Despite the track having had ample airplay, we confess to somehow having missed the self-titled debut from Seattle's Heavy Air when it dropped back in May.
Thankfully, the Heavy Air boys have wasted no time in following up with an equally impressive sequel. This time we caught it. Released earlier this month, new single 'Burn Me' is an explosive, grungy, percussion-heavy tour de force.
Artfully juxtaposing angsty, caustic lyrics – “No one even cares; not about you" – with driving bass and energising guitar, the track hits harder than its predecessor. That’s never a bad thing in our book.
To our ears the Heavy Air sound is redolent of the noughties alt rock scene, calling to mind Alexisonfire and Biffy Clyro. Musically, ‘Burn Me’ has enough figurative bells and whistles to keep things interesting, with a multitude of rhythmic patterns in the intro alone.
A new band this may be, but it’s easy to hear this is the work of very experienced musicians. We got in touch.
In this exclusive interview, we chat with guitarist and lead vocalist Sam Howell, bassist Jacob Sacquitne, and drummer Kyle Adams, who take us through their creative process, the influences that have shaped their music, and how the band came together.
For Jared Leto, sarnie abuse, and the biggest band in the world, read on!
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Hello Heavy Air! Let’s start at the beginning. How did you guys meet?
JACOB – Sam and I set up a meeting with Kyle in July 2023 to see if he’d drum for our band, Afterwords. I said, ‘Has anyone ever told you you look just like Jared Leto?’ Kyle rolled his eyes and we all just hit it off immediately.
We started jamming and it was clear something new and special was happening. We decided to change our name to represent the new music we were making together as a new band. We debuted with the song that also inspired our name: 'Heavy Air’.
SAM – The three of us are all very different, with a wide array of influences. With that, I think we’ve created something very unique, but also very accessible.
For anyone who hasn’t heard you before, what should they expect?
KYLE – Generally, we appeal to anyone who grew up going to Warped Tour, listening to SiriusXM radio, or ever cried themselves to sleep from either sadness or joy.
What’s the dynamic in the band? Who takes charge?
JACOB – That’s one thing that makes us work so well together: we’re all equally driven. We’ve had a set practice, writing and recording schedule for a year now. We’ve basically only missed one or two dates all year.
Very diligent. Please describe your writing process for us?
KYLE – A lot of our songs have started from either a drum idea, riff or a guitar part that Sam has had in his back pocket for some time.
Drums play a huge part in this band. One of my goals as a drummer has always been to write parts that make a listener want to learn it themselves.
Do you have a favourite track to perform live?
JACOB – It feels like our new single ‘Burn Me’ is now our favourite. The song is just high energy.
Tell us about ‘Burn Me.’
SAM – I wrote the opening riff a while ago and thought it would never turn into an actual song, because it’s so much dirtier and heavier than what I usually write.
But this seemed like a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the fact that our drummer is a maniac and our bass player is a formal metal god. We just wanted to get loud.
How does it compare to your debut single?
KYLE – ‘Heavy Air’ was a super palatable, uptempo pop punk song. ‘Burn Me’ takes a grungier, more emotive approach. They both appeal to the same listener, but different parts of their personality or mood.
‘Burn Me’ is a visceral song that punches you right in the taint.
Painful. What’s it about?
SAM – I think the lyrics are about having a romantic relationship with a sandwich.
JACOB – Yeah, the working title was ‘Fuck Sandwich’.
Who doesn’t love a sarnie! Where did you record it?
KYLE – We track and produce all of our releases ourselves from my studio. I engineer the sessions from start to finish, before getting a rough mix ready.
We record all together in the room – so the drum performances have an energy that isn’t typically captured when tracking solo – then the rest of the song we’ll track in isolation: bass, guitars, and lastly vocals.
JACOB – We want to thank our friend Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce for the killer mix and master.
How did it feel releasing your second single?
JACOB – I think we were a little nervous because our first song did way better than any of us had dreamed. Now it feels like there’s pressure to keep it going. But it’s a great problem to have.
KYLE – We’re excited, for sure. We’re getting radio play and press already, which is great.
What’s been your biggest highlight, aside from this interview?
SAM – For me, it was when we released our first music video online and the response was much bigger than any of us expected. I’d been used to putting out music and nobody caring, but we got thousands of views and hundreds of comments in just a few days.
If you could be in any band, now or at any time, not including Heavy Air, which would it be?
JACOB – I think it’s safe to say we’d all join Foo Fighters in a heartbeat.
Excellent choice. Give us 3 albums everyone should own.
KYLE – ‘Kerplunk’ and ‘Dookie’ by Green Day, definitely; then it’s a toss up between Foo Fighter’s first album and ‘Frogstomp’ by Silverchair. They shaped me into the musician I am today.
What’s the best way to start the day?
JACOB – Kyle texting us at 7am with our latest Spotify stats. It’s become so regular, we fear for his safety if we don’t get his morning text.
What’s your dream for Heavy Air?
JACOB – We’ve all played music our whole lives. With Heavy Air we’ve decided to just shoot for the stars. ‘We’re the biggest band in the world!’ has become a sort of motto; we say it whenever anything good happens, even if it’s just Spotify saying we have 3 new listeners! It’s a joke we hope one day will become reality.
Gotta aim high. Thanks guys for chatting with us.
SAM – It’s been great. TEN OF CLUBS is amazing.
You're a wise and discerning man, Sam, with excellent taste. What’s next for Heavy Air?
KYLE – We’re just focussed on building, both within our circles and outward. We have a pretty rigid release schedule; we want to release new singles every 6 or 8 weeks. No tours on the books yet, but soon.
We look forward to your inevitable UK tour. Thanks again, guys. Any final words?
SAM – We’re all going to die and there probably isn’t an afterlife. Do what you will with that information.
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▶︎ 'Burn Me' by Heavy Air is streaming now Spotify, Apple Music and elsewhere.
▶︎ Band photo by Kelly Mason / gig photos by Keith Stein
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