Ahead of their debut live shows, we caught up with Stephen and Aric to discuss the creative process and vision behind their EP Galore—and what fans can expect from their very first live performances.
Photos & words by Felix Bartlett | Oct 2, 2024
Fuelled by chaos and the limitless creativity from the minds of Stephen Harrison and Aric Improta, House Of Protection offers an escape for those itching for a new fix of punk, electronic and hardcore.
The latest venture from the two musicians Stephen has been a long time in the making—its seeds planted during late-night drives as they bonded over their favourite bands, career dreams, and a mutual admiration for boundary-pushing artists. Even before their time in Fever 333. Through the years of tour bus conversations and discussions of frustrated creative constraints, their exit marks a new chapter for the duo, one rooted in completely artistic freedom.
House of Protection is a product of fearless approach. Melding hardcore, electronica, and punk the debut EP ‘Galore’ has been praised it for its bold choices and originality producing a sound that’s raw yet captivating. The first outing created with close collaborators Jordan Fish (Bring Me The Horizon) and Nick DePirro (Night Verses), serves as a powerful introduction to their vision. With the success of their debut EP and two sold-out shows in Los Angeles and London this October, we caught up with Stephen and Aric to discuss the process and vision behind the EP—and what fans can expect from their first-ever live show…
It’s no secret you’ve both been involved in previous music projects before this but what got you inspired to kick start this new project?
ARIC: “Me and Steve were in a band for five years together before this, and when we decided to leave, we knew right away that we wanted to do something together. I think the biggest question was just what it was going to sound like, and we knew we wanted to do it, just us two and have our friends involved.
The first day we met up to actually start writing, we were just kind of trying to figure out what our voices sound like. That day, we wrote the majority of ‘It’s supposed to hurt’. It was a relief because we didn’t know what to expect, and getting that far on day one was like, okay, now we at least have a thesis to work off of and can figure out where to go next.”
Why did you feel that now was the right time to launch House Of Protection?
STEPHEN: “I guess, what better time? You know, we had a lot of musical inspiration. And while we were in our last band, that’s where we realised how similar we were—both in our musical influences and in life. So we were pretty eager to get started almost immediately, I would say.”
ARIC: “I feel like that project had sort of run its course for us, at least in terms of what we were able to do creatively. So we knew we wanted to do something a bit different, and it felt like the best way to do that was to start our own thing and see where it went.”
At the time of recording, it’s been a week since your debut EP ‘GALORE’ came out. What’s one track that’s stood out in the community that you weren’t expecting?
STEPHEN: “Probably ‘Better Off,’ I think. I assumed it would be a divisive one. It’s kind of a standout track, and it didn’t really sound like the other ones. But people will, like, add it to their stories and stuff, and I’ve had some people I didn’t expect say they really dig it. So ‘Better Off’ is kind of a surprising one.”
ARIC: “Yeah, definitely. I think for me it was ‘Fuse,’ just because I didn’t know Steve could sound that smooth. When we went to record it and he sang the chorus, it was like, ‘Oh shit, I didn’t know this was an option for us to write with.’ So I think that, and ‘It’s Supposed to Hurt,’ are probably the two I listen to the most. I mean, ‘It’s Supposed To Hurt’ is more for like just the nostalgia of it being the first day that we wrote together. But, his chorus on ‘Fuse’ is probably my favourite on the record.”
With this EP you’ve also worked with Jordan Fish. What were those discussions like, and how did you come together collaboratively to bring this EP to life?
STEPHEN: “Jordan’s a good friend of mine and has been for a long time. It was just sort of, I guess, almost understood. I mean, he asked when we had finished a few songs and demos if it would be okay for him to help us out. And, you know, I value his creativity, and being so close to him and trusting him, it just made sense. I’m very glad we did because, with production and structuring music, he’s a genius. He really helped us, I guess you could say, organise our thoughts sometimes. If we had an idea, he could bring it to its full potential.”
ARIC: “Yeah, definitely. There were a lot of moments where, like with that chorus I mentioned, there’d be things we didn’t know we were capable of, and he’d pull them out of us. That was really cool. For as much as we have in common, he also has a lot of influences that are outside of our world. So it was fun to get a perspective that’s completely different from ours and then see where that sound went throughout the process.”
