HAWKING

Hawking are gearing up to release their self-titled third EP and today we're excited to premiere its opener, "Safe and Sound." This track showcases the Canadian quartet's knack for math-pop and fluttering melodies as it intricately builds and soars to the infectious chorus. Stream the anthemic tune above.

"'Safe and Sound' became one of our favourite songs to play live almost instantly," the band confesses. "We write a lot of emotional music, but in this instance we wanted a tune that doesn't blatantly insist "feel this" or "feel that" when you listen to it. Rather, we wanted something that everyone can take something different away from. We've seen crowds jump around, sway back and forth, headbang, or just stand there listening intently and feeling things. We've had people come up and tell us it made them happy; others say they cried. We think that translates flawlessly onto the record, and it's something we're really proud of. Sonically, you've got these huge melodic vocal hooks, shimmering guitars, and a strong beat that drives the tune—but there's also a prevailing darkness to it, especially lyrically, which all sums to a really nice balance that foreshadows the future of the band's sound."

The Hawking EP is slated for a July 14 release and can be pre-ordered from Bandcamp. The band embarks on an extensive North American tour later this month. Check out a full list of tour dates on their official website. - PureVolume

Where complex time signature changes meet intricate guitar work is where math rock lives. Unfortunately, the genre can be a bit intimidating for someone who hasnt spent four years studying musical composition. Complicated rhythms are on deck, often made more than clear by the bands as they demonstrate their skills to the point where the whole genre can feel like a talent contest. Hawking steps in here to try and sway the public opinion with their own alternative math pop sound. Retaining the constantly changing grooves but adding in some much needed catchy vocal hooks showcase the bands musical talents, but in a much more musically friendly way.

Amidst a tour spanning Canada and Northern America, the band is piecing together their third EP. We heard Hawkings newest single "Books on Tape" and were able to get in contact with the group, picking their heads on their new work and the genre as a whole.

You guys have had your sound described as "Math Pop." I know "Math Rock." What's the difference between "Math Rock" and "Math Pop" to you?

Hawking: Math Rock has a stigma against it that implies a level of pretentiousness among the people who play it. A lot of listeners feel that Math Rock is more about showing off just how obnoxiously complicated and indecipherable you can make a song than it is about making the song good. Math Pop on the other hand is basically exactly what it sounds like a sort of balancing act between Math Rock's complex drums, time changes and interlocking guitar work with a bunch of pop music elements like big vocal hooks and catchy choruses. That's sort of the niche where our music tends to exist and we're very happy with it!

"Math rock/pop" both tie into progressive music. It's hard to capture the feel of prog without leaning towards being pretentious. But you all accomplish that pretty effortlessly. What's the secret to making prog/polyrhythmic "math" music feel genuine?

Hawking: Man, I have no idea honestly. We just kind of do what feels right and hope it works and it seems to be clicking so far, so that's cool! But I guess the secret is to think about it from the perspective of a listener and not just a music nerd. Yeah, that weird revolving 21/16 breakdown you wrote might be really interesting to a music student, but good lord man, give your song a chorus if you want it to have any deeper meaning beyond "we're good at music."

We're premiering "Books On Tape." And the major lyrical hook of the track is "These books on tape will ruin my mind." What are you specifically referring to there?

You know the episode of Dexter's Lab where he tries to learn French by listening to a cassette while he sleeps, and then all he can say the next day is "omelette du fromage?" It's sort of about that, but of course a fair bit darker than a children's cartoon. It's about wanting life to move faster than it is, but not knowing what to do about it, and not having the motivation to try to do anything about it. That's pretty much all I can say without giving too much away.

The guitar work for the track is very unique. Were there specific guitarists that influenced how your guitar sound came out?

The main guitar melody and the dance-y feel to the song are heavily influenced by Two Door Cinema Club; Alan Welsh of the British Math-Pop band Tangled Hair had a huge impact on the way we wrote the bridge. - Baeble Music

Rising Canadian indie-pop-meets-math-rock contenders Hawking are ready to release their self-titled EP on July 14 (order here), but CraveOnline has a jumpstart with an exclusive stream before it hits the streets.

"It's damn near impossible to put into words how excited we are to finally release this EP," the band announces via Crave. "Our last record was often defined genre-wise as “'Math Pop,' referring to its combination of complex rhythms and frequent time signatures changes (math) with prominent vocal hooks, strong melodies and big choruses (pop). We loved touring it, and it went over really well with just about everyone—but the main criticism we received was that the hooks were strong, but we didn't hit them hard enough. So here we are with these new songs, where we're keeping strong flavours of Math Pop, but primarily focusing on making the songs stick in the listener's head like proper Indie Rock anthems should."

