Formed almost a decade ago, Homesick is a hardcore band from Western Sydney, Australia. "Our singer, Peter, played in a previous band called Civil War which ripped, but that unfortunately they came to a end and him and me have been friends for a very long time," guitarist Joel tells No Echo about Homesick's start together.
"I always wanted to be in a band with him as I was and still am a huge fan of his previous bands Persist and Civil War. I kept asking and eventually the poor bloke cracked and asked if I wanted to do something together and from there we found people we knew and started writing."
Once Joel and Peter figured out their approach and found the musicians to round out Homesick, they got to work. "In the 5-6 years as a band, we released a demo and two full-length albums, got signed to Resist Records, did a bunch of tours and started writing for a third album but eventually came to a crossroads as a band as anyone in a creative collaborative project will tell you unfortunately ego's, lack of communication, self-imposed pressures, petty nonsense, and losing sight of how truly precious and radical it is to be in a band with your friends is led us to taking a sudden hiatus for 3 years."
Joel continues: "Time away from things often reveals how important something is to you whether that is art or friendships. The age-old saying is distance makes the heart grow fonder. I think in hindsight the best thing we did was take time away because it has really made us realise how special being in a room with your friends, tinkering some strings, hitting tubs and yelling about how you feel about the world is. It's not to be taken for granted."
Now that Homesick is back in business, they've released a single called "Legacy of Nothing":
No Echo asks Joel about the bands and scenes that have inspired Homesick's approach. "Our influences are super vast and varied from member to member but originally when we started, we were very influenced by bands such as Have Heart, Verse, Defeater, etc. But as time has gone on, we've definitely gotten darker and while we still love those bands, we have brought in other influences such as Carpathian, Rise and Fall, Converge, The Carrier etc.
"That mid-'00s Deathwish Inc.-era was phenomenal and unfortunately we don't hear it often as it's not the popular and trendy sound at the moment but that's what we draw influences from for the newer material we are writing. I think what's awesome about that era and sound is the atmosphere aspect that is created and how it's nearly tangible. It's not about writing the 'hardest' riff or breakdown but more about creating an atmosphere and vibe. That really resonates with me as I am a huge black metal fan and it's something I think is missing and not a lot of bands are doing at the moment within Australian hardcore."
Homesick will be recording again at the end of this year, and will be very active on the live front in 2025. So, what does Joel think about their local hardcore scene at the moment? "Sydney hardcore is very active and big right now. It's pretty cool to see. Australian hardcore in general is very healthy at the moment and the level of activity and enthusiasm is contagious. You have new bands being formed and older bands coming out of hiatus or reforming and both are adding such important vital elements to this thing of ours.
"This list is mainly our friends but also bands we believe are awesome and doing cool things such as Curses, Masochist, Tired Minds, Daisy Chain, All In, No Hope, No Peace. Outright, Amends, Cherish, Dominant Hand, Burn In Hell, Low, No Apologies, Backhand, Dream Boat, Persecutor, Blind Girls, Goethe, Hope Drone, Discount Code, Fuzion.
"Labels to check out and their rosters are Last Ride Records, Life.Lair.Regret. Records, Reason and Rage Records, and New Ethic Records."
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Homesick on social media: Instagram
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