Ahead of his first headline tour, we sat down with Max Hanley, better known as Humane the Moon, to talk about everything from learning guitar to his newest EP and what 2025 is going to bring for him and the band.
Hailing from East London, Humane the Moon bring danceable songs which contrast with their downbeat lyrics. ‘The Curb’ is the standout song from the band’s recent EP ‘Debris Joice’, with a fast beat and a much more polished sound than some of their previous songs. Their cover of Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’ showcases Max’s incredible vocals, and ‘Ozymandias’ is a masterclass in catchy hooks and pure angst.
Q. How does it feel now your 2024 EP ‘Debris Joice’ is out in the world?
A. “It’s always nice to release the music, it was a long time coming because we’d been writing and recording for months, and it takes such a long time to get something released. It’s not necessarily a new era for us, but we were kind of aiming to break down the boxes that the first EP had put us in. But we don’t do this shit for response, otherwise you’d go insane. And I’m not insane just yet.”
Q. Do you think you’ve grown as an artist in 2024?
A. “We’ve changed a massive amount. At the end of 2023 we’d only just started, we were finding our feet performing and working out what kind of stuff we want to put into the world. So yeah we’ve changed a lot, at least in our minds. It’s nice for people to hear growth, so even if we’ve got a few shocking ones out there, I think that’s okay. We’re still growing, it’s all just one big movement.”
Q. Let’s talk about your Mazzy Star cover. What made you pick ‘Fade Into You’ to cover?
A. “I love Mazzy Star, but there wasn’t a deep meaning behind it, I was just kind of trying out the new equipment. But I’m glad it was that song, cos it’s nice to have a rendition of a song that good. I didn’t realise until we released it that there’s like 800 ‘Fade Into You’ covers on Spotify, so maybe we should have picked something a bit more niche.”
Q. What’s a song you think you could do a really good take on?
A. “I’m super into Whipping Boy at the minute, but I have a really similar register and I think it’s cool to do a cover that sounds quite fresh. I’m not sure what we’ll cover next, but something very different to our sound.”
Q. Any nerves ahead of the tour at the end of the month? What are you most excited about?
A. “It’s our first headline tour and we’re playing Manchester, Glasgow, Coventry and London. We’re all so fucking excited. It’s gonna be a mess, but it’ll be fun. I don’t know if it’s nerves or just being ready to go. You spend a lot of time getting ready for these things, but we all love it. It’s gonna be fun. A week in the van with the boys, making a fool of ourselves; five moody cunts making the place we go to less fun. That’s our plan.”
Q. What would be your dream venue to play?
A. “It’s got to be O2 Academy Brixton, it’s where I went to my first gig when I was 14. I saw Peace and it was magic. It was me and all my mates; I remember going in and thinking this is huge, it must be insane to be up there. It’s a pie in the sky dream but that’s the dream.”
Q. What’s was your writing process like for your latest EP?
A. “I write the lyrics and the lads bring in bits they’re writing on guitar. And it sounds sick but they don’t become songs until I put words on them. So if I don’t have words at that time for that riff we kind of just move onto something else. Some of them I write on my own, I come with the bare bones and we make them into a band song. There’s no formula, it comes how it comes. And I don’t think a formula would be good.”
Q. Are there periods where you don’t write much?
A. “Yeah there definitely are. I write most when there’s a lot going on, when things aren’t going well. Then I’m always jotting shit down. That’s why the music is so fucking miserable. I am happy sometimes, but I don’t write when I’m happy.”
Q. What’s it like to work with your brother?
A. “I feel very very lucky that we work together. He’s an incredible musician and I’m not, I just do the words and the production. If we were one person, we’d be a sick one-man band. But we complement each other, and I feel very lucky to have that. Sentimental shit aside, it’s nice to be in a band with your bro.”
Q. Was there a lot of music in your upbringing?
A. “Yeah, we didn't do grades or anything but yeah. He’s older and he was always well into guitar, he just has that maniacal passion to be sick at guitar. I don’t have the drive and the attention span that he does. There were guitars lying around so we’d always noodle.”
Q. Is there a song you remember inspiring you to play guitar?
A. “Yep, ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’. I remember being 9 or 10 and hearing it and thinking, that’s the best solo I’ve ever heard. And I learnt it and was like, I’m the best guitarist there is. Then I realised it was quite easy. I reckon a lot of people would give that answer though.”
Q. What can we expect from you in 2025?
A. “We’re gonna try and stay sane. That’s plan one. We’re writing a lot now, we’d like to release a longer project, whatever form that comes in. We’ve got about 10 or so songs that we’re really proud of. We’ve been playing them live for a while now, and it would be great to release some of that this year.”
Q: Aside from music, what’s one thing you want to achieve this year?
A: “I want to build a standard lamp. I wanna make a sick standard lamp. That’s my plan. I know how to do it, but I need to plan it. Do I want wood or metal, is it gonna have a shade? There’s a lot of questions. Gonna take me the whole year to figure this out.”
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