They continued: "We write a lot of really emotive music; what we want is to make an emotional impact on our listeners. With that in mind, what good is a song if you can't remember that lyric that punched you straight in the heartstrings because you've got too many notes and time signatures flying at you? That's why we're proud as hell of these 5 new songs. I think we've finally found the sound that works for us."

It sure sounds that way to us. Have a listen to Hawking below, exclusively on CraveOnline: - CraveOnline

Not every band can handle a DIY-tour in a minibus, starting with cities all across their home country and then continuing across the border into an even larger country, playing in cities that some of the members have never even visited before.
Canada-based four-piece HAWKING, however, have taken on that challenge–43 shows in 54 days, people–and they’re making it look easy.
I caught up with Tom (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Chris (bass guitar/backing vocals), Benji (lead guitar/backing vocals), and Chartwell (drums/backing vocals) at their first ever NYC show, where they talked about their upcoming self-titled EP, the best gig they’ve experienced so far, and their worst habits while living on the road.

PopWrapped: Tell me a little bit about how the band started.
Tom: Well, Ben and I met in Calculus class in college almost three years ago now. We had similar tastes in music, and we started jamming and whatnot. We had some songs that we were working on, and then we just decided, ‘Hey, let’s make it a band!’ Through Craiglist, we found Chart, and started jamming with him. It worked out really well. And then Chris and I went to rival high schools in the area; he was always in jazz band, and we had each other on Facebook for, like, six years and just never talked. We never had a reason to talk, because we went to different schools and played different styles of music, but once we started playing more math-pop, we needed a guitar player who could also play bass, and write basslines to fit accordingly.
PW: So you all had music backgrounds before you met, then.
Benji: In a sense, yeah. I was a guitar bedroom player for, like, ever ‘cause where I grew up, music isn’t really a thing there. Top 40 is, but all the bands I knew were way older than me, so I had no chance. These guys were all doing previous band things and going to school.
Chris: Yeah, I did five years of jazz band in high school and Chart also did the same.
Tom: And I was just doing a singer/songwriter thing when I was in high school.
PW: Do you all write your own music?
Tom: Yeah. And we don’t really play any covers, so it’s all original. I write most of the lyrics.
Benji: And the skeleton of the song.
Tom: Yeah, and musical composition-wise, filling in the blanks, that’s a group effort. So it’s fairly even.
PW: You have an EP coming out next month. Tell me about making the that, what the inspiration was.
Tom: It took place over probably about eight or nine months, as far as the recording process went. We started writing it on our last tour, last summer, and everything just came together from there. The thing that makes this EP stand out from anything we’ve done before is we used to have a lot of nature themes in our songwriting, for whatever reason…and those are completely absent from this set of songs. All of the songs take place indoors, and lyrically and thematically everything revolves around fear and the different ways that fear can manifest itself, whereas a lot of our stuff before—even the sad songs were happy. We still write in mostly major keys and everything is, I guess you would call it “sparkly” or “jangly” sonically, but it’s a lot darker. Even the album cover.
PW: Why did you choose “Safe and Sound” as the lead single?
Tom: We liked it the best.
Chris: That was the one song where, right off the bat, when he first sent out a demo, we were all just like, ‘Yep, that’s the one!’
Benji: It was right around Christmas; we were all in our respective homes, and he sent the song, and at that moment, we were like, ‘This is gonna be the single.’
Tom: It just felt right.
Chart: As we all tackled it together, everything worked perfectly. It just all came together—we couldn’t have asked for a better process. We weren’t calculating it at all.
Tom: It was very organic. Everyone was able to put their own flairs on it. The composition was very much a group effort.
PW: Is this also your favorite song to perform?
Chart: It was!
Tom: It was our favorite, until we started playing “Books On Tape,” which actually just dropped today on Baeble—they did the premiere, which we’re super thankful for. Yeah, “Books On Tape” has nudged its way in, slowly, to become our new favorite to play live.
Chart: And it seems like a crowd favorite as well. Everyone loves the intricacies of it, but it also has very basic elements where people can bop their head along to the whole thing and the lyrics are easily identifiable, and everything comes together really well.
