Our first artist profile of 2024 features UK/US-based post-hardcore act Sons of Alpha Centauri, a project that features members of Far, Will Haven, and more. Fresh off the release of Pull, their endlessly captivating fourth LP, which is out now through Exile On Mainstream, founding bassist Nick Hannon took a few moments to answer our questions and share more about SOAC, moments in their history, thoughts on the current scene, and much more. Give it a read after the jump and be sure to smash that play button on Pull before you do.

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

Marlon and I had been in bands together before but instead of doing the usual ‘write six songs, play local shows, write a few more songs, record an album’ routine we just wrote 25 tracks ourselves to get a style together first. That style included some post metal elements. Previously we had been doing music when we were 14 or so we were in the nu-metal / alternative metal explosion and were doing some music in that style too. I would say that Helmet were a huge influence on us as a band and a lot of the local bands we grew up with. Definitely a gateway band in the area!

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

We play what we like and record what we would want to hear. Imagine the albums that the bands you like didn’t record – they’re the gaps we’re trying to fill of the bands we love!

Is there one (or more) thing about your latest / upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

We recorded Continuum and Buried Memories as dual concept albums and I think that there is conjecture that Push and Pull are the same but this is not quite right.

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

We opened the first DesertFest in London in 2012 on the main stage and our very close friend Will had bought a bottle of absinthe to celebrate meeting up. We started drinking and hit the stage – by the time we came off we were pretty lucid. By the time Karma to Burn went on everyone was near enough tripping! What a way to launch the festival!

We’ve not played live in a few years now but that doesn’t mean that we won’t play live. Playing live for us in an intense experience – we rehearse for ages and play some songs exactly the same as the record and some we evolve and immerse ourselves in. Getting comfortable with that takes a while to establish.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

I think SOAC stand a very solitary path on this but we don’t use social media. We will publish our new album coming out once on Facebook but that is it. Everything else is postcards, flyers outside shows, emails and the older ways of doing things. It’s just more humble to us. The internet as a communication and knowledge tool was great but as a promotional tool through social media we find it vulgar and sadistic. It seems to turn people and artists into narcissists!

We’re just not really that into the internet. We know we make our lives a lot harder by doing it this way but I’ve seen artists that had built a mystique and a really strong aesthetic just become social media suckers with a bled out and dehydrated concept from oversharing and ‘engagement’. I’m sure people out there would be like ‘this is why you aren’t successful’ or that we’re just showing our age and to be fair if social media is what the current routing is for promotion and being a band then fuck that weak shit. SOAC are choosing to build it our own way and if it takes 100 times longer this way then whatever. Hopefully AI will kill off social media. It should do!

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

Our instrumental stuff has been a lot more introspective and reflective of our lost ambition to unify the planet and explore space, how we live in the shadow of World War II, the relics of those war and the reminders they should serve to us collectively. However, the new material with Jonah on vocals does have political and social commentary but it is a lot more subdued as the lyrics are more stream of consciousness style.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

While digital EPKs are cool I think it’s important to try to keep physical engagements alive as it’s easier to distinguish who is going the extra mile when you get something through that you can see, sense and feel beyond that of listening. A complete artistic engagement experience should be felt. Sure it doesn’t work every time but it does make it a lot more personal and to be fair, should be valued higher than a generic email with a download link. Just a thought.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

We genuinely feel that the band is still building its ascent and has not reached any creative peak yet. I think one of our long term goals is to actually reach our creative long term goal to hit that creative peak!

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Boards of Canada, late 90s techno on a label called Smitten and when the sun comes out I will hit up my Mans Ruin collection. I really enjoy engaging with music by label sometimes. When a label is a stamp of quality (Smitten, Mans Ruin, Hydrahead, Dischord, Iodine, Warp) then it’s great to engage through that lens.

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

We’re currently working on a re-release of our collaboration with Treasure Cat Last Day of Summer – this was our first major collaboration and the one that established our really close friendship with Will Mecum and in due course the Karma to Burn guys. We’ve dug out a load of old demos, unheard material and photographs to celebrate the 15 years since it was released. It will be a great tribute to our friend who was taken from us far too soon.

Summarize your band in one word.

Evasive.

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Many thanks to Nick for the time!

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Pull is out now through Exile On Mainstream. For more information on Sons of Alpha Centauri, visit their website… you can probably skip the socials on this one, of course.