I think that’s what’s great about this EP is each track stands on its own and experiments with heavier tones in some compared to others. It’s almost like a switch, alternating between heavier and different styles.
On that note, were there any ways in which the recording process differed from one another when you were recording in the studio?
ARIC: “‘It’s Supposed to Hurt’ was the only track we started without Jordan, and then he came in halfway through it. After that, we met up for five days to write all the rest. It was just kind of day by day. We’d have different influences, and we mostly just had thoughts about the energy we wanted—like movie scenes we liked. For example, we’d be like, ‘Okay, we want a song you can drive to at night with your best friend.’ That became ‘Being One.’ Other times, Steve would say, ‘I really love the pace of this song. It’s a little weird, but let’s figure it out,’ which led to ‘Better Off.’ We went into it with an open mind.
It was just me, Steve, Jordan, and Nick. From the beginning, we said we wanted to do this with just friends, and we’re really lucky that our friends are incredibly talented musicians. It was cool to have these four people with completely different skill sets come together and find the sound of the EP.
I think you described it well when you said the EP makes more sense as a whole than when you compare the tracks individually. Personally, I was worried about that. I usually like a band that has a consistent sound throughout a record. So it was kind of scary but exciting to have so many things happening at once. You’re like, ‘Okay, this is cool, but how do you play something this mellow at a show and keep it exciting?’ Or, ‘This is cool, but I don’t want to step into a range where the heaviness gets cliché.’ It was a fun process to figure out, and by the end, it all rounded itself out and felt pretty cohesive.”
I also feel that it leaves the door open for future projects. A lot of people have shared that what they think is great about the EP is that there’s so much to explore, and many doors are left open. As a listener, it keeps you on your toes, wondering what to expect next, which is really exciting and fun. It’s not something you often see with new acts coming onto the scene, and I think that’s what makes it special.
Can we touch on the music videos. How did those come together? What were the creative minds and inspiration behind them?
ARIC: “I feel like we’re a very visual group of people. We talk about film as much as we do music, and we’ll pull inspiration from all kinds of things. Like, I remember Steve brought over this magazine to my house, and as we were flipping through the pages, we started saying, ‘Why don’t we try to make a video that feels like you’re turning the pages of an art magazine?’ That’s where the idea for ‘It’s Supposed to Hurt’ came from.
All of this was done with our good friend Kevin Garcia. He’s directed most of the work I’ve done on my own over the last ten years. So the three of us, along with our friend Billy, who films when Kevin’s out of town, would get together and talk about what a song feels like, and then we’d shoot from there.
I feel like the style itself is often influenced by our days of skating as kids. We’d have an idea of a location, pull up, and sometimes what we originally thought would change because we’d find a different way to shoot it. For example, I was randomly renting a jet ski to find a pier to jump off for the album cover, and that’s when I found the buoy we ended up using for ‘Being One.’
A lot of these decisions are last-minute calls. I’ll hit up Steve and be like, ‘Yo, can you meet me at the harbour at 6 a.m. tomorrow? We’ll get on a boat and climb on this thing.’ And even when we’re out there, we don’t always know if it’s going to hold us or not. The closest thing I can compare the experience to is skating a ten-stair while the camera’s rolling, hoping no one catches you.”
Moving away from the EP and looking at your live shows, you’ve got two upcoming performances—your first-ever live shows, I might add. How does that feel?
STEPHEN: “It feels good. You know, I feel like since our first session, we’ve been thinking about our first shows and kind of talking and dreaming about what that’s going to feel like. For us, that’s kind of what all this builds up to—being able to perform. So it’s very exciting. It’s exciting to play shows and do something we’ve never done before. It’s especially exciting to play Underworld; I love that venue in London. Every time we play there, it’s just nuts. So I’m stoked that’s going to be our second show and our introduction to the UK. We have a lot of really cool stuff in store for these shows.”
ARIC: “Yeah, it’s fun because we talked about how the main focus of this project at the beginning was the live show. But then, of course, you realise that we have to write all the songs, plan the material, and everything else. Now that we’re here, half of it feels like the most exciting thing we’ve done so far because it’s what we’ve spent five years working on. The other half is a question mark—this is our first time singing live, so let’s see how it goes. At least we know Underworld is sold out, so there will be a bunch of people there singing with us. That always feels good when you’re about to do your first performance as a singer.”
