Introducing: It Hugs Back

After recently signing their praises as part of our TLOBF Loves pieces, we managed to get Matt and Dimitri from the band to answer our quick fire questions about what makes them tick… They even gave us some photos to share!

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should…
Dimitri: They might like us?? …and Jack has a good new hair cut (I cut it!).
Matt: Surely you should never judge a band by their hair cuts Dimitri!?

Can you recall the moment when you first decided you wanted to become a musician?
Dimitri: I used to listen to the radio a lot when i was young, and for some reason I decided to I wanted to play the drums. I think my parents were a bit unsure about getting me a drum kit because I had had piano lessons and the teacher said I had no rhythm!
Matt: I didn’t know that! Um, for me, it was a Ukulele that I’d pretend was a guitar and that I could play along to everything and anything. Not much has changed.

Where do your songs come from? What’s your inspiration?
Matt: Good question… Where do they come from! I think I find it best not to think about it all too much… It’s nice just letting those things happen! Its nice how words can be put to mean different things, or sentences split in half that mean something one way or different the other… Writing things from lots of points of view in (the) same song or changing sides in a story can work too… hopefully leaving some things to be uncovered some times!

What was the first gig you ever played and was it a success?
Matt: The first gig as It Hugs Back was at the Gardening Club in Convent Garden… it was with with a heavy pop/funk band and before us Jack Penate played before he became the mover and shaker he has since become… not sure about our success, I think it was alright?!

What’s been your most memorable on the road story so far?
Matt: For me, I think it’s these…

How much artist control do you possess over your music? Are you interested in how the album looks and how you’re marketed?
Matt: It’s nice working with a label now, and both heading towards the same goal… the notion or worry about control seems to not exist which is good.
Dimitri: We’re really lucky that we get to do everything ourselves… although sometimes it is good to have outside influences so I think in the future we will be interested in working more with other people.

What music are you enjoying right now? Any recommendations for our readers to check out?
Matt: Thought Dead Meadow’s latest record, Old Growth, was really good… I hadn’t heard them before, they were good live too and have gone back through the older ones now and they’re good too! Also, just discovering and enjoying Broadcast, lots of nice detail in their records… and to check out… I’m looking forward to hearing Polar Bears new album, its out next month…

Name your Top 5 records.
Matt: OK, in absolutely no order.. Pet Sounds, Revolver, Radio Activity, Loveless, Insignificance – Jim O’rourke, Scraps – NRBQ, In A Silent Way – Miles Davis, NYC Ghosts & Flowers – Sonic Youth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco… I’ll stop at 5.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Dimitri: Once I had to pack envelopes to send out French language courses. I thought I had been really quick and done a good job… but they never asked me back.
Matt: Jack’s job in the Crematorium would surely out do us both wouldn’t it?!

Tell us a joke.
Dimitri: What do you call a woman who is a long way away? …Dot.
Matt: Definitely all in how you tell them…