Benji: I think “Safe and Sound” and “Books On Tape” have very different elements. You know, “Safe and Sound” is easier for us to just play and really enjoy being onstage, whereas “Books On Tape” keeps us a little bit on our toes. The musicians’ aspect to it is way more fun, in that sense.
PW: What are you most looking forward to in playing New York?
Benji: I don’t think we know what to expect. We don’t have a clue what’s gonna happen tonight.
Tom: I think that’s what’s exciting about it for us. We’ve never been here; Ben and I haven’t been in NY at all.
Chart: East Coast states have a big influence on Tom and the music he loves listening to—old punk and just really rowdy music—that music has influenced our stage presence and our stage show, and just having the craziest show that we possibly can. That’s why we’re excited to be here.
Tom: I’m a songwriter and performer very influenced by a lot of ‘90s emo and hardcore, while three out of four of us come from hardcore, metal, and punk backgrounds—so that definitely influences the stage show, especially. Insane amounts of energy.
Chart: So the history here motivates us to do what they used to do back then. The scene, I find, is kinda dulled down a bit. Everyone has their phones out at concerts, everyone just kinda stands there and doesn’t enjoy it. We encourage people to put their phones down and actually live at the show, and get the live performance, because our record is basically us playing live. If they listen to us live, they can hear it on the record. That’s one thing we pride ourselves on. Put your phones down and go crazy at our shows, we love that.
PW: With the touring subject, there have to be ups and downs. Can’t always be fun times, right? So, what are your worst habits?
Chris: Not brushing teeth.
Tom: No, that’s you three! My oral hygiene is amazing on this tour. I just bought more floss this morning! It’s in my coat pocket. I’m not lying.
Chris: Our bus also doesn’t have air conditioning; that’s just a side note.
Tom: So, just being disgusting. Also, the East is so damn humid. We’re sticky all the time. I’ve learned a lot about geography on this tour. All of New England is in a swimming pool—I didn’t know that before. You walk outside and you inhale, and it is an ocean.
PW: Do you guys prank each other?
Benji: Oh my God, I wish we did.
Chris: Spraying each other with Hawaiian Breeze, but that’s about it.
PW: I feel like you’re missing out on an optimal opportunity to prank each other, though.
Benji: If we pranked each other…
Tom: …the tour would be done.
PW: It would be that brutal?
Chart: *points to Benji* Leaving him in a different city. We don’t need a lead guitarist. We’ve thought about it.
Tom: We were gonna leave our merch girl in that gas station in Ontario.
Chart: Shoutout to Michelle. You’re awesome.
PW: What’s been your favorite city so far?
All: Montreal.
Chart: We went to Montreal not expecting many people. We have fans there, but we always go in with the expectation that we’re gonna try and win over the crowd. That’s how you should do it every night. But, we went there…
Tom: …and the crowd was our crowd.
Chart: The people knew the words to the songs, people were cheering along, they knew all the stops we were gonna do. It was incredible just having to feed off the crowd, you always play better like that.
Benji: They flipped shit when we changed up the songs, too. It was an amazing feeling. Right off the bat, we changed a little bit, and they were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not what happened on the record!’
PW: For those who don’t know you yet, why should they become HAWKING fans?
Chart: We put on a hell of a show. That may seem egotistical, but you come to a show and we will prove it to you.
Tom: If you’re in the front row, you will be hit in the face with my sweat. I’m sorry. Unless you’re into that, in which case…you’re welcome.
Chart: We’re normal guys, we write mainstream music, to an extent. But we also have intricacies that make it different. We’re not just that generic pop sound. We have pop elements—the hook, we have choruses—but we make things different, which keeps your attention.
Benji: We’re musicians who appreciate mainstream music.
All: Yes.
Tom: Especially with all of us coming from music nerd backgrounds, it’s I think the most fun thing about the project—to walk the fine line between music that becomes almost a talent contest just trying to show off how good you are vs good songwriting and big pop hooks that you can sing along to. It’s a fun tightrope to walk.
Chart: We’re also real people. We’re always on social media. If you come to a show, we will say hi, we will meet you. Everyone thinks that musicians are deities and they can’t talk to them.
Tom: But it’s 2015, and everyone has Twitter, and so do we. We try to be nice dudes and meet everybody, and just not be douchebag rockstar wannabes.

