Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with False Advertising

nterview with Jen Hingley of False Advertising

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

I used to go to a music group when I was very young called ‘Music is Fun’ in Oxfordshire. I think I actually first went along with my older sister before I was technically old enough to join. Either that, or something to do with my dad, as he’s consistently been playing in bands all my life.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

I always remember wanting to write music. I’d learned instruments all through my childhood and studied music a lot, but everything started to become a bit more creative when I began teaching myself guitar at about 13. I got an iMac with GarageBand around that time, so I was always trying to write songs and record them by putting my laptop speaker next to a tiny Vox practice amp. I also remember doing a similar thing by putting my laptop in front of a drum kit in my dad’s garage, with some interesting results… But I don’t remember actually managing to properly finish a song until many years later so it’s been quite a slow process to get to that point.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

False Advertising have been a band since 2015, and we originally started when Chris (who left the band more recently) and I decided that between us we had the ability to create every single aspect of our music (writing, recording, production, design, music videos, etc.) on our own. Obviously, we found out quite quickly during the process of putting out our first album that this was more than a little bit naive, but it empowered us to actually start something, which was a really inspiring thing for me.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

Loud and full of energy. It’s hopefully like trying to articulate the feeling of releasing pent-up anxiety through sound.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

We started our band by writing and recording an album in a studio before playing our first gig—or rather, a room above a pub that we were lucky enough to use as a studio. So I didn’t have much live experience when writing our first batch of songs. As we played more and more over the last decade and had the opportunity to see how different songs connect with people, that’s definitely the thing I’ve been lucky enough to learn the most from when writing now.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Since Chris stepped back from doing the majority of our production work and we started working more regularly with a producer called Luke Pickering, I basically went from never needing to do anything other than press record in Cubase to getting much better at recording demos. On our new album, I fully collaborated with Luke on engineering and production, working back and forth between Manchester and London during COVID. It’s been a steep learning curve, but I’ve gradually progressed to having a kind of studio where I can record drums, guitar, and vocals, and do my own mixing to some sort of standard. I’ve really tried to learn everything from the ground up. The main things I use are Logic and an SM57, though!

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

First thing that comes to mind is that I’ve gotten really into an electronic artist called James Holden recently—he’s got a song called In the End You’ll Know which is really good. I’ve also been listening to loads of a band called Soaper, who released an album called Bubbledumb last year which slaps.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

think I’ve always been very aware of when particular songwriters, artists, or bands have resonated with me, so I hope I’ve developed my own style of songwriting that sounds like me (although it’s difficult to know if it comes across that way to anyone else!). I’ve also been very lucky to have grown up around family members who’ve been involved in music, so I’ve had lots of opportunities to see how things work and ask questions. There’s always been something about the idea of being a musician that felt like something I could have a go at getting my head around.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

For most of our songs—especially the ones with guitar-based riffs—I hope there’s some sort of sense of catharsis.

 What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

I think it’s important not to get too hung up on your own work too soon. When I first started figuring out how to record music, I’d do the thing where you keep adding ridiculous four-part harmonies, then sort of get addicted to listening to the half-finished song over and over again until it eventually sounded completely meaningless. I’ve learned over the years that it’s much better to write in quick bursts and then wait to revisit songs until you feel really compelled to progress them. It’s almost like the more I can forget what I’ve written and come back to it with fresh ears, the more immediate and better it ends up sounding in the end.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Festival-wise, I used to say 2000 Trees, but we’ve been lucky enough to do that, so I’d probably say Glastonbury Festival. Venue-wise, I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface, so I’ll go with O2 Academy Brixton, as that’s where I went to my first ever gig (Inspiral Carpets in 2003).

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

This is such a difficult one. I’d maybe say Soulwax, because they have all the best elements of rock and electronic music, and they know how to do a cracking remix.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

Official Site: https://falseadveris.ing

The Sorry Window (our new album) Pre-order link: https://falseadvertis.ing/tsw

Bandcamp: http://falseadvertising.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0w0G0yLuHEK0PKsNnLytAp?si=M65Afl-BQMWxCrVod9OyiA

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/false-advertising/1029234685

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FalseAdvertising

Instagram: https://instagram.com/falseads

Facebook: https://facebook.com/falseadv

Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/falseads

All links: https://falseadvertis.ing/links/

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

As ambitious as we should be, at the moment we’re just putting our new album out and seeing, bit by bit, what opportunities that leads to. It would be amazing if there ends up being enough demand for more False Advertising music, or enough to justify some live dates. My main hope, though, is that whatever happens, I find a way to be in a band or project where I can make music and play live without making life stressful for other people.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

Hopefully that our band is good, haha!