Band: HAND
From: Tbilisi, Georgia
Their formation story:
(Grisha, bass): "HAND started a little over a year ago in Indonesia. We were living there at the time, and that’s where the band really came together. Southeast Asia and Indonesia, in particular, have had a massive hardcore/punk revival over the last few years, and being inside was a huge influence on us.
"Some of the first songs, like 'Cold As Ice,' 'Fading Faces,' and 'Standing Still,' were written there. We played our first show in Indonesia, too, just a couple of weeks after we started rehearsing. It was very raw and spontaneous, but it felt right from the start."
Their sound in their own words:
"We play hardcore. Without overthinking it. We’re influenced a lot by classic NYC-style and a bit by some modern stuff. For fans of Backtrack, Terror, and Cold World."
Latest release info:
"Our first release, Five Songs About Pleasure and Pain, is basically a snapshot of where we’re at right now. 5 songs written in a pretty intense period for all of us. Most of the material came together fast. We didn’t over-polish anything. If something felt right immediately, we ran with it. The focus was on energy and feel.
"Lyrically, it is personal and direct. A lot of it comes from dealing with pressure, losing people we love, frustration, and trying to stay grounded while everything around us keeps shifting.
"We recorded it at Tbilisi on Georgian Film Studio, which has an incredible live room - a huge hangar-like space with moving wall panels. It’s one of the best places imaginable to record drums, with a really natural, powerful reverb.
"We did the mixing ourselves. Rented a studio overnight and mixed everything together, fueled by energy drinks. For mastering, we worked with Jonah Falco (Career Suicide, Fucked Up), who has worked on many records we deeply respect. His sound combined with our mix was exactly what we had in our heads - and somehow it actually worked out that way."
Future plans:
"We’re already working on new material and planning to hit the studio in February/March to record the next release. We’ve just gotten back from a short run of shows presenting the last record, and it felt like a really strong start for us.
"In the near future, we’ll play a couple more shows and, at the same time, start putting together bigger touring plans. The focus now is playing and touring more, reaching new places, and keeping going."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"There are a lot of good friends around us playing hardcore right now. Definitely check out Lower Minds, Uro, and Stress 4621, all solid bands we’re close with and respect a lot. Lower Minds actually just left today for a Southeast Asia tour, which is sick to see."
HAND on social media: Instagram
Tagged: hand