As for the HAWKING live show? They’ve got soul, and it shows.
They’re a mesh of indie rock and math-pop, and their performance gave me a vibe of a more hardcore version of The 1975—they’re a little quirky, but they rock out like no one’s watching. And it’s awesome.
I love when music forces me to move, even when I’m sitting down and, at times, completely unaware of it. HAWKING was the epitome of that—in a tiny venue that could have been detrimental to their sound, they managed to embrace it and put on a great performance.
Of their six-song set list, “Safe and Sound” and “Deep Blue Sea” were my favorites.
A huge thank you to HAWKING for a great interview and an equally great show.
Their self-titled EP will be available on July 14.
For more on Hawking, including upcoming tour dates as their journey continues, check out their official website.
This isn’t the last time you’ll be hearing about them either, so stay tuned. - PopWrapped

. - HypeMachine

Hawking, based in Vancouver, BC are an interesting breed.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I first heard of these guys from my friend April Kulscar who books just about every kind of music (excepting pop punk and metal/hardcore) at Brothers Drake Meadery, a local hotspot in Columbus, Ohio. She told me to check out Hawking, and a few months later I got to check them out in a live setting. Let me say that watching them live gives me a definite bump in appreciation for what I hear on the EP.

So, what does Hawking sound like? They would be just as home on Warped Tour as they would be touring the alt rock circuit, in my opinion. It’s been said that they sound like Foals and Two Door Cinema Club, and this is accurate. I also hear a tiny bit of ambient post hardcore influence, mostly in the vocals. And there’s a lot of math rock. So we have a cornucopia of genres that allows you to participate in the music as you wish. Wanna dance? You can definitely do that. Wanna crank the music in your car obnoxiously? You can do that too. Wanna quizzically ponder the time signatures and off kilter guitar playing, lost in thought? You can do that too. And if you were to enter this mindset while watching them live, I don’t think anyone would question your decision.

The five song EP covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time. “Safe and Sound” and “Cold Hands” are the songs that could be radio material, while the closer we get to the back end of the EP, the more wowed we are by the technical prowess of the band. The production holds back a bit on the low end, focusing more on the details of the movements in each song. As a lover of all things with a heavy low end, I kind of wish the EP portrayed a bit more muscle, but I appreciate what they are trying to do.

Hawking is touring a whole bunch this year and you should keep an eye on your local concert calendar. - Tuned Up

Indie rock/pop band, Hawking, recently released their new single, "Safe and Sound" and we're pleased to now be hosting a free download of the song! Taken from their forthcoming, self-titled EP, which is set to drop on July 14, 2015, the track is a perfect example of this band's infections, chilled-out rock sound.

In support of the Hawking album, the group is also embarking on a North American tour. Shakefire praises the band for creating "an intricate tapestry of thought-provoking lyricism with complex drums and guitar." The recording marks a change in the band's musical direction, as they're now writing bigger hooks, while still maintaining their technical, math-rock influences. - Pure Grain Audio

Indie rock band HAWKING will hit the stage at LES party space Leftfield on June 16. The group recently released a new single, "Safe and Sound," and are building buzz for their upcoming, self-titled EP.

HAWKING released a self-recorded, debut EP, Oceans\\Carolina, under the name Tommy Alto in June 2013. The release was noted for its Math Rock and post-punk influences, and received significant press. Just two months after the EP's release, however, the band was involved in a severe car accident while traveling on a western Canadian tour. All of the band members were injured, with drummer Chartwell Kerr and bassist Paul Engels suffering critical injuries. Engels sustained a severe head injury, and was unable to return to the band. He was replaced by Chris Young six months later.

When HAWKING returned, it was in full force. The band released their second EP, Atlas \\Patterson, in June 2014, and toured the western U.S. and Canada in 50 dates over four months. The EP was largely lyrically inspired by the car accident, and was a hit with fans. The group currently consists of Tom Vanderkam (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Benji Klassen (vocals, lead guitar), Chris Young (vocals, bass), and Chartwell Kerr (vocals, drums).

"Safe and Sound" will appear on the band's eponymous EP, due out on July 14. In support of the release, HAWKING is performing across the U.S. and Canada, with NYC being one of many dates. Check the group's website for updates on the tour schedule. The new single is available exclusively on PureVolume. In an exclusive interview with the site, the band said that the track was a favorite of theirs to play live, and that every listener takes something different from the single.

"Safe and Sound" translates perfectly on record, and demonstrates a more subtly emotional sound. "Sonically, you've got these huge melodic vocal hooks, shimmering guitars, and a strong beat that drives the tune," the band said. "But there's also a prevailing darkness to it, especially lyrically, which all sums to a really nice balance that foreshadows the future of the band's sound." - AXS

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
We’ve been nearly going insane with all the tour and album release prep, it’s been ridiculous! Thanks for having us though eh, some of us are avid VENTS followers so it’s beyond cool to have you guys talking about our band.

Can you talk to us more about the story behind your latest track ¨Cold Hands¨?
Most people hear the first verse and chorus and immediately go “oh, it’s a song about rough sex”—and they’re sort of right. But it’s more about the fear of letting down someone you love romantically. In short, the speaker in the song feels he has catastrophically let down his love interest, so he tricks her into suffocating him during breath play, because he feels undeserving of life due to his shortcomings, and that she deserves to be the one to take it from him. Kinda heavy, but the track’s got this catchy, dancey indie-pop vibe, which I think is really wicked. There’s such a celebration of mediocrity going on in the songwriting world right now, and we’re not master songsmiths or anything, but we like to think this one’s got some nice hooks. I don’t think we particularly care if it’s not “hip” to write that way (read: having a chorus at all); we made the songs how we wanted them, especially “Cold Hands”.

The single comes off your new self titled EP – How was the recording and writing process behind the record?
It nearly causes me physical pain to say this because it’s becoming such a cliché buzzword, but we’ve always kept everything really DIY. We did the whole thing on a laptop in an unfinished basement with carpeting on the walls for sound treatment. Chris (bass, vocals) and I both have a fair bit of experience with recording arts, so we handled all the nerdy stuff and made it sound like it wasn’t done in a basement. I write like 95% of the lyrics; we all write the instrumentals together. The whole record took maybe 8 months from start to finish, if you count all the time we spent booking tours in between, and sitting on ideas until they clicked for us.

Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
The thing I think is really cool about this new record is that all our previous efforts contained a lot of allusions to nature. Like seriously, a lot. Contrastingly, this entire EP takes place indoors (or in a dimensionless abstraction on occasion, but seriously, who cares.) The overarching theme of the record is fear. Fear of not being worthy of love, fear of letting people down, fear of failure… that old chestnut. Lyrically, I think this record was a coping mechanism of mine. I work way too much and force myself to be busy all the time—probably because I feel I need to “prove myself” or whatever—so I didn’t realize it during the writing process. But as soon as I put my figurative pen down, that’s when it clicked for me. Lyrically, this record was my way of admitting that I’m not perfect, when it feels like I’m surrounded by people who expect me to be. Hell of a lot better than doing a load of self-destructive bullsh*t like I did when I was a teenager, so I can dig that.

In what way would you say your car accident a few months back influenced the band?
It damn near destroyed everything we knew, including ourselves. We should be dead. Have you seen the photos of the wreck of that thing? Damn. After that happened, we really just had to regroup and go “Cool, playtime is over.” We were given a second chance, so we’ll be damned if we spend a minute on this earth doing anything we’re not so bloody excited about that we can’t wait to share it with everyone. And that’s why this record exists. We couldn’t not write these songs, you know? I think that might sound really cheesy, but that’s honestly how we feel. This record was going to end up being made hell or high water. We’re just stoked as hell that we finally get to tour it.

Will you be hitting the road this year?
Yes! We’ve got enough tour dates to kill a large horse. Full schedule and show details at www.hawkingband.com/tour

What else is happening next in HAWKING’s world?
We’ll be dropping a few new videos via social media over the coming weeks/months, so keep up with us on the interwebs and watch out for that. Otherwise, we’re basically going to keep touring until we drop. We converted this 26-foot shuttle bus into the perfect touring vehicle named Disco Stu, so why not right? We live to play live; my goal is to ruin 10,000 shirts with my own sweat before I’m 30. I wish I were joking. - VENTS Magazine

Vancouver-based indie rock / math-pop band Hawking have released a new track called Cold Hands, which will appear on their self-titled EP, set to drop this summer.

We’re diggin’ this new track, give it a listen and let us know what you think: - IndieMinded

Amazing song. HAWKING, from Canada, create a sound that is so unique. HAWKING is made up of Tom Vanderkam (lead vocals/guitar), Ben Klassen (guitar/vocals), Chris Young (bass/vocals) and Chartwell Kerr (drums/vocals). They create tapestries of sound supporting vocals of beauty. There is something uncanny about their songs. Don’t try and count the beats. I have no idea how they make “Cold Hands” so simple when the beat changes with almost every measure, which reflects the lyrics of the song so well. The new track marks a change in the group’s musical direction, as they’re now writing bigger hooks, while still maintaining their technical, math-rock influences. They remind me of They Might Be Giants without the silliness. HAWKING is on tour this summer. Catch them when they hit your town. It will certainly be an interesting experience.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
4/23 – Seattle, WA
4/24 – Olympia, WA
4/25 – Portland, OR
5/21 – Kelowna, BC
5/22 – Kamloops, BC
5/23 – Golden, BC
5/25 – Banff, AB
5/27 – Calgary, AB
5/29 – Saskatoon, SK - AudioFuzz

An Algebra Equation

Let’s just get one thing out of the way: Hawking is a band, not a person. The group hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and have a very mathy sound on their latest EP, Atlas \\ Patterson. Tempos are as slippery as an eel, and there are odd changes in time signatures of the sort that might make Rush’s Neil Peart envious. It’s unassailable music, even if the vocals are a little plain and, for some oddball reason, remind me of an oldie Vancouver band called Doug and the Slugs. Still, this EP is powerful enough and worthy of your investment. Basically, if you like herky-jerky music, [Hawking] has just the tonic for you. There are enough starts and stops that would make this impossible to drive to, as you’d be hitting the brakes suddenly every now and then. If that sounds like the kind of thing for you, then [Hawking] is your man. Well, band.

