Interview with Halfway To Neptune

Southern California's teen band Halfway To Neptune recently released their impressive debut EP On These Walls.  I had the opportunity to interview the band (vocalist and rhythm guitarist Madison, lead guitarist Jacob, bassist Blake and drummer Eric) where we talked about the early roots of the band, their new EP, what's in store for the future and more.  

I love that if you scroll back to the early days of your Facebook page there are posts from when a couple of you were in an early incarnation of the band called Flames Of Fury. You can really see the early, early days with you recording yourselves playing live in what looks like a spare room. Your progression is pretty amazing. Can you tell me a little about the history of the band and the path from then to now?

Eric: When Flames of Fury first originated it was me and my best friend Blake wanting to start our first band. We then later added some friends of ours who eventually left. When the band originated our music consisted of covers from our favorite bands. Along the way we added Maddie who has been our singer for around 4 years. Once Jacob joined, we rebranded to Halfway To Neptune and began writing our own music. 

What do you think now when you look back at those first videos?

Blake: I look back on the videos from the days we were in Flames of Fury and I wonder what younger me would think when he sees the new me. It’s very strange to think about.

How does your songwriting process tend to work?

Madison: I love how collaborative we are as a band when we write songs. If one person has a drum part, a riff, or chords, we usually have writing sessions to implement their idea into an entire project where all four of us contribute to the sound of the song. For example, a couple of the songs off of the EP originated from Jacob and Eric jamming out and creating a lead guitar part/drum base. Then, they showed it to Blake and I and we worked with them to insert our rhythm, vocals, and bass parts. Another method we use to write is where I come to class with song structure, chords, and vocals. I work with Jacob to create melodies and lead parts, Eric creates drums, and Blake creates bass. The song ‘On These Walls’ was actually created during a jam session where I was messing around with some chords that weren’t originally written for a song, and Jacob joined in. From there, we all loved the sound and created the track that eventually inspired our entire EP.

It seems like in most of the stuff I have read about the band there is always an emphasis on calling you pop punk. You can definitely hear that throughout the EP, especially in a song like “Watch Me Burn”, although even that track is a lot more than just pop punk. I really think that description of your sound does you a disservice because there is much more going on here. Would you agree with that?

Eric: I would 100% agree with that for a good reason. Our EP On These Walls was made to get us on the radar and help us find our sound. The tracks consist of a broad style of pop punk ranging for the heavier elements, into the slower elements which you can see in "Watch Me Burn" and "Fall Away". A more specific pop punk feel will be coming in our new album in 2025.

I hear some classic metal influences at times, especially the Metallica like guitar licks in “Night Driving” and the galloping rhythms that pop up in “Edge Of A Knife”, that bring to mind Iron Maiden. Then there’s “Stay Alive”, which has a little bit of a melodic nu metal feel to it. Would you consider metal a big influence on the band?

I don’t know if I would call it big. I mean we definitely like Metal, and Rock, and Punk, and EMO. So I guess you might hear some of those throughout our songs. If there was some influences that have impacted me most it would be the legendary Randy Rhoads, and Classical Space Rock genius Matt Bellamy of Muse. 

I really like “Fall Away”. It has an intensity to it and is darker and slower than the rest of the tracks, which really creates a great mood. Can you tell me a little about that song?

Madison: This song explores the complicated and painful emotions that arise when you’re slowly slipping away from a loved partner or a friend. I wanted to write the lyrics to encapsulate that feeling when you’re not quite out of their lives, but at the same time you’re hanging on by a thread which could snap at any nearing second. It’s agonizing and it’s torturous knowing that a support system or a primary aspect of your life could slip out of your grasp so quickly. 

We wanted to adhere to the intensity of the lyrics with the sound of the song itself. Jacob wrote a dark and moody guitar lead during the chorus as well as an intense minor riff during the verses. We also wanted to include a guitar solo which captured the emotional and forward feel of the song. About the melody of the vocals, I wanted that intensity to increase slowly right from the beginning of the song all the way to the end. I started soft and quiet, and grew up until the final chorus and bridge. 

You recently had your EP release party/show. How was that?

Jacob: Where do I begin? Sold out Venue, 3 phenomenal bands that opened for us. We had a blast playing that night. People singing our songs along with us and actually hearing them sing was truly amazing. A feeling I can’t describe. 

Blake: When the time came for the EP release party, I noticed how much we have improved ever since the Whiskey a GoGo.  It’s kind of shocking how much you can improve within a year, really.  This was the first time though that we actually had a big gig that was starring us, meaning everyone there were fans of us, which surprised me when i heard we sold over 300 tickets in total.  I feel so accomplished with this band and plan on seeing it to the end.

Is there any significance to the band name?

Eric: We thought we might get canceled if we chose 'Halfway To Uranus'

What are your plans now that the EP is out?

Eric: We are going to spend the rest of the year writing new music and really honing in on our sound, and releasing an album early next year. That and playing lots of shows the rest of this year. 

You have videos out for “Night Driving” and “Watch Me Burn”. How involved was the band in the creation of those?

Eric: We didn't have much of a music video planned for "Watch Me Burn", but our producer Jonathan told the band to make a collage of videos over the last year and make a music video out of that.  As for "Night Driving", we had no idea what the hell we were doing but we went to LA to record a music video at this small spot with cool backgrounds, turned on the camera, set up a speaker to play along to the music and then we had our music video. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

Madison: We want to thank all who have supported us throughout our musical journey and pursuing our passions. We are so incredibly grateful that we are able to share our art with such amazing people who provide us with such astounding support.  As mentioned previously, we won’t be releasing any new music until January 2025, but for now, stream On These Walls and feel free to keep in touch with us through our Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok.  This summer and for the rest of 2024 we will be frequently performing around the SoCal area so it won’t be hard to catch a show near you if you live around LA or the IE.  Again, we want to thank all of our fans and listeners for helping us make our dreams come true.

(Halfway To Neptune - Facebook)