Unspoken: Interview With Forever Ends Here
Forever Ends Here are a pop/punk band from Sydney made up of vocalist/guitarist Luke McChesney, bassist Maverick Burnett, and drummer Kane McChesney, who have toured with bands like Neck Deep, State Champs, Short Stack, Simple Plan, and more. Following their breakup in 2018, the band reunited last year releasing their single “Cherry Chapstick” and going on tour around Australia. On June 28th, they put out their latest single “Unspoken”.
To celebrate the release of “Unspoken”, I had a chat with Luke about the process and hopes behind it, and the band’s new era.
Part I — Introduction
1. If you drink coffee — what’s your usual coffee order? If not, what do you drink instead?
I feel like I’m exposing myself for admitting I’m not a coffee drinker because there’s a lyric in an upcoming FEH song about drinking coffee (it made sense with the song, I’m sorry I’m a phony) — but I am consistently on the Soy Chai order every day! Hot or cold, depending on the weather.
2. At a record store, are you usually looking through old stuff you’ve heard a million times or searching for something new?
Discovering old music on vinyl is one of my favourite ways to experience music for the first time. I’m a graphic designer as well so I will ALWAYS judge a record by its cover. I love buying records from 40 or 50 years ago based off how the artwork makes me feel, then I’ll take it back home and give it a spin! So in short — old stuff I haven’t heard before!
3. Who are some local artists/bands that you’ve been listening to a lot right now?
This is always such a hard question because I want to shout out everyone haha. A couple of weeks ago I watched my friend Kyle Charles Hall debut a bunch of new music live. I’m lucky enough to have a cheeky unreleased copy of the record and I’m obsessed. Australia isn’t gonna know what hit it when these songs drop.
Beyond that, I’ve been loving jnr., Fvneral, Between You & Me to name a few.
Part II — Band
1.What three words would you use to introduce your band to a new audience?
Fun, Nostalgic, Lively
2. Is this new era of Forever Ends Here something that you think you would have liked before the hiatus?
Absolutely! I think this is what we always wished we could sound like, but we were young and hadn’t quite figured it out yet. Pre-hiatus me would have this shit on loop.
3. Does it feel rewarding coming back after the hiatus and finding ‘your sound’ moreso than you had in your time together before?
It really does. It felt like there was a pop-punk itch we hadn’t scratched yet.
I’ve always been proud of our music but whenever I’d meet new people and they’d ask to hear Forever Ends Here I felt like I had to add a disclaimer. “I was only 17 when we recorded this one” or “this one was better live but you get the point.” Now I feel like I can put on “Unspoken”, stfu and be proud of exactly what it is. That’s a nice feeling.
4. What have been some of the biggest challenges you’re facing as a band now that you’re back — I imagine the way the industry works now with TikTok and social media’s importance might be a little confusing to manage?
You took the words right out of my mouth haha. Social media has completely changed the way the industry works. Keeping up with TikTok and Instagram content is like a full time job of its own. I actually really enjoy creating content — it’s fun to think of new ways to promote your music and rewarding when you see people engaging — but finding the time to keep up with it is hard. There’s been a lot of sleepless content creation nights in the lead up to the single release.
5. What are some things you got to explore about yourselves during your hiatus that you think have made the band better this time around?
I think the most important thing was that we had to figure out who we are outside of Forever Ends Here. We were at such an impressionable age when the band was at its peak. It was no longer just something we loved doing, it became who we were. I don’t think there’s enough warning for what that does to you and your sense of identity.
5 years off was the right amount of time to really establish who each of us are as people. What do we REALLY love? What are we grateful for? What makes us who we are? A fresh perspective on life helped us come back to Forever Ends Here with a whole new appreciation for what we do. We now see the band as a luxury, and we’re doing it because we love to, not because we have to.
On a slightly less existential note, we also got to scratch some other musical itches and explore other genres which was fun. I spent a bit of time in LA writing for other artists and learning from some of the best in the industry. I was able to take those things I learned and apply them to new FEH music.
Part III — “Unspoken”
1. Congrats on this second single as a new band! I had a lot of fun checking it out — it’s so nice to see you back!! How have these few days following release been? How have people been responding to it?
