With their tracks having recently been used by Coca-Cola and FIFA ’13, indie darlings Youngblood Hawke discuss the changing paradigms of the contemporary music industry… Youngblood Hawke is entering into a new media landscape where radio is rarely listened to, records are not bought, and thanks to the internet there are more new bands with more new work than there are hours in the day to consume it all. It is difficult to get your work listened to.

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FAULT: Tell us about your newest single.

‘We Come Running’ … is a personal song for us. It is about not giving into your fears and not letting obstacles stop you. It started out as an internal message to the band. We started from nothing—we played little shows, and every once in a while we would look around and get a bit worried about whether we were doing the right thing. It was a message to each other to stay strong and focus on our passion of making music together.

 

And now it’s being used by Coca Cola. How does that feel?

We work really hard and we want to show the world our music, and this is another way to do that. At the end of the day Coca Cola is just a couple of people who are really ardent music lovers. They came to us and were really passionate about the band and loved the song – they approached us about using it and of course we said yes. Coca Cola have been really supportive and involved in music for ages. They’ve done commercials with BB King, and Ray Charles.

 

 

Was there any fear about maybe losing any kind of indie credentials?

I don’t really see it as selling out.

 

Is that how you think people will see it?

I’ve been asked this question before. I think that knowing the musical history about Coca Cola, and seeing all the bands that have been associated with made us feel good about it. It can only benefit our band. I think if someone didn’t like us because we’re in a Coca Cola commercial, that’s just kind of silly. You’ve got to be creative these days getting your music out there. It’s a great way to spread the song.

 

Is it difficult for a new band to get itself out there?

Yeah. We’ve been out touring for a year to play for as many people as we can and get our music out there. We’ve only been a band for two years, so we’ve been pretty fortunate. The reaction and response has been pretty positive so far. We’re having a blast. If we were doing this for 100 people a night, it wouldn’t matter. We love playing music together, and just having the opportunity to be able to do this is good enough.

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What drives you to do this? All the touring, the interviews, etc.?

Sometimes it’s a lot of work, and there’s a lot of touring. Being away from your family and friends is hard, but, at the same time, sometimes it doesn’t feel like a job. I thoroughly enjoy it. The drive is being able to create longevity, so I can wake up every day and know that what I’m doing is what I love. I know a lot of my friends hate their  obs and then spend ten years of their lives waking up every day and doing something they don’t really enjoy. My dream is to keep it going and keep making great music that I enjoy playing. If I couldn’t do this, I’d wish I was doing this.

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