There are moments on the EP when the band sounds a little Vampire Weekend-ish, and other moments where they come off as sounding like late-period Police, possibly even nudging into Sting’s solo jazz-based work. And “Crowsnest” sounds a little Paul Simon-esque in his Graceland period. All the while, the band navigates the hair-pin curves of their unique sound. There’s nothing here to particularly dislike about the band, however, Atlas \\ Patterson sometimes comes across as a little too math-based for its own good, letting the musical showmanship get in the way of a good song. However, if you’re into art rock in any remote way, you’re bound to enjoy the boundless pleasures that [Hawking] has to offer. Definitely a band worth keeping tabs on, this group takes listeners on a musical journey into sonically adventurous territory for those inclined to come along for the wild and brazen ride. - Pop Matters

This track features shimmering guitars, intriguing drum beats, and a chorus filled with gang-vocals that you’re going to want to sing along to (and do I hear someone furiously shaking a tambourine during the chorus? Sweet). They’re like the Canadian version of Vampire Weekend but with better vocals. - Bitcandy Music Filter

Sometimes you hear something that reminds you of a time when life was a bit simpler and a lot more fun. That’s what I got from [Hawking]. The Canadian pop band has built a reputation for making impressive music with a flair for the enigmatic, and it shows throughout their latest EP, Atlas // Patterson. The seven track EP definitely harkens back to late 90s college radio, and it a generally fun listen on the surface while providing thought provoking lyricism underneath.

The songs in Atlas // Patterson weave an intricate tapestry of wordplay that may not make much sense to some listeners at first attempt, but that’s what will draw them in, as well as the hypnotic weaving of drum and guitar. By making catchy music with complex wordplay, [Hawking] has succeeded in making music with staying power. This EP is full of songs about finding happiness and belonging (at least that’s what I got from it) and it all flows together quite well. I was actually excited to start it over once the final song ended. That’s the hallmark of truly well done music.

So many things in popular and underground music feel well worn and so many themes have been beaten like the proverbial dead horse that it can be very refreshing to hear music that feels good and causes the listener to ponder what it’s trying to say. That’s exactly what I got from listening to [Hawking]'s Atlas // Patterson EP. For a lack of a better word, listening to it just downright feels good, and sometimes that’s all you really need. - Shakefire Reviews

The Canadian indie-core/math-poppers in Hawking strive to make honest, forward-thinking music and are known on the Vancouver scene as being one of the hardest touring indie outfits around. Their self-released Oceans \\ Carolina EP was met with critical acclaim, and the upbeat alternative fight-pop continues with their latest independent release, Atlas // Patterson. Download “Mountain Top” below. - MAGNET Magazine

Perhaps it should be of some concern that the classic guitar-driven approach seems to be falling a teeny bit out of favor among indie pop’s current elite – but there are plenty of bands not willing to espouse that theory. Canada’s [Hawking] is one such group, a frisky and enigmatic “math pop” outfit who watched from the north as Built to Spill and Minus the Bear created an instruction manual for building an indie rock band around crafty, verbose and unashamedly gregarious guitar work. The results are precise and calculated, yet somehow surprisingly gritty. With Abby Normal and Pilgrim. 1400 E St., Sacramento. - Sacramento Bee

Vancouver indie-core/math-pop band Hawking hits Everett Aug 2 at The Wild Hare and Seattle on August 3rd at High Dive.

Hawking; a band from Vancouver, Canada that creates honest, innovative and forward-thinking music.

They strive to keep their songs as enigmatic as they are catchy, combining emotionally engaging vocals with angular guitar riffs, held together by a liberatingly adventurous rhythm section. "Vampire Weekend meets This Town Needs Guns at a Minus the Bear concert" might come close to summing it up.

The group's latest EP "Atlas \\ Patterson" was released independently in June of 2014, and immediately met with rave reviews and contagious underground radio play across North America and the UK. Alongside lively, equivocal and intricate tracks like "Doria" and "Beneath the Rain On a Strange Rooftop", the disc also features more straighforward, yet still multi-faceted and highly textured compositions like “Mountain Top”, as well as “My Heart Is Bigger Than Yours”, a remarkable balancing act between vivacious musicality and bracingly direct storytelling.

The boys are known for being one of Vancouver's hardest-touring independent bands, having shared stages that have belonged to acts like Bastille, Coldplay, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Protest the Hero.

An outfit of Canadian music mavericks who continue to take the scene by storm, Hawking is driven to make passionate, real, and memorable music for many years to come.

Tour Dates:

8/02/14 - The Wild Hare - Everett, WA
8/03/14 - High Dive - Seattle, WA
8/05/14 - Ash Street Saloon - Portland, OR
8/06/14 - Music Millennium (in-store) - Portland, OR
8/07/14 - Bombs Away Cafe - Corvallis, OR
8/08/14 - Shine - Sacramento, CA
8/09/14 - Legionnaire Saloon - Oakland, CA
8/10/14 - Brainwash - San Francisco, CA
8/12/14 - Mission Tobacco Lounge - Riverside, CA
8/13/14 - Billy O's - Ventura, CA
8/14/14 - Lestat's West - San Diego, CA
8/15/14 - Viento Y Agua - Long Beach, CA
8/16/14 - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA
8/17/14 - Trip - Santa Monica, CA
8/18/14 - Fais Dodo - Los Angeles, CA
8/22/14 - Goodfellas - Springfield, OR
8/23/14 - Tonic Lounge - Portland, OR - International Examiner

