HMLTD are a British
art punk
Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...
band from London, formed in 2015. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Henry Spychalski, guitarist Duc Peterman, bassist Nico Mohnblatt, drummer Achilleas Sarantaris and keyboardist Seth Evans.
Background
HMLTD formed in London as Happy Meal Ltd. in early 2015. Singer Henry Chisholm goes under the pseudonym 'Henry Spychalski', and was born and raised in
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...
before moving to London.
Spychalski met Duc, who had played in a band with Nico in Paris, at a bar in London which helped foster a friendship and the formation of the band.
James originates from
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
and shared a house in
Elephant and Castle
The Elephant and Castle is an area around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground station ...
with friends including Henry. Zac, from
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, met Duc through
Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
and "less vile corners" of
4chan
4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from anime and manga to video games, cooking, weapons, television, ...
, and Vincent from Hong Kong; when he returned home in late 2015 he was replaced by Achilleas, originally from
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. Late in 2019, Zac left the band to focus on his education, he was replaced by Seth Evans, a friend of the band, who they met in London.
HMLTD has been criticised for allegedly appropriating queer and/or
gender bender
A gender bender is a person who dresses up and acts like the opposite sex. Bending expected gender roles may also be called a genderfuck.
Gender bending may be political, stemming from the early identity politics movements of the 1960s and 19 ...
aesthetics as heterosexual men, including
cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself.
Cross-dressing has play ...
, make-up, and flamboyant performances.
According to Spychalski, the band is "trying to challenge toxic masculinity and we’re doing that from the perspective we can do that from, as the human beings we were born into being, which is predominantly straight cis men. But I don’t think having that role should exclude or prohibit you from taking on that political perspective and from taking on what is probably the most violent, toxic, cruel force in our society. We’re learning from queer methods and we always try to express that indebtedness."
Their image and sound can be seen as influenced by the Ziggy Stardust era of
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and the
New Romantic
The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...
period in the 1980s. Their sound has been compared to a wide range of acts such as
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...
and
Peaches
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
. They have also been regarded as
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
for their infusion of EDM and experimental pop with their guitar-oriented sound.
On 20 July 2018, HMLTD released their debut
EP, ''Hate Music Last Time Delete''. Pictures Of You was written with
Justin Tranter
Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Frequently co-writing with Julia Michaels, Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Selena ...
.
On 7 February 2020, HMLTD released their debut studio album ''
West of Eden
''West of Eden'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American writer Harry Harrison.
Overview
In the parallel universe of this novel, Earth was not struck by an asteroid 65 million years before the present. Consequently, the Cretaceous–Pa ...
''. According to lead singer Henry Spychalski, the album took almost four years to create, due to the interspersed writing as every member was in university education. The album tour swiftly followed the release, spanning the length of the UK, as well as various European cities.
On 7 April 2023, HMLTD released their second album, ''The Worm''.
Members
Current members
* Henry Spychalski – vocals (2015–present)
* Duc Peterman – guitar (2015–present)
* Nicolas Mohnblatt – bass, keyboards (2015–present)
* Achilleas Sarantaris – drums (2015–present)
* Seth Evans – keyboards – (2021–present)
Former members
* Zacharie Cazes – keyboards (2015–19)
* James Donovan – guitar (2015–22)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
*''
West of Eden
''West of Eden'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American writer Harry Harrison.
Overview
In the parallel universe of this novel, Earth was not struck by an asteroid 65 million years before the present. Consequently, the Cretaceous–Pa ...
'' (2020)
*''
The Worm'' (2023)
EPs
*''Hate Music Last Time Delete'' (2018)
*''Don't Leave Me'' (2021)
Singles
*"Stained" / "Is This What You Wanted?" (2016)
*"To The Door" / "Music!" (2017)
*"Satan, Luella & I" / "Kinkakuji" (2017)
*"Death Drive" (2018)
*"Flex" (feat. Xvoto.Delete) (2018)
*"LOADED" (2019)
*"The West Is Dead" (2019)
*"Why?" (2019)
*"Blank Slate" (2020)
*"Wyrmlands" (2023)
*"The End Is Now" (2023)
* "The Worm" (2023)
References
External links
Official Website
{{HMLTD
Musical groups established in 2015
English glam rock groups
English pop rock music groups
RCA Records artists
2015 establishments in England