“It was Hevy Fest 2012 that piqued my interest in the post-hardcore scene,” says Employed To Serve vocalist Justine Jones of her band’s humble genesis.
“After that me and Sammy [Irwin, guitar] decided to find people who were just as passionate about this type of music and that’s where the idea of the band came about.”
That interest has manifested itself into something very special, namely Employed To Serve’s debut album Greyer Than You Remember, a stunning reminder of the power, intelligence and fury that the best in this genre can bring. It’s an album born from a set of influences only slightly younger than the bandmembers themselves.
“We all love Deftones, Neurosis, Botch… all music from the early 2000s.” Justine says. “It’s when we all started getting into music, even though I was about six when those bands started. Looking back now, you can see how interesting a time it was for music.”
“We’re a DIY band at the moment,” Justine says. “But that’s not to say we don’t have ambition. That’s why we did the recent Funeral For A Friend tour… it exposed us to an audience that may not have been aware of the type of music we play. We love the DIY ethos, but we aren’t afraid of playing big shows. Hopefully a mixture of the two things is something we can achieve.”
With youth, ability and ambition on their side, not to mention a fantastic set of tunes, it’s no wonder Employed To Serve are daring to dream big.
Greyer Than You Remember is out now via Holy Roar