Ahead of the release of their third album tomorrow, Julie Hough and Matt Harris from HAVVK select five records that have left a deep impression on their music and lives.
Photos by Monika Ruman
Olafur Arnalds – Some Kind of Peace
Matt: I have always enjoyed the Erased Tapes compilations. I went to see Lowli play and we started sharing some influences and she sent me link to a performance of ‘Oldurot’ which is a track from Island Songs, the previous album. It hit my emotions and then she got me Some Kind of Peace after we did some work together. ‘The Bottom Line’ has some amazing sounding moments in it and the full album is a great way to spend some time.
Buena Vista Social Club – Live at Carnegie Hall
Julie: I heard Buena Vista Social Club’s self-titled album for the first time in my parents car, and from there, it became the backdrop to lots of long drives and holidays. For me, it is the ultimate kitchen music. The playing and singing is just incredible, as well as the stories behind the songs. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an album where the sense of fun and community is so palpable. It puts shitty things into perspective, makes all weather seem like the best weather, and turns a bowl of cereal into the most romantic meal of the day.
Sophie Jamieson – Hammer EP
Matt: Technically not an album sure… but probably the most excited I’ve been to hear new music in recent times. Sophie Jamieson was playing music in London when Julie and I first started playing music together. I think ‘Wine’ is up there with the most addictive listens in the last 4-5 years for me.
Green Day – Dookie
Julie: I must have ‘borrowed’ this CD from my brother when I was about 11, but I very quickly claimed it – and all things Green Day – as my own. I’d always been into pop music before then, so I think it makes sense that pop-punk became a gateway for me into other alternative genres. Highlights for me are ‘Welcome to Paradise’, ‘She’ and ‘When I Come Around’, which is one of the most devastating little punk ballads I’ve ever heard. From the very first drum-hits on ‘Burnout’, there’s an urgency on this album that I don’t think they ever fully returned to. At the time, it was like nothing I’d listened to before, and it still elicits that same sense of life-is-too-short urgency from me.
The Beatles – The White Album
Matt: One of the first albums that I remember listening to on vinyl. My parents had an original copy from the 60’s which came with photo cards of the members that were still in the case. I have changed favourite Beatles albums a lot, but this one has been top for the longest.
HAVVK launch their third album ‘To Fall Asleep’ at the Workman’s Cellar on Friday 22nd March. Click here for tickets