Thank you!! They’ve been busy but we’re feeling the love!! The response has felt more genuine than ever. We’ve always had such a supportive community around us but this time there’s felt like an extra layer of “no we REALLY like this one” which is nice haha.
2. Are there any unexpected sources of inspiration behind “Unspoken”?Whether it be what you were listening to, the places you wrote the song in, the thought process behind it, etc.
I went down a rabbit hole of watching 2000s coming of age movies and felt this uncontrollable urge to write something nostalgic haha. I think I’d just watched House Bunny and texted the band to say “I think the new era of FEH should sound like it fits on a coming of age movie soundtrack alongside the All-American Rejects.” That’s ultimately what inspired not just this song, but everything else we have coming too.
3. The wait between singles was a bit over a year-long — did you have any anxieties about that gap or were you comfortable taking your time with it?
A year flies by so quickly these days! In an ideal world we would have had a whole record ready to go off the back of the reunion tour but we agreed that the most important thing was getting it right. When we finished the song, we knew it was worth the wait.
Although, I do wish that releasing music was a quicker process haha. We finished the song in February and debuted it live in March, but the lead time for artwork, distribution, playlist pitching etc. can be a drag. Feels good to finally have it out!!
4. To go with the message behind the song, are there any creative leaps in “Unspoken” that you wish you had taken? Anything new you were maybe scared to try out this time around but may put into practice next time?
I think because we were going for that nostalgic sound, we had to consciously keep it simple, which WAS the scary part. It’s a bit of a comfort blanket for me to overcompensate a song with extra layers and distractions, but when you strike gold with a melody that people can latch onto so easily, it’s nice to keep it raw and let the bones of the song do the talking.
5. What are you hoping people take away from the song? It’s such a fun way to kind of tell the audience to take the shot, tell the girl, be open and unafraid type thing — do you think that was the aim or was it more … telling the story and being comforting for someone who might be experiencing the song’s narrative in their life?
I hope people listen to it and get transported back to their high school or college days. I think for me it’s less about the narrative itself and more about the nostalgic feeling. Even if they are experiencing the same thing an untapped love, a missed opportunity to be with that one person — I hope they’re strutting along and singing about it like they’re the main character in a movie.
Part IV — Conclusion
1.Do you have a favorite memory from your reunion tour? Anything that stood out about touring again after so much time away?
I had goosebumps each night hearing people screaming the lyrics back at us again. Our first show back was at Oxford Art Factory which is one of my favourite venues. Seeing that room full and having people tearing up whilst shouting words I wrote 10 years ago got me a little emotional. I guess we didn’t realise how much those songs still meant to people.
2. Are there any lessons you wish you’d learned coming into music that were hard to learn once you made it into the industry?
I touched on it earlier, but I wish I’d been warned about losing your own sense of self to the band. When it consumes you like that, you lose sight of why you do it. I definitely got caught up in it all and crashed on the comedown. If I could go back to the early FEH days, I’d stop and smell the roses a little more.
3. What else do you guys have in the works following on from this single anything you can share?
I recently got back from LA where I collaborated with a bunch of incredible writers and artists on new FEH songs. The boys and I are in the process of going through those songs (and writing more) to pull together a tracklist for an upcoming EP. Studio dates are booked and there’s new music on the way!!
And HOPEFULLY shows soon. We feel we exhausted the reunion headline shows so we’re just waiting for support opportunities to come through. If you’re reading this and think of any artists you want to see us tour with, reach out to them and let them know!!
Huge thank you to Luke for taking the time to walk through every part of “Unspoken” and the band’s new creative drive. I’m very excited to see what they’ve been working on and what lays ahead for Forever Ends Here. Their reunion last year was quite special and I’ve loved seeing this new era unfold. Also ! Big thank you to Bigmouth PR for always keeping me informed, giving me all sorts of chances, and sending me very cool bits and pieces to cover :) And, as always, thank you all so much for reading and supporting all the wonderful bands and creatives I get to work with and whose stories I have the pleasure of sharing.
Last year, I got to photograph and review the band’s reunion show in Sydney, here’s that for you for further reading :)
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