Hands Like Houses On Their Return With Expansive Double Album ‘ATMOSPHERICS’

Just a couple of years ago, the future of Hands Like House was uncertain. 

The unprecedented chaos of a global pandemic followed by the departure of founding vocalist Trenton Woodley in 2023, the band’s four remaining members were faced with a decision. Spending over a decade carving out a unique space in the alternative scene – their gritty post-hardcore roots gradually evolving into a masterclass in soaring melodies and anthemic choruses – both their careers and identities were suddenly thrown into question. Unsure of anything except the simple, undeniable fact that they wanted to continue making music together – they began searching for their missing piece.

Collaborating with musicians and friends from all corners of their scene as they explored their options, former The Faim frontman Josh Raven slotted seamlessly into the picture. A vocalist more than capable of nailing their signature balance of intensity and emotion, he understood the band’s mission from the get-go, pummelling down the creative roadblocks lying in their path. 

Becoming the catalyst for Hands Like Houses’ next chapter, what started as an experiment quickly became a reinvention, leading to their most ambitious project yet. A sprawling 16-track double album, ‘ATMOSPHERICS’ is a reintroduction to the Aussie band like no other. Divided into four volumes – each inspired by a different layer of the Earth’s atmosphere – it captures their rebirth in real time, unburdened by outside pressures and cherishing the wonder of creative freedom.

Navigating their newfound status as independent artists and rediscovering their love for music, as Hands Like Houses step into a new era, they’re embracing the limitless possibilities that now lie ahead. With ‘ATMOSPHERICS’ set to drop on February 14, we sat down with the band to dive into the journey that has led them to their boldest chapter yet.

ROCK SOUND: After a transitional period, this very much feels like a new beginning for Hands Like Houses…

MATT COOPER: “It’s definitely been a strange time for us. Through COVID, like a lot of artists, we didn’t know if we would play shows anymore. We didn’t know if we’d even be a band anymore, so the fact that we’re releasing a 16-track album now is crazy. Josh is the reason we are here though, and the first song that we wrote with him was the catalyst of us getting to this point. It’s pretty surreal, and it’s been a journey to get here.

It came about because we had all of this music in the bank, and we wanted to keep working. We’ve made friends with some incredible musicians over the years, so we were writing music and sending it out to them. One of the people we sent something to was Josh, and we got together with our producer Cal [Orr] in Melbourne. Straight away, being in the room together felt good. From there, the album became this playground for us to muck around with and explore.”

JOEL TYRRELL: “During the prior five or six years of the band, we really struggled to write music. It was tough, and we had a few scars from recording experiences that hadn’t gone so well. We sat down and talked about how we all still wanted to do this, but we needed to find a way to make it fun again. We wanted to enjoy it, and when Josh came in, he brought this energy into us. It felt like we were making our first record again, and we were writing so many ideas. There wasn’t much resistance, there weren’t a lot of clashes, and it was purely people turning up and working together. We had a lot more ideas than we thought we would, hence the 16-track double album. In the space of six months working with Josh, we wrote and finished more songs than we had in the previous six years.”

ROCK SOUND: The perk of having so many different layers within the record is that it removes the need for total cohesion. You can play around with different sides of your sound, and there’s no need for every song to sit comfortably alongside each other. Approaching it in that way, did it feel as though there was less pressure on you?

MATT COOPER: “I think that becoming an independent band is what set us up to even entertain having that frame of mind. It was way more sort of chill in terms of how the ideas became the final songs, and it was so much more streamlined without other people’s involvement. With just us working together alongside our producer, the process was so much quicker. It’s the first time that we’ve really had that experience.”

JOSH RAVEN: “Coming from a different world with The Faim, I almost didn’t know what to do with myself for the first couple of months. Every time I said, ‘I can’t do this’ though, it was met with ‘Nah, it’s okay’. Nothing was off limits, and we were all just trying to make it work. Usually, it’s much more condensed and intense, but when that pressure is lifted it becomes a great environment for creativity. To be given the freedom to explore your own childish feelings with creativity, instead of it just feeling like it’s something you have to do… That’s so valuable. When you have a burning desire to do something, rather than knowing you need to do it because of what a label, manager or booking agent says, that’s when the good stuff happens.”

ROCK SOUND: That’s important, because at a certain point in any career – but especially in music – you can lose the magic of it. That simple spark of creating for the love of it, and not worrying too much about the outcome, can subside. Were you able to rediscover that a little?

JOEL TYRRELL: “There was a huge element of that. We’ve been very fortunate to have these careers that have allowed us to go on dream tours and put out records. We’ve done a lot of things, so we’re not here trying to chase those bucket list items. It was more about going back to the drawing board and working out how we could make creating and doing something that we love enjoyable again. Not having the pressure of a label saying we need an album delivered by a certain date, that removed pretty much all of the stress that used to come with the recording experience. We were able to just go in and create, and if we didn’t like something, we would just bin it. It took away the need to come out with a result, and that relaxed us. That’s how we were able to come up with the songs that we did.”

MATT COOPER: “Even with the structure of the release, things changed a bit over time. Those changes were just us doing what we wanted to do with it, and that doesn’t happen with a label. Usually, you’ve got eight other people trying to get their point across, but this time we did everything ourselves. We’re making the decisions, it’s all planned, and that makes it so much more relaxed.”

