Letters Sent Home Interview
We caught up with Letters Sent Home for an exclusive glimpse into the world of the dark-pop collective following the release of their debut album, ‘Forever Undone’.
Drawing inspiration from their own vulnerabilities and life experiences, each track on the album serves as a poignant reminder of the imperfections that make us human. From the haunting melodies of "Request Denied" to the introspective introspection of "i hope i die first", the album showcases a wide range of emotions, bound together by the unyielding honesty of Letters Sent Home's songwriting. In this interview, we delve into the depths of the band's creative process, exploring the intimate narratives woven throughout their music and the raw emotion that defines their sound.
Can you start by telling us who's behind the name Letters Sent Home?
We are Emily (vocals), Lara (bass), Robin (guitar) and Louis (drums) and three of us actually went to the same school in Germany and started a band back in 2015. Three years later Louis joined and Letters Sent Home was founded.
Your debut album Forever Undone is described as deeply personal and therapeutic for you. Can you share some insights into the themes and experiences that inspired the songs on this album?
The album tells different stories of my life that I have never told before. A big theme on the album is religious trauma. I grew up in a baptist household and started going to church every sunday very early on. I joined a church group for children when I was seven and started working there voluntarily when I turned 14, taking care of the children that came after me. Being a christian was my whole identity. When I turned into a teenager I was pressured into being the perfect role model for the other children. I was never allowed to have bad days. When talking about my feelings and worries I was called “overdramatic” and told that I’m “just a child”. When I was 15 I was groomed by an older guy from my church and that situation caused a whole chain reaction of doubts and fears. I began questioning God, church, faith and basically everything I lived for. This was fueled by my aunt who would call me names because I was not living religion the way she thought I was supposed to. I went on an exchange year shortly after and got the space that I needed to really reflect what has happened and found a new me that didn’t include church that I liked way better. I thought what had happened only made me doubt religion, I didn’t actually think it was traumatic but when I started therapy years later my therapist made me realize that I had experienced trauma and even though it was years ago, I needed to work on it. The older I got the more I despised religion, although I still think that having faith is a positive thing. This whole story is being told in different songs on the album alongside songs about my mother who had a hard time growing up and me being in love for the first time.
The title of the album, Forever Undone, suggests a continuous journey of self-discovery and healing. Can you elaborate on the significance of this title?
The album title “Forever Undone” basically means that we and the world are never complete. We don’t have a finish line we will run through. There is always something in us that is undone or broken that needs healing or evolution. You’ll find this theme in every song on the album. “Request Denied” deals with depression and how it never really just goes away, so I just deal with it. “I hope I die first.” shows how a love story is forever undone and never a hundred percent perfect. The trauma and experiences that I deal with on this album broke something inside of me but they also made me who I am today and that will never change. Therefore, I am forever undone.
The album features a range of tracks, each with its own unique energy and emotion. Can you walk us through the creative process behind selecting and arranging the songs for Forever Undone?
Looking at our discography it becomes quite clear that we never stuck to just one genre, one style. We have always wanted to experience and we didn’t want it to be different this time just because it is our debut album. We knew we wanted some metalcore, electronic, pop and rock elements on this album. All the songs that we finished in the writing process actually made it onto the album. We knew relatively early on when the vibe of a demo didn’t really fit, so we didn’t finish those. We wanted to start off the album with high energy rock songs and show our pop and electronic side in the middle to close the album with an emotional ballad that sticks with you.
Collaborations play a significant role on the album with musicians, producers, and notably with Dead Lakes on "Ignorance". What drew you to collaborate with them and how did they influence the final outcome of the track?
We instantly knew we wanted a second voice on “Ignorance” because the song is a voice for a whole generation, so we believed it to be more powerful if two people pleaded for urgency. Dead Lakes had just released their album “daydreamer” when we were right at the songwriting finish line and I just absolutely fell in love with it. Plus, their song “wrong way” deals with a similar topic, so we reached out to Sumy and he was very interested and sent us his recordings not long after. We think he takes the energy of the song to a whole other level, which is exactly what we were hoping for. We also have two other features on the album. For the second one, we wanted a scream feature which you’ll find on the song “Pedestal”. The song “Gaslight” is written from two different perspectives and we wanted the second perspective to be sung by a man, so that’s what we did. All features serve the song’s purpose and are not random.
What's next for Letters Sent Home after the release of your debut album? Do you have any plans for touring, new music, or other projects on the horizon?
We have a release show near our hometown a week after the album release and a bunch of support shows coming up in April and May, including first shows in the Netherlands and France, which we are extremely excited for. We do have a project in mind to be worked on this summer but it’s not quite ready to be talked about yet. But if it works out the way we hope, it’s something to be really excited about!
Follow Letters Sent Home:
https://www.instagram.com/letterssenthome/
