Thanks for taking the time guys, I think it’s a long-overdue chat that needed to happen. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi! We’re Hidden Mothers from Sheffield, UK. We formed in late 2018/early 2019 after all being in various bands in and around South and West Yorkshire. Just five dudes who love the more emotional side of heavy music, looking to make some noise.
You have an incredibly unique blend of sounds. Could you give a short description of your sound for potential new listeners?
We’re a bit of a melting pot for sure! I’d say we’re a blackened post-metal band with elements of classic screamo and post-hardcore. Lots of atmosphere and texture with white-hot vocals and a few surprises. If you’re a fan of bands like Deafheaven, Alcest, Converge, Thrice, Amenra, Holy Fawn, Oathbreaker and Envy then you’ll probably dig what we do.
Congratulations on the release of your self-titled EP! It seems like it’s being received very well by your fans. Could you give us a little insight into the writing process of the EP?
We started writing ‘Beneath, To The Earth’, the opening track on this EP, in like our second or third practice. It’s amazing how quickly the five of us gelled together, considering none of us had played together before and most of us didn’t even know each other before we started the band. The other two tracks soon followed. With this EP, we wanted to show the full range of our influences. So the three tracks are all quite different from each other but they do have our overall sound linking them together. When we started playing the songs live a few months before we went and recorded them. We got a feel for what worked and what didn’t and in the studio we made a few final tweaks to create the fully-formed tracks that ended up on the EP.
How do you guys approach your merchandise? And what’s your take on the importance of merch in the music industry as a whole?
Merch is really important. As in the current age of streaming it’s one of the few reliable income streams for a small band. Which is really handy to have when you want to record as that process can be very expensive. It’s not all about the money, of course, merch is also a great way to get your name out there and get people talking about your band. We haven’t done too much merch just yet, because we’ve been focusing on making music. That is the primary function of a band, after all, and merch should come second to that, but it is an essential part of building your brand and getting people to see you as the whole package rather than just another little local band having a go at it.
On that note, does the band have a specific approach to selling merch? And do you have some tips in that regard to new and upcoming bands that are looking at entering the industry?
Don’t overprice your merch. If you’re a small band playing to 40-50 people normally, then you shouldn’t really be charging more than £10 for a tee. As you build your reputation and your standing in the scene, you might be able to charge a bit more. But if you make your merch accessible and affordable then people will appreciate that and will be more likely to pick something up. Something else that’s a good idea, that we haven’t really done yet, is having some cheaper items on your merch table where possible. A fan might want to support you but doesn’t have £10 for a tee. That same fan might have £3 for a patch or a poster or something, so having a few options at different price points will definitely give more people the opportunity to support you.
Do you guys have a favourite band to play shows with or go on tour with?
To be honest, we didn’t get to do that many shows before the pandemic happened. And live music stopped existing, so we haven’t really had a chance to build up regular touring relationships just yet. We were supposed to do a weekend of shows with Underdark, Crimson Throne and Portrayal Of Guilt before everything got cancelled. So I’d like to get the opportunity to do some shows with all those guys in the future if possible.
Do you guys have any plans in the pipeline once the whole pandemic blows over?
We’ve got a few ideas taking shape behind the scenes but with things changing so quickly. At the minute, it’s difficult to know how much effort to put into planning things that might not happen. Needless to say, though, as soon as we can be back out there, we will be playing anywhere and everywhere. We’re also working on some new music that hopefully we’ll be able to share with you sooner rather than later.
Anything in particular that you’d like to plug? For someone looking to check out Hidden Mothers for the first time, where do you think they should start?
I’d like to plug our new EP, it’s self-titled and it’s on Bandcamp, Spotify and all the other usual platforms. If you like heavy music and have a spare 17 minutes then I think it’s a good use of that time. It’s also the best place to start with us as it’s our only proper release so far, so there aren’t many other options! We also have some tees printed by you lovely people at Pins & Knuckles, there are a few left on our Bandcamp if anyone wants to pick one up. Other than that, I’d like to plug our label, Surviving Sounds. There are some great bands on there like Agvirre, Wallowing, Archelon, Underdark and more that are all well worth checking out.