EP Review: Human Interest - Empathy Lives In Outer Space

I sometimes wonder where we're going as a species. The divisions that we continue to be subjected to make it increasingly difficult to care more for our fellow man than we should do. Whether it be the Israel-Palestine conflict, the irresponsible use of language about immigrants by so-called leaders, or the continued polarisation of the social media model: the lack of empathy is rather unnerving. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about hugging everyone I meet, but I do think the hippies had some good ideas you know.  

The problem is, of course, that we know - deep down - that these divisions are man-made to ensure we don't get along. It benefits far too many people if we're at each other throats. If you're busy blaming everyone else then you can't blame who's really to blame, can you? Divide and conquer; the oldest trick in the political playbook. 

In the world of journalism, the human interest story is one designed to engage attention or sympathy by allowing the reader/viewer to readily associate with what they see or read.  It can be both intensely provocative or throw-away and frivolous, but someone is going to identify with it. The story of the East London band Human Interest will resonate with many. If you pay attention to this blog you might just remember they joined us on our second episode of The Partisan Contingent - entitled Empathy and Pineapple Pizza - take a listen at Mixcloud link at the bottom of the page.

  

📷 Lola Stephen

Human Interest were formed after songwriter Cat Harrison decided to move to London during the Pandemic to form a band after previously being in bands in Margate. He wanted a change of sound and scenery to inspire him and strip back the complexity of his writing. During the heights of the Lockdown, Cat joined a WhatsApp group for like-minded individuals of fetish culture and met bassist Tyler Damara Kelly, who had never been in a band but was quick to take the plunge after hearing the initial demos. Those demos turned into 2022's Desire Paths E.P. which gained the attention of tastemaker label Nice Swan, home to bands like Sports Team, Pip Blom, and Sprints. 

New E.P. Empathy Lives In Outer Space is the first since the band became a four-piece with Tyler Evann joining on guitar/backing vocals and Joe Michelson on drums. 2022's Desire Paths showed a band with promise, but the new E.P shows considerable progress from their debut release. Where that collection of songs had strong ideas but lacked the means to get the best out of them - they were in effect, the same aforementioned demos - this collection of songs is produced with a keen ear for detail and a desire to strike a balance between style and substance. 

Lead single and opener 'Step On' is the ideal example of the Human Interest blueprint at play; exemplifying Harrison and Kelly's chemistry that permeates the track. There's a coolness to the sound in the early stages that brings to mind the woozy sway of The Jesus and Mary Chain. The guitars sound brash, but have a slickness to them. Harrison takes the lead vocally and his raspy delivery is accentuated every other line by Kelly's sweeter tones. A theme of the temporary nature of thoughts and feelings emerges as the song unfolds, when the trajectory of the track shifts in the final moments and the key lyric of a more frantic conclusion is delievered passionately:

                     This philosophy goes away

'Slacker's Paradise' has a more upbeat sound steeped in Rock n' Roll classicism. The drums postively rumble along early doors, thudding away excitedly in standard time; sure it's familiar but it doesn't make it any less thrilling. There's no doubt it takes it's hubris from the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Kasabian's 'Fire' here; it has that same anthemic swagger but with less of the overconfident postering. The chorus turns the intensity up a notch with the lyrics a plea not to overthink too much and to live in the moment:

I'm gonna walk right through this life unphased,

too many things are unexplainable.

The focus of 'Mixing Paint' is very much on Kelly, and her biggest stint of prolongued solo vocals on the E.P. bares fruit. The mix is minimal, it starts with just her singing accapella with a touch of reverb for company. The fragility of the moment is slowly allowed to be engulfed with Harrison joining as the instrumentation is constructed from the ground up, mostly just rhythm section playing off each other with consumate ease. The song ends with a flurry of cascading guitars that kick in with a climax that has an air of Pixies about it. 

I sense a clue to where the band will be going next with their sound by the time 'So Smart' ends. This track is the most disparate on the E.P, incorporating a slightly more expansive approach without straying too far from the refined structure. The longest track on the E.P at nearly 6 minutes, it's also the one that you can see becoming a firm favourite live. At first, a breezy guitar lick heralds it's arrival before a motorik krautrock beat kicks the song into life. Harrison has much more of a snarl in his vocals and it's clear the person he's singing about is not particularly in his good books:

Meet you in toilet for a cigarette

You cool boy, sure you do this all the time

Give you 20 seconds til' you're asking for a line.

But the annoyance changes quickly to empathetic encouragement for a peers' personal problems that might explain a few things. We've all been there:

I know that you're messed up in the head 

things will get a little better with a little sex

The mood of the track lifts as it progresses with grugey guitar adding another frantic element to the mix. It's an exhilarating conclusion to a song that reaches further than they've attempted on the rest of Empathy Lives In Outer Space.

The softer side of the E.P is showcased by two of the more restrained songs on the E.P. 'All My Friends' is a compassionate ballard that lives and breathes the reality of good friendship and how solidarity is just as important as shared experiences. The vocals have been deliberately layered at points to mimic a communal sing-song as a lonesome, country-tinged guitar riff laments the - often seemingly futile - nature of youth. 

Closer 'Grounded' is a ghostly tale of loss due of war and the trauma that inevitably engulfs as a result. It's a short and simple song, that relies almost entirely on the interplay between Harrison and Kelly's sublime vocals that really draw you into the story. This all plays out over a simple acoustic arrangement that plays with The White Stripes 'We're Going To Be Friends' and takes it in a much darker direction. 

When settling on the name of the E.P, the band were drawn to footage of Felix Baumgartner and his world record freefall descent from the edge of space. The extraordinary spectacle was witnessed by millions on a livestream in 2012, yet felt like you were watching the most lonely experience a human could ever possibly feel. There's an existential sentiment that echoes throughout Empathy Lives In Outer Space and draws on how we often swing from the dark to the light. If we stick together and find solace in each other then it often gets easier; even on the most harshest of planets. 

Empathy Lives In Outer Space is out now on Nice Swan Records and you can follow Human Interest on social media on Facebook, Instagram and X. 

Obviously stream it yeah, but you can buy it too on lovely green vinyl at their Bandcamp, you'll be supporting the artist much more too. Go ed'.