot of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and was trying to create some type of Warren Ellis loop when I came across that sound and decided to let it run throughout the track. Happy accidents as they say!
Q. “Weather Vane” is about accepting things you can’t change and placing your energy on the things you can. How have you guys experienced this as a band?
FH: This song represents the journey in becoming more comfortable with who we are and what we do as a band. Placing our efforts on becoming the best versions of ourselves and having a positive impact on those around us. We all have different day jobs and other musical/family commitments, which at times makes it challenging to coordinate and balance all things Future Haunts, but we’ve done our best to make the most of what we have and believe in what we do.
“We’ve done our best to make the most of what we have and believe in what we do.”
Q. The music video shows you guys shooting hoops during a really spectacular sunset! Is there a lover of sunsets in the band or was this a happy accident?
FH: These scenes were some of the last we shot. More as a way to round out some parts and fill the gaps, but they ended up being some of the best shots in the whole clip! There’s a court right around the corner from Tom’s place that we filmed at. All day it was raining with grey skies. But right at the end of the day, it started to clear and created this beautiful and moody sunset which went perfectly with the song.
Q. What’s next for Future Haunts?
FH: Short term we’re supporting Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at The Triffid on June 13th. There’s also plans for shows in the second half of the year and we’ve got an entire album worth of material nearly ready to release when the time’s right (hopefully this year!).
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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.