And what are some of the steps/planning you’ve taken for setting up your first live shows?
ARIC: “I feel like we start as basic as possible because that’s how we’ve always done things since we were kids. Right now, Steve and I are designing a projection set and discussing different ways to transition between songs. On the production end, we still spend the majority of the day just the two of us in a room jamming, trying to figure out how things can sound and feel their best. It’s in the most stripped-down form because once that feels good, everything you add on top is just much more exciting. It’s better than trying to focus on all the distracting stuff first and then figuring out how to play.
It’s cool because during our practices there’s no air conditioning, and we’re melting in the room, but it feels like we’re 15 again, playing in our first band.”
Are there any track you’re looking forward to playing most?
STEPHEN: “Probably ‘It’s Supposed To Hurt’.
ARIC: “Yeah, that song’s just fun. I feel like that was written for live performances more than any of the others, so that’s been the most fun to play so far”
Are there any surprises we can expect from these shows?
STEPHEN: “I don’t think we can say, but we talked about someone for LA.
ARIC: We do have people we’re really excited about. There’s someone from LA and someone from London. And they will be good.”
Looking at the road ahead are there any festivals on the horizon you’d want to see House Of Protection perform at?
ARIC: “I’ll start with Rock im Park and Rock am Ring. Steve and I, on our last tour together, played two of the best shows we’ve ever had in our lives there. We talked about it for six months afterwards, saying there was something about those sets that felt like another level compared to the entire five years before that. So I’m really excited for those, festival-wise.”
STEPHEN: “Fuji Rock, probably. I don’t know if that’s happening. I know we talked about it, but I would love to play that again. We’ve played it before, and it was just so much fun. Yeah, I would love to play that again, and I think that’s in the cards.”
Rounding things off we have our series of quick-fire questions.
If you had to give one piece of advice for bands starting out what would that be?
ARIC: “Make a band with your friends? There are so many things you can do to try and skip steps, but ultimately you’ve got to like the people you’re on tour with and making music with. You’ve got to trust each other enough to actually try stupid things in front of one another. I think it’s hard to do that when you’re in a room with a bunch of professionals who have these expectations. When you’re with your friends, you can really explore your creativity on a much more open level.”
STEPHEN: “Just have fun and be authentic. Don’t worry about being perfect. I feel like everything sounds so perfect these days, and it’s almost boring. Just get started first of all, and then have fun.”
ARIC: “Just grab a mic and see what happens. Don’t stress about what the livestream is going to sound like. If you’ve got energy, let it out on stage, you know?”
What’s one thing you would change in the music scene?
ARIC: “I’d like to see more unique venues. Not that I don’t love a good hardcore show in a VFW hall, but at the same time, we’ve looked at some of these EDM festivals and thought, ‘Damn, I wish we could see rock bands in this setting.’ Or some of the cooler live streams that have been done, especially during COVID, where someone is playing in a cave. I’ll find ’90s videos of raves in caves, or recently I saw something about Deftones’ Chino performing an acoustic set in a volcano about ten years ago. I feel like it would be fun to play shows in places other than just regular venues, but it’s so hard to find a way to do that if you’re a regular band. So, I don’t know. I guess that would be fun to do.”
Who is a new artist you’re listening to right now?
STEPHEN: “Kaonashi’s not new, but they’re on their way up. I think they’re one of the most special bands. They’re just so unique and—well, they’re weird. On first listen, it’s kind of jarring, but if you want to check out Kaonashi, you can find some live videos on YouTube. Or, if they come to your town, definitely see them live because it’s something you don’t want to miss.”
ARIC: “New is a tough one. But if we’re talking about bands that aren’t headliners yet, we love Nova Twins. We also love this band called glixen, and I love Author & Punisher, though I think he’s been around for like 15 years now.”
What does 2025 look like for House Of Protection?
ARIC: “Definitely the shows. I feel like this has all been building towards that. We’re excited now that we’ve been able to create the visual component that goes with the music and to actually get into a room with people and share that energy. I mean, that’s the whole point of all of this. We’ve been lucky enough to team up with Red Bull and roll out five videos, which has been so fun. But as fun as that is, it’s not the same as being in a room with 300 kids singing along. So we’re stoked for that phase of the band.”
House Of Protection’s debut EP ‘Galore’ is out now
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