In 2015, I made the pilgrimage to The Vic Theatre — a 1,400 cap venue in Chicago — to join dozens of other teenagers (all wearing tattoo chokers & Doc Martens) queuing for hours in the rain; waiting to see our Tumblr messiah, Halsey, on her Badlands tour.
Many hours and several drenched rain ponchos later, we had secured our spots and were awaiting the opener. Suddenly, taking the stage was flor: a lively quartet that played upbeat dreamy synth pop that immediately changed the energy in the room. It was enrapturing, it was fun, it was inspiring. flor’s energy and enthusiasm was contagious, and though this was nearly 10 years ago now, I still remember the feeling of hearing their music for the first time. Everyone left that venue as a fan. Somewhere on my friend’s camera roll is an iPhone 5 quality photo of us with a few members of the group, taken excitedly outside the venue after the show.
Nearly a decade after their adventure as a supporting act for Halsey, flor has evolved. Now a trio and independent after separating from their label, this new era has allowed them to explore their identity as a group and create on their terms. They are authentically, 100% themselves, and it reflects in their new music. The feelings of growth and freedom are palpable in their sound, and their future is limitless.
In the midst of this thrilling new era, I sat down with Zach Grace (vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Kyle Hill (drums) to reminisce on their incredible decade as a band, discuss upcoming projects, and everything in between.
Brigid: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today! This is a cool full circle moment for me, I first saw you guys open for Halsey in 2015!
Zach Grace: Amazing!
Kyle Hill: Wow!
ZG: Good to see you again.
BY: Good to be reunited, there’s a blurry photo somewhere of us meeting outside the venue at like, midnight.
ZG: Your sweater is incredible, I love it.
BY: Thank you so much! Great to get to chat with you guys, I’ve obviously been a fan since that concert, which is almost 10 years ago now. Scary to think about.
KH: I know!
ZG: It’s scary for us!
BY: Today I just have some questions about the new songs you’ve been putting out, and everything that’s been going on with y’all! To kick off, I have to congratulate you on the release of “Warm Blood Pt 2,” how are you feeling about the response to it so far?
ZG: I think it’s going way better than we thought it would! It’s hard to say. It felt like an incredible idea to revisit a song that was so important to us, and is so special, especially in a live setting. It’s written about one of my favorite video games of all time. The second one is also written about the same video game. We love “Warm Blood”, but we weren’t totally sure people were going to love it as much as we did. To see everyone coming out of the woodwork and be like, “‘Warm Blood’ was my favorite song on come out. you’re hiding and I’m so glad there’s a part two!” Even the people that are like, “I don’t get it, what’s going on here? How is this part two?” All of it’s been so fun to respond to. We’re starting a dialogue!
KH: We are!
BY: Did you set out to create a part two to the original “Warm Blood,” or was that something that just naturally occurred?
KH: I feel like it’s kind of yes and no. When we started the song, we didn’t sit down and say, ‘we want to write a part two to Warm Blood.’ The goal was to capture the essence of the original “Warm Blood,” but how it sounds live. If you go back and listen to the original, it sounds very different to how we play it live. It has taken on it’s own life over the years, we’ve played it hundreds and hundreds of times. It’s a favorite of ours to play live. We wanted to capture the live element of it in that song. Down the road, we were listening to it over and over, and had the lightbulb moment where we were like, “wait a minute, let’s call it part two.” Because that’s what it is.
ZG: Usually when I’m writing, I’m not writing about what I’m experiencing. I’m writing about things that I’m pseudo-experiencing. Things I’m engaging with. But it came right from that story again, about heartbreak and not being in the same place in a relationship. Seeing that your partner isn’t there with you, and the heartbreak that comes from that.
BY: What video game inspired these songs?
ZG: It’s called “The Witcher.” Specifically “The Witcher 3” has quite a few storylines you can follow. Quite a few of your choices have consequences. In the case of “Warm Blood,” if you chose one love interest, eventually, at the end of the game, manifests in a different relationship not working out. So “Warm Blood Pt 2” is that relationship not working out.
BY: Do you pull from media a lot when you’re songwriting?
ZG: I do. I really like to write about stories that inspire me and make me feel things. I think that we’re so lucky that we get to peek into other people’s minds. Whether it’s through stories, books, movies, video games… we’re so lucky to get to experience that. It immediately takes off the edge of feeling infinitely alone. You see how someone else operates and thinks, and if you’re lucky, you see someone else dealing with the exact same things you’re dealing with. That makes everything feel more connected. Pretty much whenever I have that moment, of seeing someone experience what I’m experiencing, then I feel like I have the opportunity to pour into that same emotion, and it feels even more amplified because it’s not only connected to me but it’s connected to the world.
