Having spent the last few years tearing up stages across the globe and cultivating a dedicated, fiercely loyal following, RedHook have firmly cemented themselves as one of the most dynamic forces in the modern alternative scene. 

Fronted by the electrifying Emmy Mack, the Sydney-based quartet thrives on a fearless commitment to defy expectations, continuously pushing creative boundaries and blending influences from across the musical spectrum. From the raw, riff-heavy energy of metal to the infectious hooks of pop-punk, RedHook’s sonic identity is as multifaceted as it is bold.

Just one year on from their debut album ‘Postcard From A Living Hell’, the band’s defiant follow-up ‘Mutation’ marks a significant turning point in their journey. Doubling down on everything that makes them unique whilst still leaving ample room to experiment and explore uncharted territory, RedHook are diving deeper than ever before. Tackling heavy, often-stigmatised topics with a mix of brutal sincerity and tongue-in-cheek humour, across eleven songs they’re confronting personal trauma, self-empowerment, and the complexities of growth with unflinching honesty. From reclaiming sexual identity after trauma to embracing your flaws in the face of societal pressures, ‘Mutation’ is as much a celebration of defiance as it is an intimate exploration of vulnerability.

A band focused on creating a safe space for the world’s misfits and outsiders, we caught up with Emmy to reflect on RedHook’s journey so far, the stories behind ‘Mutation’, and the band’s mission to be a voice for anyone who feels out of place in the world.

ROCK SOUND: It’s been a crazy journey for this band over the last couple of years… How has it been to see how RedHook has grown?

EMMY MACK: “It has honestly been amazing. You take nothing for granted in the music industry, and the pandemic hit us right when we were starting to gain momentum. We were supposed to be coming back over to the UK, and we had all these opportunities lined up, but they just stopped, as everything did during the pandemic. It’s been really heartening and encouraging that we’ve continued to grow despite having that happen so early in our career.

Every time we get a new opportunity, a new tour, or the chance to play a festival… I never take it for granted. I always try to live in the moment and appreciate everything that’s going on, because you never know when you’ll have peaked. We’ve been working our asses off to make sure that we keep the ball rolling.” 

RS: Coming into ‘Mutation’ everything about this project feels totally evolved from ‘Postcard From A Living Hell’. What was the vision coming into album two?

EMMY: “The vision for RedHook from the very start was always to defy expectations. To not only push ourselves creatively, but to push everyone’s expectations of what the scene is capable of. On album two, we wanted to double down on everything that made RedHook unique. We wanted to push everything further in terms of the songwriting, our musical choices, and the messages behind the music. We wanted to take everything that makes us different and put it on steroids.”

RS: There are the ripping metal influences on songs like ‘Cannibal’, the huge pop melodies on ‘Breaking Up With’, and a whole lot of stuff that sits within and outside of those realms. Going into this record, did you have a solid idea of what RedHook’s sonic identity was?

EMMY: “There was an element of that, but on the flip side we like to play and we like to experiment. We’re always pushing ourselves to see what else we can do, so it’s twofold on this record. We’re knuckling down on the stuff that works well for us, but that element of experimentation is also there. A perfect example is the song ‘Hex’, because that’s different to anything we’ve ever done before. I was listening to a load of Ashnikko at the time, which is very pop, but there’s always an element of aggression to it. I wanted to try and channel that spirit into something heavier, and we didn’t know if it would work, but it’s one of my favourite songs on the album.” 

RS: When we’re talking about growth, obviously the sonics of this record are huge, but the stories that you’re telling here feel much more pertinent too…

EMMY: “As a songwriter, I was less afraid, and a big part of that was releasing ‘Jabberwocky’ from our last album. It was terrifying to put something like that out there because there’s such a vulnerable personal story behind it, but the process was so healing and reassuring. We have this amazing fanbase filled with people who are so accepting, receptive, supportive, and open. That made me braver to push further on this album. As I was writing these songs, I was able to tap into more personal shit, and that fuelled the vision for the record.”

RS: One of the most vital things the album touches on is the idea of re-embracing your sexuality following sexual assault trauma. Given how many people resonated with ‘Jabberwocky’, why was it so important for you to further that discussion with songs like ‘Hot Tub’?

EMMY: “Sexual empowerment is a big part of this record, and I needed to do that for myself with songs like ‘Hot Tub’ and ‘Cannibal’. One of the weird things about releasing ‘Jabberwocky’ was that once I was open about my sexual assault trauma, the people around me started walking on eggshells around me. I’ve got a pretty dirty mind and a dark sense of humour, but all of a sudden my friends were apologising if they said certain things. 

I’m not this delicate snowflake, and there’s still this stigma around sexual assault survivors being able to speak positively about sex. That discourse is missing from culture right now, and it’s a discussion that needs to be had. Especially with ‘Cannibal’ and ‘Hot Tub’, the lyrics are so cheeky and dirty. It’s nice that something so light-hearted and fun can have a positive resonance within our fanbase, and ‘Cannibal’ has resonated a lot with other women who’ve survived sexual assault. I surround myself with similar types of people, and a big way that we deal with trauma is to laugh and make jokes about it. For me, laughing at your trauma can make it less scary, and gives it less power over you. It takes the weight off of it.”