ROCK SOUND: Let’s talk a little bit about the theming of the record, and how the songs are put together. Each volume is named after a layer of the atmosphere, and each has its own unique feel to it. Where did that idea come from?

JOEL TYRRELL: “Originally, the idea of having these layers of the atmosphere was just a place for us to finish music during a particular point in time. In the past, we’ve struggled with getting really excited about a song that we’re writing but knowing that it’s going to be another two years until it comes out. By doing it this way, we were able to focus on each layer of the atmosphere at a time. We’d have four songs that defined that session and that period of time together, and then we could move on to the next thing. The way that it naturally ended up working was the four songs would get done in a period, then would break for a little bit, then come together for another couple of weeks to get the next batch done. At the start, we didn’t intentionally set out to have four layers each with four tracks, but it allowed us to put out music closer to the time in which we’d created it. We were able to show people the journey, and how we restarted this chapter with Josh. You can see the evolution of that throughout the record, and when you get to the back end you can see how we’ve explored what’s possible with this lineup. It’s just the start of what it looks like for us creatively.”

JOSH RAVEN: “Because the songs were written so close to when they were released, we’re bringing people into our present moment. That’s why there’s a lot of different flavours, emotions and feelings throughout the record, and I’m pretty sure we wrote most of it in different places from a physical perspective too. We’re bringing people into these different spaces, and I think it’s important. It highlights where we began and where we’ve ended up, and that endpoint is super exciting.”

ROCK SOUND: You can see that journey in the first volume of the album, because there are so many different collaborators putting their own spin on things. How did working with the likes of Underøath’s Aaron Gillespie and RedHook’s Emmy Mack bolster your creativity at the start of the process?

JOEL TYRRELL: “Funnily enough, that process started from us just trying to write music. When we parted ways with our old singer, the four of us wanted to keep making music, but the question was – how can we do it? To begin with, we thought we’d try to be a DJ rock band. We weren’t going to have a singer; we were just going to write songs with our friends. We started writing with Emmy and Philip from Normandie, then we wrote a song with Josh. That was the turning point for us, because we realised that we weren’t just writing a song with a friend. It felt like the next sound of the band. It was great for us to be pushed in different directions by singers during that process, and to be challenged like that. We haven’t done a whole lot of collaborations like that in our career, and a lot of them are artists that we’ve toured with over the years. It was great to have that support from people who wanted to work with us and wanted to back us. It made us feel excited about the songs we were writing, because we knew that people were excited to work on them with us.”

ROCK SOUND: Something that’s been unique about the release of this record is that fans have heard a large portion of these songs already via the EPs. It’s been almost a year now since the first volume dropped, so how has it been to see the reaction at each stage?

JOSH RAVEN: “It’s been awesome, especially when it comes to the live shows. Being totally transparent, the first show was pretty nerve-wracking…  I was shitting my pants. I wrote all these notes on my setlist, and I lost it right before the show. I had no notes, and I was absolutely crapping my pants. It ended up being one of the best shows of the tour though. It was rowdy, it was fun, and everyone after the show was super nice to me. It’s a weird position to be in as a new singer coming into a band, so I was nervous, but it couldn’t have gone much better. I knew that the writing process had been awesome, and my relationship with the guys was awesome, so the last piece of the puzzle was seeing how it went live. I didn’t know if people would like me or hate me, but it ended up being so warm and comforting. Fans were able to acknowledge the past but also be excited for the future. 

That brought more fuel into everything because we realised that it was becoming something real. That changed it for me, and as the record progressed, we also got to know each other more as writers and as people. We are learning more about our past and our stories, and that’s deepened our connection with each other. As the songs went on, more layers were being peeled off. There are more and more pieces that are starting to shed, and you can only get into those deeper parts with time. We’re hitting that point now, and especially at the end of this record you can hear it. By the last couple of songs, it feels like we’ve opened up and shed the armour much more. It’s been a process of learning and growth, and the whole reason why we’re doing it is because it feels good. Of course, there are always going to people who aren’t into it, but there would be no challenge without any negativity or criticism. If everything was perfect, I’d be very concerned.”

ROCK SOUND: Being able to approach making music from a perspective of following what feels good, rather than being confined to a certain sound or style, has that given you a renewed faith in what the future holds for Hands Like Houses?

JOSH RAVEN: “100 per cent, because we don’t really know what we can’t do at this point. It feels like all doors are open, and if anything, it’s infinite. Nothing is out of the question, and that’s the exciting part.”

MATT COOPER: “It’s just way more interesting to be making music like this. As artists, to have a project that allows such a thing is so refreshing. We can do whatever the hell we want now, and that’s fun.”

JOEL TYRRELL: “It feels like this record has been a kind of honeymoon period. Everything’s great, and now the doors are open, and we can go anywhere. We can go wherever we want with it, and that’s probably the most exciting thing. We’re pumped to have this 16-track album coming out, but we’re probably more excited about the fact that we’re still writing. We’ve got more stuff coming, and it feels good. We need to celebrate this album, but we’re so buzzed to be writing music together.”

JOSH RAVEN: “Who knows? Maybe after five weeks in an RV together, we might change that perspective. The next album could be all about long drives, winding roads and cyclones!”

‘ATMOSPHERICS’ is out on February 14 via Civillians.


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