Interview with Hembree.
Interviewed by: Sarah Evangelista
If we could give an award to the world’s funkiest group, it would go to Kansas City’s Hembree.
After releasing four singles beginning from last year, the band’s anticipated album It’s A Dream is finally out into the world. With thirteen adventurous and amusing tracks, this is Hembree’s most established project yet.
We got to chat with lead vocalist/guitarist Isaac Flynn about the album.
SE: The album is amazing! It’s full of upbeat tunes, and there’s also some slow ones. Did you add them during the end, or did the mix of feelings just happen naturally?
IF: Our first album is front to back jams, which I love. It’s fantastic for playing live. With this project, I wanted to show a little more depth. I wanted to show a little more of the song writing and show that there’s a spectrum of emotions we could present. We’re showing a side of the band that no one’s ever seen.
SE: There’s also some songs off the album that have been in the works for years!
IF: “Close To Me” might be the oldest one… “Reach Out” and “Close To Me” were both 2019 songs. “Reach Out” was done in December of 2019, then we opened it back up and made some small tweaks. It made all the difference to us, but honestly if you A-B them back to back they won’t sound that different {laughs}. There’s definitely different versions of the song, and at some point you have to give it to the world.
SE: It’s A Dream! ends off on a slower note. Was this intentional?
IF: The album was originally going to end with “Daylight”, it was a very mellow and optimistic view of where we’re heading. We were like ‘is it too on the nose to call the last song on the record “Time To Leave”? {laughs} We really liked that song, and the range it showed for the band, and we had never really done a slow song to that degree. We kept trying different places for it and we felt it was alright to let the record chill out at the very end.
SE: “Reach Out” was the first single for the record, and it was also released with an animated music video. How did that come about?
IF: When the song was coming out, it was at the time where it wasn’t appropriate to get the band together. Most of the guys live in LA, and two of us still live in Kansas City. We always wanted to collaborate with Carpenter Collective, who are good friends of ours, and it was perfect. Tad told me he had a few ideas, but he ended up sending me 40 google slides with a bunch of designs and animations. We found incredible animators, Igor and Valentine. It was awesome because everything was remote and over zoom, but it felt like a real friend group working on something together. They absolutely crushed it.
SE: If you could describe your music as an animal, which one would it be?
IF: Our music reminds me a lot of my dog Ben. {Laughs} He’s 0-100 from chill to absolutely insane. He’s a part German Shepherd part English Setter. That’s the first thing that popped into my head. When he has energy, it’s through the roof, but when he chills he chills so hard.
SE: Who are your favorite artists at the moment?
IF: Phoebe Bridgers, Tame Impala, and Kacey Musgraves.