RS: When we’re talking about embracing sexuality as part of your healing, there’s certainly a stigma around women doing that… 

EMMY: “Definitely, and as women we carry the weight of all of these expectations, and all the messages that we’ve internalised growing up. I’m sick of it, and something that I would like to do as an artist is help break down those stigmas and expectations for women.

We’ve released our collaboration with Holding Absence called ‘Dr. Frankenstein’, and that was a scary song for me to write. Lyrically, it’s about me owning my shit from a past relationship that became quite toxic. It was controlling and possessive, and I felt very trapped. When I finally got out of it, I slipped into a victim mentality, but now that I’m a little bit older and wiser I can look back and see that it was more complicated than that. I was unfaithful in that relationship, and that song is me looking back and analysing to what extent I was responsible for creating that toxic environment. That’s something that doesn’t get talked about a lot because – especially for women – there’s an overwhelming societal pressure to be perfect. We’re not perfect. We’re humans, and it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as we own and learn from them. It’s about  forgiving  ourselves, doing the work to be better, and trying not to fuck up again.”

RS: For a long time, women in the scene have been presented as almost one-dimensional. They have often been the subject of someone else’s trauma, someone else’s affections, or someone else’s story. It’s important that women can listen to bands like RedHook and realise that they’re worth much more than that… 

EMMY: “I feel a strange sense of obligation to be the kind of band that would have helped me when I was an awkward teenager growing up and listening to music. There wasn’t really anything out there that resonated with who I was and I felt so lost because of that. That’s always in the back of my mind with everything that I do with RedHook. I’m always thinking about whether these songs would have helped me when I was struggling.”

RS: Movie and film is a huge part of RedHook, from the references littered throughout your songs to the horror imagery of your videos… How much of a shared identity do you think the music and film worlds have?

EMMY: “I’m a massive geek, and when I was growing up TV and movies were how I understood the world. It’s such a huge part of my DNA, and those things are always going to be intrinsically linked with RedHook’s music. The reason why I love music videos so much is that they transport you. They’re so fun, and it’s something that we need to bring back. It’s nice to have an extra element that sits in your brain when you hear a song, and it gives it more identity. When I was a kid, I used to tape all of my favourite music videos onto VHS, and RedHook videos have given me a chance to live out some of my childhood dreams. In the ‘Breaking Up With’ music video I got to be a wrestler, and ‘Dr. Frankenstein’ allowed me to channel my obsession with 80s and early 90s movies and culture. It elevates the art by adding a whole new dimension to it.” 

RS: Having had the chance to play a whole load of live shows across the world over the last few years, how has it been to see the impact your music has had on your community first-hand?

EMMY: “It’s the most rewarding part of being an artist. Getting to play shows on the other side of the world and seeing people singing the lyrics back to us is crazy, and then we get to have conversations with them after the shows. That’s the most beautiful, rewarding thing. You get to see the positive impact that a silly song you created has had in someone’s life, and I’ll never get used to it. I don’t think I’ll ever take it for granted, and if anybody who has the privilege of being able to do this ever takes it for granted, they should stop.”

RS: This band embodies the single most defining factor of the alternative scene in that it’s for the misfits. It’s for those people who struggle to fit in, or who feel out of place for whatever reason. Having had bands who’ve helped you when you felt that way, how does it feel to know that RedHook can now be that band for others? 

EMMY: “It’s the greatest feeling in the world. I’m always trying to be that band for the younger version of myself, and especially for the women. When I was growing up, there were all of these bands I loved, but I don’t remember ever having an artist who I felt truly understood me. Hopefully, RedHook can continue to be that band, because it’s really important to us. There is so much beauty in embracing your weirdness, but when I was growing up I felt a lot of shame and confusion for not knowing where I fit. It’s very isolating, and it can really fuck you up. Having that sense of community and something that connects you to other people who get it is important. There is something so cathartic and healing about finding your tribe, and the thought that RedHook can be that for even just one person is such a huge privilege.”

RS: With everything this band has accomplished so far, and the growing support you’ve had over here in the UK… Does it feel as though this album is a solid declaration of your identity going forward?

EMMY: “As scary as it is, what’s the point in trying to be anything other than yourself? That would be so disingenuous and fake, so we are who we are. A lot of people don’t get it, but I’m at peace with that because the people who do get it… They get it hard. ‘Mutation’ is us doubling down on everything and announcing ourselves to the world. This is who we are, this is what we’re about, and we’re going to keep doing it whether you like it or not.”

‘Mutation’ is out on November 22 via Adventure Cat Records.

You can catch RedHook live at the following dates, playing with Dream State.

October 26 – Clwb ifor Bach, Cardiff
October 27 – Hairy Dog, Derby
October 29 – Key Club, Leeds
October 30 – The Garage, London
October 31 – The 1865, Southampton
November 02 – Core Festival, Stuttgart
November 03 – AB Club, Brussels
November 04 – Tsunami Club, Cologne
November 05 – Dynamo, Eindhoven
November 06 – De Helling, Utrecht
November 07 – Headcrash, Hamburg
November 09 – Glazart, Paris