Beyond Detroit: Helpless Hearts band talks new music, challenges

Stephen Tabor/SMTabor Photography

Helpless Hearts formed in 2013 after Andrew Imeraj and Eric Axelsen constantly talked about what type of sound and style they wanted to hear in music.

Drummer Tom Smith joined them shortly after the band formed, and his addition completed "the true 'core' of the band," Imeraj said.

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Imeraj sings and plays guitar, Alexelsen plays bass, and Justen Snow of Make Your Move is currently filling in as a guitarist after the group split from their rhythm guitarist earlier this year.

“It was a very bittersweet type of situation,” Imeraj said. “On one hand, we felt musically liberated; however, on the other hand, we lost someone who had become a close friend within the band.”

The band said it was not an easy thing to do, and they continued to perform despite losing a member.

“We are all still good friends, but from a professional standpoint, it's something that needed to be done,” the band said following the member’s departure.

Lineup shakeups aren’t anything new for the band, either. Helpless Hearts had two previous vocalists before Imeraj took over vocal duties.

According to Imeraj, the band looks forward to challenges, including the biggest struggle they face: how to improve their sound and progress.

They ask themselves not only how they can improve their sound, but how they can play the songs live in a way that makes them different from their recorded versions. Figuring out how to do that, Imeraj said, is how they consistently push themselves to become better performers and songwriters.

“We want to continue having fun, which means possibly pushing ourselves into unknown territories and experimentation," he said.

When making new music, Imeraj said that the songs are directly influenced by the members’ current mental states. Right now, the band is working on their debut full-length album, music that he said has a darker tone that “may be a direct reflection of the lovely Michigan winter months.”

Imeraj said that their newest material has been written primarily from a live band standpoint, and that the process that music is written can vary; sometimes he records a riff or comes up with an idea on his own. Other times, the entire band feeds off the vibes and ideas of each other while practicing.

The band also cites bands like Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Nirvana and Aerosmith as some of their musical influences, though he said they don’t try to directly incorporate those influences into their songwriting.

What has impacted new music does show, though.

“We can listen to our songs once they have been completed and connect the dots to what music we have been listening to at the time,” Imeraj said.

The new album will be released later this year, and new songs are being performed at upcoming shows.

On March 18, Helpless Hearts is leaving Michigan to play their first out-of-state show.

“Our goal as a band is to progressively keep making the best music that we are capable of and to take over the world,” Imeraj said.