In No Echo's endless crusade to bring you the latest in hardcore music, please allow me to introduce you to Like Heaven. The quartet is comprised of musicians from the St. Louis scene who have put in the work in such bands as Time and Pressure, Squint, and Blight Future.
From a style standpoint, Panic, Lovechild, and American Nightmare are cited by its members, with the great George Hirsch (Blacklisted, Staticlone) and poetic Richard Brautigan mentioned as influences in the lyrical department.
Like Heaven have landed a deal with WAR Records, the Los Angeles-based label behind recent releases by Juice, Direct Measure, and Berthold City. The band will be dropping its debut record, Hope In Hell, next month, so we spoke with them to learn more about their music, St. Louis Hardcore, and as a bonus, we're premiering the LP's first single to give our readers a taste of it.
What's the genesis story behind Like Heaven?
(Drew, vocals): It really started with Dave. He’s just a songwriting machine who’s always got something new in the works. After Time and Pressure split up, he’d mentioned a couple times about wanting to do another band together, but it didn’t really start taking shape until sometime last year. He had something like, I dunno, 30 songs or ideas for songs ready for a full band, which he described as hardcore with a heavy post-punk and goth influence, and then he just started putting members together. Soon enough, I was working with him and Luca, and then Chris joined up with us.
(David, guitar): I knew that when Time and Pressure called it, I still wanted to create with Drew. His lyricism and vocal style had always resonated with me, so I would always send him demos of different things I had written, trying to spark something we could do.
I’ve played a thousand shows with Luca and Chris over the years in other bands (shout out Worst Case Ontario, that EP still rocks) so it was a bit of a no-brainer to bring them into the fold.
What ultimately led to this split of Time and Pressure, and do you view Like Heaven as a continuation of that sound, or something entirely different?
(Drew): COVID really killed a lot of the momentum that Time and Pressure had built up. Two of our members, James and Travis, were raising elementary-aged kids at the time. Even though we were never full-time, I think they both decided that they enjoyed being home with their kids more than they liked spending a weekend here or there out of town, and that period of lockdown helped them realize it.
Plus, it’s just a lot of work at times. Even a short run can be stressful to plan, especially in the Midwest where the drives between cities are long, which means more time off work, more gas, more expenses. It feels like they wanted to go out on their own terms before it felt like a job.
(David): I think there were hints of something a bit more darker on the last Time and Pressure record that would evolve into what I was writing with Like Heaven. I’ve always wanted to write a record that sounded like The Cure playing hardcore songs or something, I’m not sure if that’s where we ended up, but I gave it the college try.
We are premiering the track “Fiction” today. What inspired this track, and how does it fit into the broader themes of your upcoming work?
(Drew): All of the songs from this record were written after a particularly alarming mental episode that I had. I felt like I was quietly literally going insane.
“Fiction” is about me wrestling with a lot of the things in my life that had ended–a romantic relationship, my closest friendships, my dad died last year, and even the loss of my band which is the only thing that ever made me feel like my life mattered. I felt like I had a life worth living and then abruptly didn’t anymore, and if things can be lost that quickly, then I wonder if that feeling of completeness was ever real at all.
To address influences, I’m always drawing from George Hirsch (Blacklisted), Rob Sullivan (Ruiner), and Wes Eisold (American Nightmare). I’ve been trying to pull more from Alfred Brown (Dangers) and Greg Cook (lovechild, a severely underappreciated band from Massachusetts), but I’m not smart enough to have their approach to imagery. Honestly, if it’s bleak and hopeless without feeling phony or forced, I’m probably into it.
How do you manage balancing Like Heaven with the other bands you're playing with? Does each project bring something different to your personal and musical growth?
(Drew): Luca and I have another band called Good Grief that’s sort of just getting off the ground, but it started with just me wanting to rip off that band from Texas called Ivy League. We put out a 3-song demo last year, but it’s intentionally different from Like Heaven.
Like Heaven’s where I write songs inspired by literature and comics, whereas Good Grief is where I write about how sad I am all the time. I think that working in those parameters, broad as they may be, forces me to be more creative.
(David): I mainly balance playing in too many bands by neglecting meaningful personal relationships in my life. It’s worked thus far. None of the bands I’m in are really doing anything similar, so bouncing between them is sort of a breath of fresh air that keeps the inspiration coming.
(Luca, drums): I’m in a somewhat lucky position where all of the bands I play in sound very different from each other. There are always so many musical avenues that I want to travel down at once that it feels unnatural for me to only play in one project at a time.
(Chris, bass): You find a way to make time for the things you really care about. Each of my bands kind of fulfill a different musical itch for me. Plus, being in 4 bands essentially guarantees I play bass every day.
READ MORE: The Bakersfield Sound, Part 1: A Look at the Hardcore Scene in California’s Central Valley
St. Louis has a unique hardcore scene, one that’s often overshadowed by other cities. How would you describe the state of the local scene, and how has it shaped your band’s identity and approach to music? How does the city’s environment influence your music and mindset?
(Drew): I’ve always been in bands that aren’t the norm for St. Louis, perhaps unconsciously. We’re a very metal-heavy city, so even the hardcore bands tend to veer that way. But I grew up listening to street punk and a lot of the Epitaph and Fat Wreck bands, so I’m always attracted to speed. People who start a band with me are always told by others, “Drew’s going to tell you to play faster,” and I absolutely love that that’s my reputation.
(David): I think our scene has been growing a lot over the last few years - new bands, new kids at shows, it’s always awesome to see. A random show on a Monday night will be packed, which is truly rad. Having a great DIY venue in The Sinkhole with Matt out here has been essential to supporting that scene.
(Luca): At this point, I’ve been around long enough to see the scene ebb and flow through a handful of iterations and it’s definitely in a really strong spot right now. Not just hardcore either, but pretty much all the DIY-minded pockets. Bands are supporting each other, there’s much less cool guy-ing going on, and people are hungry to get out to shows. It’s a really cool moment and I'm grateful that I get to be involved.
(Chris): We won’t keep being overshadowed for much longer. The scene is packed with talent. Young talent. I play in a couple of different scenes around STL, and the STLHC scene is active.
Are there any specific St. Louis bands that have been particularly influential or inspiring to you, either in terms of sound or ethos? What’s the sense of camaraderie like among local bands in the hardcore and punk community? And are there any current bands you want to shine a light on?
(Drew): I’ll always take a chance to talk about hometown bands. There’s Volition, a late-'90s-style band and the first straight edge band from St. Louis in about a decade. They recently released an EP called What Dreams May Come. It reminds me a lot of Trial, which is a difficult sound to nail down, but they do.
Of course there’s Direct Measure who has a new LP coming soon. They’re clearly metallic in their approach to songwriting, but there’s also this balance of punk influence thanks to their singer, Jack and drummer, Kevin. It helps them appeal to multiple crowds. Maladjust and Cause of Pain are newer, but they kind of sound like Ringworm and Madball, respectively. Honestly, I’m long-winded enough without this question. I could go on forever.
(David): St. Louis rocks because everyone out here is supporting each other. There’s no sense of competition or ego in all the bands. Volition put out a new record this year, Direct Measure has one on the way. Man With Rope plays some blackened hardcore that rocks. Cause of Pain, Blight Future, betterleftunsaid, Fortunate Son, Maladjust, too. Everyone should listen to The Mall, I’d love to collab on a song with them in the future.
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Hope In Hell will be out on April 25th via WAR Records (pre-order).
Like Heaven on social media: Instagram
Tagged: almost heaven
