W: Rosario Blue

Julie Hawk and Matt Harris are HAVVK (pronounced “hawk”). The Dublin-based duo formed in 2019 and have since released three awesome albums. Their most recent, To Fall Asleep, demonstrates a band not
afraid to evolve, clear and certain of what feelings they want to evoke from the listener.
The grunge rockers’ evolution has seen them go from an earlier folk-kissed sound to the more punk-rock sound of To Fall Asleep.

“Before we even started a band,” says bassist and lead singer Julie Hawk, “we were a project based around a solo folk project of mine. So we did start off as more of a mellow, folk-influenced project with a lot of layers. Matt was working with me as producer initially.”

In 2019 the band released their debut album Cause and Effect, and HAVVK’s brand of alt-rock made them firm ones to watch. Thematically the album covered socio-political issues like gender and gender stereotypes, toxic masculinity and repressive systems.
“So, there was a conscious decision one day just to become a band and to put this kind of folk thing behind us,” says Julie. “But I think you can still hear in the first album that it’s a shoe-gazey folk influence
kind of post rock existence rather than what we evolved into.” In 2021 HAVVK released what might be
their most experimental second album Levelling, which demonstrated their ability to mix dark themes with infectious melodies and edgy hooks. The world was still in lockdown due to the pandemic, but
the band had a stroke of luck because, as Julie says, “it was recorded for the most part, because lockdown happened like the day after our last recording session.”

“Most of that was worked out in isolation”, says guitarist, backup vocalist and producer Matt Harris. “We were sat in a room with no drums, programmed examples of what we might do. We made a lot of Changes in terms of how we realised and recorded music in that second album.” To Fall Asleep, released 15 March 2024, has a more punk rock sound. Former Bitch Falcon drummer Nigel Kenny plays on the record, providing more than his exceptional drumming.

“He’s kind of led us in a slightly different direction with the sound on this record,” says Matt.

Community is important to Julie and Matt. Central to any music project, says Matt – any project that Requires a fan base – is “an ecosystem around it.”

This is why they run indie music label Veta. The label boasts a roster of hugely talented artists: singer songwriter SIVE; Irish alt-folk artist Maria Kelly; queer “minimal electronic” artist DYVR; London-based
multi-instrumentalist singer and producer Benjamin Yellowitz; garage punk band Jock; COOLGIRL, former Bitch Falcon front lady Lizzie Fitzpatrick; and electro- pop artist St. Bishop.

“The whole idea of [Veta], is to create a collective community of musicians that can share positive, negative experiences and learn from each other.”

Despite the support of a strong community, the pressure of being a creative -- particularly in a fickle and unpredictable industry -- can be difficult, especially where mental health is concerned. The band support each other to keep their heads above water.

“Sometimes when people ask us what we do with the label,” says Julie, “we describe how 80% of what we spend our time doing is being a soundboard, because, yeah, having someone else to listen to you
[means everything].”

In April HAVVK finished their successful European tour. They’re very clear on what they want their To Fall Asleep live shows to deliver as Matt explains

“How can we punch someone in the face, and just keep doing it all the way through the set?

“A lot of what we did on the current record, is really just about not letting up. Being a bit more relentless with that vibe. There’s a couple of moments on the album where we do dial it back, but not many. I think all the songs are quite aggressive and high tempo, and that’s what we were going for.”

To get punched in the face yourself, head to HAVVK’s website, [www.havvkmusic. com); there you can buy To Fall Asleep vinyls. If you prefer to be punched for free, you can also stream the album on all major
streaming platforms.
Visit Veta Music to check out its roster of artists www.wearevetamusic.com.