Thorn Haven open up about the creation of Never Present, a deeply personal and emotionally charged album that explores memory, self-reflection, inner struggles, and the cathartic power of honest songwriting.
1. Never
Present is described as a deeply personal concept album built around memories,
struggles, and self-reflection. At what point did you realize these experiences
needed to be told as a full album rather than individual songs?
When I began
writing the album, there was no band yet; I just had 6 demo songs that I was
writing in my room as an outlet. When I went to get them recorded by Talon, he
loved the project and decided to join as the drummer. The songs seemed to be
flowing naturally, so we just ended up adding more as we recorded over the
course of about a year. The album became somewhat of a journal for me
(Steve) to document both past and
present experiences.
2. The record
tackles difficult subjects such as addiction, mental health, suicide, and
family trauma. How did you approach writing about these topics in a way that
felt honest while still serving the music?
Yeah, these are
all things I’ve struggled with most of my life. I’ve never been great at
wearing my heart on my sleeve, so realizing that I could put my thoughts and
experiences into songs ended up being very cathartic for me and served as the
outlet I really needed. I felt the gloomy/grungy vibe of the album fit well
with the subject material that had lived in my (Steve) head for so long.
3. The album
follows a narrative that begins with the narrator alone in a bedroom reflecting
on life. What inspired this storytelling structure, and how important was the
concept aspect to the overall experience?
For a lot of this
album, much of my time was spent actually lying in bed by myself, contemplating
ideas. I spend a lot of time by myself recharging, primarily in my bedroom. So
that was a factual picture being painted of what I was doing while writing those
words.
4. Many of the
songs seem to balance pain and vulnerability with moments of hope and beauty.
Was it important for you to show both sides of those experiences rather than
focusing solely on the darkness?
Not really, I
just described things as they are happening in my head. Some stories in life
have happy endings, some don’t. There wasn’t a goal in mind to leave the
listener with a happy ending or anything, just an honest reflection of things
as I see them.
5. Musically,
Never Present blends shoegaze textures, grunge influences, and nu-metal
heaviness. How did you develop a sound that pays tribute to your influences
while still feeling uniquely Thorn Haven?
Our sound is very
genuine and authentic to us, and my writing style. We didn’t try to sound like
anyone else; this is just what it sounds like when we grab some instruments and
start writing songs. We grew up on bands like Chevelle, Crossfade, Staind, etc.,
and listen to bands like Fleshwater and Bleed, so the sound is just what we
enjoy and what came out.
6. Tracks like
“Splitting,” “Die Alone,” and “Wayside” carry particularly intense emotional
weight. Were there any songs on the album that were especially difficult to
write or record?
“Die Alone” for
sure.
7. The title
Never Present suggests themes of nostalgia, reflection, and perhaps feeling
disconnected from the moment. What does the album title mean to you personally?
The album title refers to my OCD. My intrusive thoughts often keep me out of the present moment and in another world by myself, so to speak. I am often not mentally present in the moment at any given time due to my rumination. It’s improved a lot with professional help, but as a kid and teenager, it really derailed my life quite a bit, and I didn’t understand what was happening. The title track is about my experiences and journey with that.
8. You
recorded and produced the album largely in-house, with Steve handling
production duties and Talon serving as recording engineer. What were the
biggest advantages and challenges of taking such a hands-on approach?
There weren’t
many challenges, mainly strengths. Talon and I had a blast recording this
album. Nobody knew who we were yet, so we had a ton of time to rewrite and
perfect everything as often as we wanted. As life happened, we would put our
experiences into songs we were writing, songs like "Daze," for
example, were about current experiences in our lives. It took us about a full
year to record the entire record. Everything was very low stress, and it just
came down to two friends in the basement recording music together and doing
what we loved to do, just like how musicians do when you are kids. It really
helped us create the most authentic album we could.
9. Kevin
DeLeon handled the mixing and mastering of the record. How did his involvement
help shape the final sound of Never Present?
Kevin is
incredible. He had been helping us produce our second album already at the
time, while Never Present wasn’t even out yet, and we loved how it was
sounding, so we figured we could ask him to mix and master Never Present before
it drops. When we showed him the songs, he was fully on board. He is incredibly
talented and fun to work with, so hearing the songs come to life in a new light
with his skills was like hearing the album all over again for the first time.
He is one of those producers who doesn’t want to rush the product; he wanted us
to put out the best record we could and really helped us achieve that. We are
extremely grateful for the work he put into it and how it came out.
10. Denver has
a thriving underground heavy music scene. How has being part of Colorado’s
music community influenced Thorn Haven’s growth and creative identity?
The scene out
here is great; we feel like we’ve really been embraced with open arms. We see
new kids at our shows each time, and some of them know all the words. It’s one
of those local music scenes where you really feel a sense of community. The
quality of some of the local bands we play with is incredible, and we are big
fans of some of our friends’ bands out here. It’s just been a blast, and we are
thankful for how people treat us.
11. The
upcoming video for “I’m Gonna Be Sick” is highly anticipated. Why did you
choose this song for a music video, and what can fans expect from the visual
interpretation?
We had released a
handful of singles before the album to gain our footing, and we tried to mainly
leave the best songs for last when the album drops, aside from maybe Thirst. We
felt like I’m Gonna Be Sick is a good example of the direction we’d like to take
moving forward, so releasing the video for it after the album would help push
our momentum in that direction.
12. Now that
Never Present is out in the world, what do you hope listeners take away from
the album, especially those who may relate to the struggles and emotions
explored throughout the record?
It’s ok to be
yourself, it’s ok to have shitty experiences in life and speak about them
openly. You don’t have to hide it. I was pretty terrified to release this album
due to how honest and exposing it is toward my life, but the response has been
great, and people really appreciated the authenticity. So, take it from me,
you’re not alone, and there are people who feel the same as you do.
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