A CONVERSATION WITH… HUSBANDS
We talked to Husbands’ Danny Davis about catharsis, band break-ups and change.
HOW did you choose the name husbands?
The name Husbands came from back when Will and I formed the band in 2013-ish. But as we started making music, we were the only guys of all of our friends who were married to somebody. We were the only married people among our friends. So it was like this unique, distinguishing feature of us.
YOU’VE SAID BEFORE THAT YOU AND WILL HAVE LIVED IN DIFFERENT PLACES FOR MOST OF YOUR CAREER. IS THAT STILL THE CASE? HOW HAVE YOU FOUND MAKING MUSIC WHILST BEING IN A LONG DISTANCE BAND?
When we started putting stuff out, that was the beginning foundation of how we did it. So because it started out that way and sharing stuff through Dropbox and over our recording software was super easy. It was almost weirder to figure out how to play in person than it was to be remote. Once he moved back and we started playing and writing in person. But one update on that is for this newest record and going forward, Will recently left the band. He got a new job, he's got a third kid on the way. So just this natural progression of just lives going in different directions. It's been going in that direction for a while. We're still friends, still buddies.
hOW HAVE YOU FOUND WRITING MUSIC BY YOURSELF?
Will was always the person to challenge ideas. He was never afraid to have a strong opinion on it. The thing I appreciated most about him was just his honesty with stuff. We'd always toured with the same group or played shows around here with the same live band, but they'd never been a part of the writing process. For this record, the drummer and our synth player, who is now our guitarist, came in and contributed musically. With those guys, we tend to agree more with each other. So I still felt the need for somebody to challenge it a little bit. It was different not having him, and it's a learning process.
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU LISTENED TO THAT REALLY INSPIRED YOU?
Well, there's this band from Austin, Texas called Being Dead. They're actually in Oklahoma City tonight, coincidentally. They used to record everything straight to tape. They're very DIY. They're punk, but tons of harmonies as well. I think they're a duo. They're so creative and they're abrasive but also melodic and catchy at the same time. They're just an excellent band and I've been listening to them a lot lately and I'm totally inspired by what they're making.
YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU’RE RELEASING NEW MUSIC SOON. COULD YOU TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT THIS?
Our latest record, which is coming out in October is called Cuatro. It's a lot about the lead up to Will and I deciding to do our own thing. Will was not on this record. So it's the first one that's my own thing to do without him as far as Husbands go. So that's a lot of what it's about, and it's big. The songs are very big, loud choruses and not yelling, but just going for it. It's a record that sounds like it's going for it a little bit, which sometimes it's really fun and sometimes you want something more lowkey. But yeah, definitely stoked about the record coming out for sure.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT WRITING THAT RECORD WAS A CATHARTIC PROCESS?
In some ways it was. Music, for me, has always been cathartic, but in some ways it was also not. It was good to sing about the things going on, especially knowing it was just one side of the story because I've always been the primary lyric writer. So I try to call things that we were both caring about at the time, and we would talk about things and he would help with lyrics. This time, it was mostly just, what am I thinking about singularly, and a lot of it was just my relationship within the band with him. So it was cathartic in that way.