Haunt Me joins us for World Goth Day
Established in 2021, Haunt Me is an alternative/darkwave band who calls San Antonio home. The band’s debut album, The Sadness Never Ends, was released in 2021, and they recently released an EP, Come Now, Sleep. Haunt Me performed songs off their recent EP in Studio 1A for World Goth Day on May 22, and we were able to ask them a few of our deepest, darkest questions!
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Read our interview with Haunt Me below!
Q: Thanks for joining us in the studio for World Goth Day on May 22! Was this the first time playing your music live on the radio?
A: Hey there, thanks so much for having us! Yes this is the first time we’ve played our music live on the radio.
Q: Can you get us up to speed on Haunt Me? How long have you been making music together? How did you develop your sound? Were there any shared inspirations that you used to guide your songwriting?
A: Well, I started Haunt Me back in 2021 so this project has been around for about three years now. However, my guitarist and I have been playing in different bands together for almost a decade. I think we developed our sound just by playing and writing more and more. I know it sounds cliche, but the more you do something, the better you become at it, and I think for us we’ve really found our sound and have become better songwriters simply by writing and recording so much and learning from past creations we’ve made. I don’t know about shared inspirations other than bands or artists we both like, but I know for me, I get a lot of inspiration from films, books and life experiences in general.
Q: You just released your latest EP, Come Now, Sleep, earlier this month. Tell us a bit about the new music. Was there anything in particular you were trying to accomplish with this record? Any new sounds, new songwriting or recording techniques you wanted to try?
A: We definitely tried out some new songwriting and recording techniques for sure. Our guitarist produces and mixes all of our recordings, so I feel like he’s always getting better at fine tuning the overall sound of the recordings to ensure we get the best production quality possible since we use his home studio. For this EP, we definitely experimented more with using a lot more chorus on the guitars and going for an overall darker type of post punk sound while still keeping the overall songs and structure as minimal as possible. I think overall, with the lyrics and tone of the EP, we were striving to create something that would be a perfect EP to play at a funeral, particularly with songs that are about the death of a loved one like “I’ve Lost You” and the title track “Come Now, Sleep”.
Q: A couple of the tracks on the new record are sung in Spanish. Is that a first? Did you approach these songs any differently than those sung in English?
A: Having Spanish songs on the record is not a first for us actually. We released an EP last year that was completely in Spanish called ‘En Tu Cama’. When we write songs in Spanish, we really don’t approach the songwriting process any differently. The music and instruments typically come first, and then the lyrics and vocals fall into place afterwards.
Q: We know you call San Antonio home now, but do you have a favorite Austin music experience you can share with us?
A: For sure! As an artist, my favorite Austin experience so far has been when we got to play with Vision Video at Valhalla. The place was packed, and the crowd was so lively and enthusiastic. It was definitely a very memorable show and experience for us.
Q: You’re playing the first-ever Dark Ceremony music festival at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall on June 15 with several other great post-punk and darkwave bands. What’s it like seeing and performing with so many like-minded artists? Is there anybody playing there that you are particularly excited to see?
A: It’s always a truly amazing and humbling experience to get to share the stage with such talented and like-minded artists. We never get tired of it to be honest, and we love to mingle and chat and meet new musicians and bands from all over the world who share our love for music and the subculture. It’s also great because we get to ask questions and learn from one another. A true “iron sharpens iron” experience if you will. Yes, I’m particularly excited to see The Chameleons, Clan of Xymox and Glass Spells!
Q: Is there anything else coming up you want us to know about?
A: Yes, we’re actually playing our next show on Saturday, June 8th at Hotel Vegas. and we’d love for everyone to come out and dance and have a good time with us! Doors are at 9 PM, and we play at midnight!
Artist: Haunt Me
Date: 5.22.24
Set List:
“Entumecido”
“Please Stay”
“Watch You Bleed”
Album: Come Now, Sleep (Haunt Me Records 2024)
Musicians: Darius Davila – vocals, guitar; Hilario Bautista – keys
Credits: Producer: Deidre Gott; Production Assistant: Confucius Jones; Audio Engineer: Jake Perlman, Rene Chavez; Audio Mix: Jake Perlman; Cameras: Michael Minasi, Deborah Cannon, Ryan Olszewski; Edit: Rene Chavez; Host: Laurie Gallardo
