In Nevers, in the 90s, the bands came in on cassette. Skateboarding got Homeground there first — then the compilations did the rest. Burning Heart sent Satanic Surfers and Millencolin into circulation, Epitaph sent Rancid and NOFX, and Café Charbon and the New Bar were where everything landed.
International bands came through town more than you’d expect, mostly thanks to a guy called Dom who played in a local hardcore outfit called FTX.That’s the scene Homeground grew out of, and on their new album “Splendid” — out 8th May on KROD Records — they aren’t pretending to have outgrown it.
HOMEGROUND
“Nevers was every bit as good as the biggest cities on the alternative scene; it had a real sense of identity,” they say. “Homeground is truly committed to keeping that spirit of that era alive. We’re from here — we can’t change that — and we’re here now because this city is what brought us this far.”The most direct nod to it on the record is “Everyone Knows,” a song built around the rhythm of small-town gossip — Did you hear about Dubois’ son? Yeah! He’s a friend of Marjory! It’s affectionate and a little tired, both.
Musically, Homeground have moved a few feet from where they started. The 90s skate-punk and hardcore DNA is still in there — they aren’t trying to bury it — but the riffs are softer now, and the sensibility leans closer to Violent Soho with a bit of Pixies running underneath. They credit the shift, partly, to the records they keep returning to. “The influence of the 1960s has always played a comforting role in our approach to music. Over time, the band has evolved toward a more familiar sound by covering classics that resonate more with us.”
That 60s pull runs straight through “That Track,” which in plain terms is a song about a Beatles tape — specifically, “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” played on a Walkman in a father’s car. The song is dedicated to that father, who passed away around the time Homeground came together.
“He passed on to me his passion for music and the influences that have stayed with me. This song is about that memory, that musical revelation that was The Beatles‘ ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun,’ which went on to greatly fuel my creativity. I imagine every artist has a band that helps them move forward — ‘That Track’ is all about that.” The line I got it from you dad and I won’t ever forget that sits inside the song almost without ornament.
Other songs come from less tender places. “1000” is about a friendship that ended in betrayal — abrupt, with no soft landing. “Acceptance comes easily once we’re clear about our values,” the band say.
“This grief is a human ordeal, a significant one in our lives. It’s a story of brutal betrayal, which explains the raw, spontaneous feel of the song and its lyrics. The relationship ended abruptly, and that abrupt end is captured in this song exactly as we experienced it.”
A lot of “Splendid” sits with relationships — what holds, what frays, what gets damaged without anyone noticing. “Vices” is about bad habits taking hold once the people around you stop flagging them.
“Plagiarism Love” — the album’s acoustic track, which breaks the rhythm without breaking the flow — is about romantic routine and the patterns you fall into without knowing why.
“Proxies” turns toward what’s worth holding onto, particularly family. “Frozen Mind” is the lockdown song; the opening image — Frozen like some hundred millions / Spitting in a mask and breath it — looks at the cracks that period opened up in friendships and ties.
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“Changes,” the album’s first single — released 20th March alongside the LP preorders — sits at the centre of all this. It’s about the frustration of trying to change someone else, hammering at it for ages, and arriving at the conclusion that the problem might be sitting on your side of the table.
Closing the record is “Untitled,” a bitter and clear-eyed look at what it actually feels like to keep doing this. Homeground don’t pretend the music industry is sympathetic, and they don’t pretend they care to fix it. “We stay motivated thanks to our love of music and the hard work it entails, despite everything. The way people consume music has changed — is there a need to justify ourselves in an industry where we might not always feel like we belong? Our goal is simple: to have fun and share our passion with as many people as possible.”
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The KROD Records connection is, more or less, a family one. The band’s bassist is the brother of label boss Jordan Calvi, and that proximity has fed into everything from booking to the bands they end up next to. Jordan is also the one who introduced Homeground to Liotta Seoul, who’ll be on the road with them in May. “Jordan has always made a special effort to bring the bands on his label together,” they say.
For anyone hearing the band Hightower somewhere in this and expecting a thread, there isn’t one. Homeground reached out to Alex after Hightower split. By that point Homeground already existed; the chapters don’t overlap.
The four-day tour with Liotta Seoul opens, fittingly, in Nevers:
13.05 — Nevers, Café Charbon
14.05 — Lyon, Le Groom
15.05 — Toulouse, Little O’Clock
16.05 — Limoges, Dropkick Bar
A second leg with Liotta Seoul follows in Germany in the fall. “Splendid” is out 8th May on KROD Records, on LP, CD and digital.
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