Canadian artist The Hope State – aka Taylor Johnson – prepares for the release of his poignant debut album Skeletons, out on now!
Each track on this beautifully introspective debut uses powerful storytelling to create an undeniably immersive experience. Skeletons tackles a plethora of difficult subject matters including regret, depression, addiction, love, loss and hope with depth and delicacy, creating something heartbreakingly unassuming and incredibly compelling. Talking about upcoming single Butterflies and title track Skeletons, Taylor elaborates “Butterflies is about that feeling you get when you first meet someone, that feeling in your stomach that won’t go away. The story also mirrors as a battle with drugs and the crushing guilt that comes with that. Being so sick of yourself, but not knowing how to stop and hoping for a transformation. Skeletons is the second part of the journey and all of the feelings tied to being stuck.”
In this interview spotlight, I chat with The Hope State about the latest project, challenges, motivations and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
It certainly wasn’t something conscious. I think it’s just a blend of all of the genres I grew up listening to or still listen to. I’ve always been a sucker for melody. That’s what attracts me to a song first, and the melodies in folk, pop, rock and country always stood out the most to me.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I was always drawn to music. Some of my earliest memories are of not only being fascinated my music but of instruments themselves. If I ever say a guitar or set of drums somewhere you couldn’t pull me away. I just loved to look at instruments and see them played. Then the first time I got to play a real set of drums it was game over, I knew I was going to play music forever. I switched over to guitar because I had all of these songs in my head and wanted to write. Then the natural progression of playing in little bands occurred and then those little bands get a little bigger and then one day you’re playing a show and there are people screaming your words back at you and nothing is ever the same again. Thinking about the first time that ever happened to me is why I still do this and can’t ever stop.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Traveling to new cities and visiting small towns is what inspires me the most. I love watching people live these lives that are so foreign to me and building their stories. It’s very humbling to feel so small when you realize there are so many people just living all of the time and it has absolutely nothing to do with you. I always wonder what they do for work, what their dreams were or still are, if they’re ever been in love, it’s fascinating to me. As far as my musical taste, it’s certainly changed but I would still listen to most of the stuff I grew up listening to… perhaps just not some of the harder screamo stuff. I would still put on a Beatles, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, or even a Blink 182 album to this day.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Yes. I wanted honesty. I wanted real stories. I wanted to break people’s hearts, not just for the sake of being sad, but to feel better knowing that they weren’t alone. Writing helps me deal with stuff now, but before I knew how to do that listening to music made everything better. When people tell me listening to my music helps them in any way it’s the highest honor I could imagine being given.
What was the last song you listened to?
This Must Be The Place by The Talking Heads. Love that song so much.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
CD’s will always hold a dear place in my heart. Saving up and getting my Mom to take me to the music store in the mall when I was a kid, buying the CD I wanted so badly and putting it in as soon as I got home, reading the liner notes as I listened was pure magic. But now I’d have to say vinyl. Something about the act of putting on a record seems to make people appreciate it more.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I’m not allowed to answer that question without getting in trouble. Ask me again later when getting a certain amount of features and spins doesn’t make or break a new bands career.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I think that really is it. There’s so much white noise, and everything is so easy to get. The appreciation just isn’t there anymore. But I feel like that’s changing. I’m noticing a real yearning for the way things used to be and people putting value into music again… or maybe I’m just making that up and hoping for it myself.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
@thehopestate is our Instagram and is where you’ll find the most activity. It’s always been my favorite social media platform. Through that we always announce new shows and songs and secrets first.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Would just like to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to listen to us, watch something, write or read something about us… massive thanks to anyone who comes out to the shows or tells their friends about us… it’s kind of how this all works and we love you for it. Follow us and always feel free to reach out. We love connecting with everyone!
