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Friday, April 29, 2016 2:40pm ET by  

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Interview with Heffron Drive on 'Rain Don't Come' and more

Kendall Schmidt and Dustin Belt, of Heffron Drive fame, sat down this week for a chat with us and they opened up about their exciting new track 'Rain Don't Come', which marks the beginning of a different direction for the indie pop duo. 

The song was officially released on April 8 and we talked to both Kendall and Dustin about their new musical style, taking risks with their sound, and their incredibly supportive fans. 

So, let’s talk about ‘Rain Don’t Come’. This song has a very different sound to your previous material so we have to ask, what inspired the change?

Kendall: Being an artist is all about innovating your sound. 'Rain Don't Come' is a new step in expanding our skills as producers. We have a small, highly advanced studio and spend a lot of time recording everything ourselves. 

Dustin: It kind of just stemmed from wanting to create something different and mature our sound a little bit. It's still very much a pop song, but with a little more rock in it than some of our previous material. 

Do you ever worry about taking risks with your music? 

Dustin: I think you have to take risks. That’s what makes it interesting to listen to. I think It's really about how you use your influences, and meld those sounds you hear in your head to create something new.

Kendall: What it really comes down to is we are making music that we like to listen to. Releasing it to a crowd of people who enjoy it as well is icing on the cake.

What has the fan response been like so far? How has the feedback been? 

Kendall: We have the most supportive fans/friends and really have to give a shout out to all the Heffron Drive fan clubs out there. Also, we wouldn't be where we are without a strong core and they are always promoting on our behalf. The feedback has been all positive because people really love the message and appreciate the artistic representation. 

Dustin: It's been amazing! We were kinda nervous to see what the fan response would be like, since it is a bit of a different song for us, but it's been better than we could have expected. The fans haven't stopped tweeting about it. The video is getting some great response too. People have been contacting their local radio stations and telling them about it and we've been getting radio play all across the country. It's been very heart warming. 

The music video for ‘Rain Don’t Come’ is visually striking. How much input did you have in creating it? What was the influence behind the video? Was it fun to shoot?

Dustin: Kendall and I brainstormed the idea for the video the same day we wrote the lyrics for the song. It started with us just sitting in the studio talking about what we thought it could look like visually, and then spent the next year tweaking the idea. Ultimately, Kendall's brother Kevin came in and directed the video. Our family all helped out on the shoot. We shot it out in the middle of nowhere in the desert. There were 35 mile an hour winds all day, which in hindsight, kinda helped the overall look of the video! It was a pain to stand in that all day though. I'm pretty sure I sat in my car and slept for the first few hours of the shoot.

On April 18, you tweeted that you were “working on a very special song” and we’re intrigued! Is there anything you can tell us about the project?! 

Kendall: I had a bittersweet moment happen to me recently and I’m using the experience to create a new song with deep messaging and is dedicated to someone who had a huge impact in my life. 

We saw that you’ve been to Coachella! How was the festival? Which bands did you get to check out? Coachella has been our yearly "vacation" for a few years now. 

Dustin: It's always so much fun to see bands that you've never seen play and become inspired by so much amazing music. Some of my faves were Guns & Roses, Sia and The 1975. Never thought I'd get to see GNR. Slash is such a badass.

Kendall: I loved seeing ZEDD, Cold War Kids, LCD Sound System and all the ones Dustin mentioned and plus more. 

 

 

We love a good festival, but do you have any survival tips to share with us? 

Kendall: If you are staying at all nearby (like within a mile or two, it's always awesome to take a bike because it saves a bunch of time. Also remember to stay hydrated and most importantly don't stress. It's always better to stay relaxed and enjoy the time off you have. We always try to see as many bands as possible. 

Dustin: They can get pretty messy! Bring chap stick and don't forget to put sunscreen on the back of your ears (this just happened to me. trust me, It's not a fun outcome). 

What’s coming up for you in 2016?

Kendall: New Music, New Videos, New content. 2016 is gonna be an awesome year!

Dustin: We are working on finishing up the album and setting up some tour dates.

What are you listening to at the moment?! Favourite song/band/movie of the year so far?!

Kendall: Love Gallant! Got to see him at Coachella as well and our drummer AJ also tours with him. We were very proud watching him play at our favourite festival. 

Dustin: A friend of mine turned me onto Parov Stelar and Anderson Paak, both of which we just got to see this weekend at Coachella. Very cool artists to check out.

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Watch Heffron Drive's music video for 'Rain Don't Come' here:

 

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