BY: Capturing that in song form, absolutely. So with this latest track and “Same Color as the Sun,” you guys are kind of in a new era as a band. What kind of energy are you bringing to this new era? Any specific visions or goals?
ZG: I think we’re in kind of a ‘fuck it’ era. Let’s try everything, throw it all at the wall and see what sticks. Maybe not everything at the wall, but let’s throw what’s important to us at the wall and see what sticks. More than ever we are tapping into the music we like and the music we want to be making. It’s manifesting itself in these incredible songs that we’re so proud of.
KH: As you may know, we are now independent. These are our first 2 song releases as an independent band, which is very exciting because for the last 8 years, all we knew was how to operate in the lane of a record label. It was great for a lot of reasons, it had its pros and cons. We can now move at our own pace, in the way that we want to. There’s not a lot of red tape or hoops to jump through. We can just do what feels right.
ZG: The thing about being in a band is we know what’s best for us. We know how to operate at a level that will allow us to accomplish what we want to accomplish. When you throw in a major label, they don’t put you in a formula or anything, but they do operate in that mindset. They tell you to do things that are working for other bands, they give you a structure. All along, we felt we might not be a band that’s fit for that structure. We are more of a… put out singles, get immediate feedback, and build on that hype. Rather than putting out an album and doing our best to milk every track for all of its media and content value. We’re just not very good with that. It’s way more exciting for us to be able to put out little bits of work at a time, put everything we have into them. And, we get to be doing these a lot quicker. A lot of times we’d be sitting on songs for a year, with the label. You have to then sort of reacquaint yourself with the art you were making a year before. Which isn’t impossible, but it’s not as exciting for us.
KH: Also, no shade to the label we were on. When we first got signed, they amplified and elevated us in huge ways. We had some incredible experiences with them. But, things change over time, and it came to the point where it was time to move on.
ZG: Yep.
BY: Do you feel like being independent has helped you creatively as well? Have you been able to reconnect with why you started making music?
ZG: I guess so. I say I guess so, because I feel we are doing that, going back to our roots. But, I don’t know if it’s because we’re independent or just because that’s what feels right to us right now. I think we thought we were going back to our roots with our last album we put out, but maybe we went a little too far to our roots and completely forgot what flor was. I don’t know if that makes any sense. I’m incredibly proud of our last album. But, yeah. I think that has been the goal. Whether that’s a byproduct of us going independent or just because it feels right, I don’t really know. Probably a mix.
KH: I think it’s a healthy mix of both. It’s funny to look back, there’s also parallels to how it felt when we were just beginning. Our first song came out in late 2014, coming up on a decade. Crazy. There’s a lot of similarities and parallels to when we were just getting started, because that’s what we were doing: we were just putting singles out. Slowly building that way. So it’s kind of fun to have the same feeling, like starting over but with 10 years of experience now.
BY: It’s definitely an evolution. You guys have been making music for close to a decade now, when it comes to your creative process do you feel you’ve taken on different roles as time has gone on? Or has it stayed relatively the same throughout your musical journey?
KH: That’s a good question. I think, for the way we do things, a lot of it has stayed similar. Dylan, our bassist, produces our stuff. He has since the beginning. We have always tried to run a very in house, DIY operation. It gives us the freedom to turn around a song really quickly, or turn around a video really quickly. We have sort of stuck to that formula over the years, with a couple variations here and there, trying new things. Whether it’s how we approach the songs, or having us all together, or having songs running through each band member to then create a full thing.
ZG: I agree with Kyle. It’s very much the core of how we create, and our creative identity is always there, and always has been there. With every album we branch out just a tiny bit, but not enough to spread entirely new roots or limbs. It all kind of curves back into what it’s all about: us making the music, us dealing with the things we feel, and us being inspired by our experiences & other people’s experiences.
BY: Absolutely. Do you feel your motivation to create has evolved over the years, or has that remained mostly the same as well?
ZG: I feel like it ebbs and flows. A lot of times I’m not as inspired to be creating, and it’s not really for any reason in particular. Sometimes music is the last thing I want to be thinking about. When it’s all you think about, eventually you have to give it a break. It’s always ebbing and flowing. I don’t know if there’s any control over that. I think a lot of people would say ‘yeah, there’s control over that. You have to make a routine and a schedule, you can’t wait for inspiration to strike, you have to do it.’ I’ve read that enough times in enough self help books to feel there’s probably some truth and merit to that, but… it’s just not how it works for me.
BY: I think a lot of artists experience that as well, burnout is so common these days. It’s good to honor your own individual creative process, everyone is different. Can you tell me a bit about your fan base, and how they have evolved alongside you?
