South Wales-based experimental post-hardcore outfit Casey triumphantly returned earlier this year with their new album, How To Disappear, released on January 12th via Hassle Records. After their unexpected hiatus in 2018, Casey have reemerged with their most emotionally charged and sonically mature album yet. Led by vocalist Tom Weaver, the band takes listeners on a journey, sharing a glimpse of their own personal struggles and triumphs. The record continues to take a deep dive into Weaver’s introspective exploration of life, faith, and resilience. Metal Insider has caught up with Weaver to discuss the new album and the band’s next chapter.
Following your hiatus, what inspired Casey to return and create the new album, How To Disappear?
Honestly, the biggest initial factor was coincidence. Liam happened to reach out to let me know that him and the guys had started playing round with some new material, and a few days prior to that I’d left the relationship I was in. So I was in a position of freedom that I’d not been in since the band had previously come to a close – and after an opportunity to reflect I just missed it, same as the rest of the guys had. From there we had a conversation around our motivations for returning to music, and the desire to forge something new rather than just rehashing sonic places we’d visited previously.
The new album showcases an angrier and more aggressive approach than your previous work. What influenced this shift?
I think the darker tint just came with the natural progression of maturing. We wanted to demonstrate that we weren’t just the same band we were 4 years ago when we left off. We wanted to produce a body of work that was reflective of where we are in our lives now. The break, and then the pandemic, were difficult on us all. Gave us all a lot to reflect on and think about. And our personal lives took on significant new weights, as they so often do as we all have our own stories.. So that process of growing older and growing up needed to be articulated in our new music.
What was the overall creative process like for the new album?
Slightly different to the previous records – a lot more prep work went in on this one. I feel like we spent less time in the practice room writing than we did previously, but a few of the songs did stem from organic sessions like that. It was done a lot more through sharing demos and recordings in our group chat, then fleshing the songs out from there. I think the changes in our personal lives necessitated that; we don’t have as much free time as we used to.
What songs were more challenging to write?
We tend to be a band where if a song doesn’t feel organic to write, we don’t pursue it. There were a handful of demos that we ended up abandoning through the writing process because they became a grind to finish. For us, that’s a sign that we’re pulling in different directions. We’ve always found that our best work happens when everyone is on the same page.
Frontman Tom Weaver has overcome numerous health challenges, including overcoming surgeries such as replacing bones in his skull with titanium plates and surviving a heart attack; how have these experiences shaped the themes explored on the new album?
Touched on a lot more in our first album. This album is more of a response to this culmination of insane stuff and how it’s affected my overall outlook on life.
How did the return on the road with the recent North American tour with Holding Absence go?
My illness aside (flu, which led to hospitalization, etc), we were super happy with the tour as a whole. The shows were great, the whole touring party were real easy to be around, and it felt really good to be back on a longer run again. By the end of it, we felt like we could have kept going for longer – even with my condition the way it was. Which I think is a positive sign for the future of the band.
You’re set to headline in the UK and EU starting in late March. What are you looking forward to the most about these shows?
The Impericon festivals were some of the biggest shows we’d ever done, so returning to those in a more prominent slot this year is something we’re very excited for. Then obviously for our own shows, we’re really looking forward to showcasing some of the new material. We’ll be playing some songs for the first time, so it’ll be a lot of fun.
Any plans for future tours or collaborations after the UK and EU headline tour?
We’ve had to move some of our headline shows to the end of the year, so that’ll be our last headline foray in Europe for a while I think. That aside, we’re just taking things slowly for the time being. Particularly given the developments with my health recently, I don’t feel comfortable committing to anything further that we can’t follow through on.
How do you feel about the reception of How To Disappear so far?
Personally, I’m ecstatic about it. We definitely went into it with minimum expectations, but that’s the way we’ve always approached releases to be honest. We try not to pin our worth on public reception, and we make sure that we’re individually happy with a body of work prior to it being released. But we obviously want people to enjoy our music, and I think it’s been received really well in that light.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who may be facing their own challenges and setbacks?
I think following on from the previous answer, being self-assured and happy in your art is paramount to longevity in my eyes. As nice as it is to have work received positively, and feel as though that validates your effort, the most important thing is being able to listen to your own music and feel proud.