From Canada comes the four-piece indie "math-pop" band [Hawking] with their latest EP "Atlas//Patterson." The new seven song release begins with the jamband feel of "Mountain Top" as their sound is very contagious. They mix up the tempo on "Doria" to display their creativity, before continuing with the straight-forward indie-rock of "Birds." They add a boost of punk energy into "Beneath The Rain On A Strange Rooftop," before closing with the Crash Test Dummies sound-alike "Driftwood." [Hawking] will spend August along the west coast on a 17-date tour. To find out more about the new album, please visit tommyalto.com. - JP's Music Blog

Vancouver math-pop band, [Hawking] will be making a stop at in Thunder Bay as part of their North American tour to promote their latest album, Atlas \\ Patterson. They will be playing The Foundry (242 Red River Road) on Saturday, July 5. Opening the show with their debut performance will be local rock band Matches of Kindling.

Doors open at 10pm. Cover is $5. - 807 Area

Hawking is a Math-pop and indie-rock band from Vancouver, BC. They have a new album “Atlas \\ Patterson” that was released on June 3rd. I’m normally not into indie-rock but I loved this album! The sound of this album is different from other indie-rock albums I’ve heard. I highly recommend checking out this album whether you like indie-rock or not.

Overall, this album has really well written lyrics. There are a lot of great guitar riffs throughout the album. The sound of the album reminds me of some of the music I used to listen to growing up. After listening to this album, I really want to see Hawking play live.

‘My Heart is Bigger Than Yours’ has to be my favorite song on this album. I really like the guitar part leading up to the chorus. There is also really good drumming in this song. This song is very catchy and seems soothing to me. After listening to this song, it was later stuck in my head.

Another song on the album that stands out to me is ‘Birds’. I really like how well all the instruments go with the vocals. This song is a very close second to being my favorite on the album. ‘Doria’ is another favorite of mine. I listened to this song multiple times. Out of all the songs on the album ‘Doria’ is the one I would like to see live the most.

Be sure to download this album and check out Hawking.

Rate: 5/5 - Canadian Beats

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the bong water, [Hawking] has returned with some smokin’ crystal math-rock, that will have you counting time signatures, angular melodies, and trying to remember where the fuck you left your car keys (*they’re over by the empty Pogo-Dog box on the floor by the way).

With Atlas\Patterson, these boys have found their sound, moving a step left from the eclectic folk, pop, and radio vibe of their self-titled debut album to a more sophisticated, stylized, and focused follow-up.

And that is not to say that this album’s not radio-ready presenting running times rarely over the 4 minute mark and catchy anthemic sing-along chori (yeah you fuckers, “chori” is the plural of “chorus’”). But Atlas\Patterson marks a maturity and even a slight loss of innocence with the boys having gone through hell and back in a tour bus crash, that would’ve dismantled lesser bands.

Yet the energy, wit, and ball-sweat of [Hawking]’s live performance remains in each linear and non-linear beat of Atlas.

As the opening track and first single, Mountain Top acts as a nice intro to Hawking's madness with a sort of, “Hey, welcome to the party, let me introduce you to— oh fuck it, let’s do some shots and get right into it.”

Doria, My Heart is Bigger than Yours, and Birds keep up the rollercoaster of moods and the listener wondering what’s around the next corner… a climb, a drop, a turn, a moment of breath, or just that hands up moment of, “Holy shit! So that just happened.”
Beneath the Rain on a Strange Rooftop moves from math-pop to prog, to a moment of bliss at the 2:15 mark, only to have the boys kick you back in the nuts just as you were starting to get comfortable.
Sonically, the closing track Driftwood acts as a calm, cool, and collected good-bye from the manic world of [Hawking], as they ease you back into reality. Driftwood’s that morning after the party, “Thanks for coming, take your empties with you, and don’t tell my parents you were here this weekend.”

If you get off and bands like This Town Needs Guns and Youth Movies, you’re gonna jizz all your indie-core skinny jeans with [Hawking]. So get out and see them live on tour now, buy the album, and stalk them. - Vancouver's Hottest Music

New music dropped this week from Vancouver post-pop indie rock band [Hawking]. Their new album Atlas // Patterson is a rock band standard, with some Hollerado-esque fun riffs and summery vibes. The album sounds almost live, a rough and realitsic sound with garage band charm. My favourite tune is the peppy “Doria” that reminds me of one of my favourite high school bands – Minus the Bear. The music is dynamic, with those crowd-friendly anthemic lines that are best yelled out loud at the live show, or driving along on a sunny afternoon. Take a listen to hear for yourself!

Atlas // Patterson is available to buy on iTunes, Bandcamp, and stream on Soundcloud.