KH: That’s a great question. I’ll start by saying our fans are some of the coolest people that I’ve met. We have such a sick fanbase, whether it’s the Twitter people or the Instagram people… or whoever just wants to show up to a show, have a beer and leave before the last song is over to beat traffic. We have a lot of different types of fans, which is a very cool thing. It’s been fun, over the years, to watch what we like to call “the flor fam” grow. It’s always fun seeing friendships and connections being made from all over the globe. Seeing those relationships come to fruition over time.
ZG: One of the best ways to engage with our fanbase has always been the live show. It’s always been the easiest way to put a name to a face, and really get to remember people. We’ve had people who’ve stuck around since Halsey, and they’ve showed up every year to a tour if we were doing one. At the beginning, there was a core group of people that was traveling a lot, being at every show, singing along, making their own inside jokes. We played a show just this year in San Francisco, and some of those core people showed up. It was such a heartwarming moment. It was our first headlining show independently, and to see them showing up there still after all this time, and more in love with the band than they’ve ever been before, was really heartwarming. That’s always my favorite way to interact. Obviously it’s not as easy, everyone doesn’t have the chance to get out to a show. The internet is a great tool for that. But, I will always be better at remembering and engaging in a live element.
KH: It’s also really special to look back… there are some people that bring their kids to our show. They maybe saw us with Halsey when they were in high school, and now we are meeting their children or their significant other. There are even some instances where people have met at a flor show, and then got married and now have a family. To me, that’s one of the coolest parts. That’s such a special thing, to be growing with our fans. To see that over time.
BY: Absolutely. Like you were saying, your live show & live performance in general is such a core part of the band’s identity. You do a lot of live shows, but also live performances online as well. What about performing live is so special to you guys?
ZG: I really should be able to pin that down and have a good response for this, but it really is just the whole thing that makes me so happy. I love the connection. I love seeing people sing along to songs that they give meaning to, that I couldn’t have ever dreamed of. Some of these people adopt these songs and make it beautiful and incredible. I just get to look back and be so glad I can be a part of this. I could have never dreamt it. I love performing, I’m a theatre kid at heart. And, I like that I get to do it with my favorite people. We get to lean on each other and work as a unit, an organism. The only way it works is because we are all giving it 100%. That’s the sports team mentality I think. The camaraderie.
KH: I agree with a lot of that. There’s something so special about performing, and being onstage in front of a lot of people. Selfishly, even looking at that, dreaming of doing that as a little kid. Then, now as an adult, being able to do it. That alone makes me want to pour everything I possibly can into a performance. Really be able to give whoever bought a ticket to see the show… give them the best possible mind blowing experience that they could potentially get from us. It’s also fun to try and one up yourself each time, with each show. Each tour. Make the next set a little bit better than the last. Keep growing the live show alongside everything else.
BY: Constantly evolving as performers, absolutely. You have a cool perspective, too, because you’ve done a lot of headlining shows along with being on some awesome tours as support. Can you tell me about the differences between headlining and supporting? Is there anything you love about one that you don’t experience with the other?
KH: Whoever is headlining the show, whether it’s us or the band we’re out with, for the most part, the bulk of the audience is there for the headliner. There’s definitely a bit of a different energy. If you’re supporting a band that you’ve never toured with, or never crossed paths with, there’s a lot of times where you go into shows with an objective of winning over the crowd. We have done some tours where that comes easier than others. We’ve had to try to work over some tough crowds in the past.
ZG: We’ve had to completely change our setlist, if whatever we’re playing isn’t hitting.
KH: On the other side, the times we have headlined… man, that’s a whole different energy. When the entire room is packed, screaming your songs back to you… I’m getting chills just talking about it right now. It’s so special.
ZG: It will always be more fun to headline. But, the chance to get to meet some of these artists you look up to or know are doing incredible things, that’s a really important part of being in this industry. So, if you don’t take those opportunities to be a supporting act and get to know the people who set the way before you, you’re missing out. A lot of people have a lot more experience than you do, there’s always something to be learned.
BY: Absolutely, very different experiences. Plus, when you do win over crowds, you get new fans like me who saw you first as an opener! To wrap up, obviously there is new music in the works, is there anything you can share about anything upcoming?
KH: I think what we can share is that our goal for at least the first half of the year is to be consistently putting out singles. We have a handful more that are being finished up as we speak. When we were talking about getting back to our roots, I think that plays a big part of it. We feel where this band thrives is to be able to consistently release music that we’re excited about. And, that is what we have planned over the coming months!
Listen to “Warm Blood Pt 2” here!
