Interview: Inspiration, Innovation, and The Irons
Austin-based indie rock band The Irons sat down with Afterglow to discuss their musical style, the creative process, and the joys of songwriting.
Written by Mahina Adams
Photos by Carolyn Parmer
The Irons — Hayden Havard, Robert Harris, Nathan Pittman, and Caleb Tippit — have created quite a stir in the Austin music scene with their funky beats, humorous lyricism, and high energy performances. They recently sat down with Afterglow to discuss their upcoming album, current artistic endeavours, and more.
Afterglow: When did you first start writing music and how has your musical style evolved since then?
Hayden: I first started writing music in late middle school and I remember one of the first songs I wrote was about my ex-girlfriend. I was very new at it back then, but now I have been doing it for longer and now it’s less about wearing my influences on my sleeve and more about experimenting and discovering an original thing.
Rob: I feel like it’s also when we were making the Peter Clear Boy album, the way we first recorded it was about how the album sounded, and since then, we have seen different versions. It starts off as one thing and over time, we allow it to become what it wants to become. It’s a patient process.
Hayden: A lot of the writing does come while we’re recording and that’s what is nice about having a home studio to write and record in and intertwine that with. In Peter Clear Boy, we were still new at recording, but now, we’re patient with it. Don't get too excited over an idea being good or too married to one thing, always be as critical as you can.
Considering you have your next album coming out on January 3, what was the creative process like for the production of it? Were there any specific influences in mind when making it?
Hayden: It was similar to other albums and [coronavirus] didn’t have any impact at all. It’s about being experimental and not too focused on trying to do the same thing. Being open to new things has allowed us to have a lot of rhyming and poetry in a goofy way. I have been influenced by my bandmates the most. They show me not to take things too seriously because not everyone wants to see you be serious. For the new album, the band Standing on the Corner was a big influence. As far as production goes, song-writing wise, lyrically, Johnny Mercer was a big inspiration for his Tin Pan Alley writer style. The lyrics are very important because I can't stomach a song with ambiguous or amateur lyrics, bad melodies, and bad production.
What will the band be up to in gearing up for the release of the album?
Hayden: Me and Colin are making a lot of album promos for cool music videos and most of our focus will be on video stuff and a gimmick here or there. You’ll have to wait to see what’s in store.
Being a part of an up-and-coming band, what is the thought process behind creating the band’s image and visual aesthetic?
Caleb: Most of it is based on intuition and things we like that we see other artists do, such as Devo hats. We like to take inspiration from artists we think are cool. Intuitively, they say good artists make stuff and great artists take stuff.
Living in the music capital of Texas, what do you most enjoy about being a part of the Austin music scene?
Caleb: I have really been inspired by Music Congress. There are a lot of other musicians to talk too and it’s nice getting to talk to new people and figure out our commonalities.
Rob: I enjoy Love Goat as well. I like how Austin in a way is a smaller town and how the musical community is more interconnected and it's not strangers all the time. When I meet another band it's cool when I know who they are and they know who I am, it feels more personable.
Hayden: I also enjoy living in a college town because every year there's new young faces and it's a good opportunity to hang out around the university scene and build more relationships and a fanbase. Since moving here four years ago, I always get to see new faces. I think in a big city, it could be daunting and you could play too many shows, but I don’t think that Austin is the end all be all. Despite how cool it is, I would like to explore more in and outside of Texas.
What are some inspirations for the Irons? Does anything have a big effect on your artistic direction?
Hayden: Lately, I’m really inspired by old songwriting structure and lyricism, especially from the 1930s and 1940s. Also, comedy aspects of people like Tim Heidecker and Andy Kaufman scenes have definitely had an impact on us on how to be more entertaining during shows.
Rob: Also, any scenario of someone truly being themselves affects us in certain ways and we can get our influences from places other than music as well. Especially Nathan, who is inspired by film more than anything. It’s a really good thing in this group setting because we all get different influences from different places and try to mold them together to create one comprehensive thing the band represents.
Hayden: Interesting enough, we have been really influenced by TikTok and trying to get a fanbase from there. It helps us gear towards new and young faces and also keeping up with trends and slang we might possibly incorporate into our music. In a sense, it’s kind of like Gen Z meeting baby boomer.
This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.