If you are basically anywhere in Canada or the West Coast this summer, check out [Hawking]’s tour dates (which kicked off yesterday!) and make sure to catch them live. - Vancouver Music Review

[Hawking] is a math-pop band based in Vancouver and comprised of Thor Vanderkam (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Benji Klassen (lead guitar, vocals), Chris Young (bass, vocals), and Chartwell Kerr (drums, vocals).

Since the release of their debut EP Oceans \\ Carolina last year, the band has not showed any signs of slowing down in their musical endeavors. There is a texture to [Hawking]’s music that is honest and instinctive, which is represented well on their upcoming release, Atlas \\ Patterson. From the beginning chords of “Mountain Top”, it is clear that Tommy Alto aims to please a wide range of listeners with an infusion of indie-pop and rock. Tracks like the effervescent “My Heart Is Bigger Than Yours” are sure to engage a live audience, with a catchy chorus that offers room for singing along.

[Hawking] will be hitting the road this summer on a three-month long tour with 48 shows on the schedule. The band has an Indiegogo page set up to help fund the extensive Canada & Western US tour. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so here. The first show on their busy tour schedule will be an album release party at The Media Club on May 30th.

Atlas \\ Patterson will be released on June 3rd. The full list of [Hawking]’s tour dates can be found on their website here. - ASAP Music Blog

"F*cking [Hawking] --seriously, this band is tight," in the words of our contributor of the day: LAURA CUTHBERT

Couldn't make it out last night? You missed Canadian math-pop band [Hawking] at the Biltmore. Laura Cuthbert was there and caught a moment of the show on Instagram. Here’s your concert pick of the morning. [Hawking] at the Biltmore Cabaret on July 23, 2014. Thanks Laura. - Georgia Straight

[Hawking] will be embarking on the “Atlas \ Patterson” tour across North America this summer in support of their upcoming album of the same name. The Vancouver-based math-pop band will be playing 48 shows across the continent in three months. Check out the tour routing below.

There are 8 days left in the band’s Indiegogo campaign to raise $3,000 in contributions for the tour; they have currently raised $2,455 of their goal. Donation incentives include downloads of the new album, handwritten lyrics, backstage passes to their CD release show and more! For more information on the campaign and how to donate, visit their Indiegogo campaign page here. - Permanent Rain Press

In a vast sea of endless musical options, it is hard to find music that matters. It’s hard to find good music. Regardless of taste or preference, difference making musical creations seem to be less and less. I scan the interwebs and see so many news clips of this up and coming band and that band will be the next big thing and blah, blah, so what! From rock to metal to pop to electro… It’s all been done before. Or has it? Enter [Hawking]. A Vancouver, B.C. band of multi-talented gentlemen: Tom Vanderkam (guitar, lead vocals), Benji Klassen (guitar, vocals), Chartwell Kerr (drums, vocals), and Chris Young (bass, vocals).

Now these young men – ranging from 19-22 years of age – are now writing and making music from a completely different perspective on life. Last summer they were involved in a very brutal tour van accident. Their current drummer and their former bass player were severely injured. Sadness came over the fans and those in the [Hawking] camp. I am privileged to be acquainted with Klassen and his family, and weeks before this terrible accident I had a killer time sitting around an evening campfire with the band as Kerr and I shared our love for Thrice and other inspiring bands we knew of. Great times with really great people! Now with a new bass player in the fold, Tommy Alto are back on tour again.



To me personally [Hawking]’s prior music didn’t grab my attention as much as Atlas \\ Patterson does. Yes I’m very picky as to what I intently listen to, but there’s something so … so solid and mature about this newest release. It’s as if they jumped 10 years and four more albums into [Hawking]’s future. From tragedy comes beauty…

As the first track “Mountain Top” comes shining in it’s feel good and dancy. The guitars shimmer and Vanderkam’s voice is clear and ambient. “The fire burned brighter that night than ever before.” One listen to this song and you will be toe tapping all day! Lots of time changes yet it holds a smooth rhythm that takes the song to radio quality pop. “Doria” is the second track and starts off with some guitar work that is off set, but so on. This jam teases slow but breaks into a faster speed abruptly. Klassen and Vanderkam’s guitar work fits in so well with Kerr’s impeccable drum work. Really a technical song yet it comes together so fluidly. This is the sound [Hawking] should continue to progress in.

No slowing down as track three breaks in. Again very techy guitar work mixed into lows that quick swell into fast pop. “My heart is bigger than yours!” If [Hawking] takes influence from ska-punk at all it’s somewhat apparent on this song, and as for most pop bands it serves them well. This song has radio single quality as well and will easily be a crowd favourite at their live shows!

“Birds” is pretty and mid-tempo at the start, yet still moves swiftly. A road trip song for sure, I’m reminded of Dashboard Confessional meets Amber Pacific. High quality power pop with a vocal hook that will easily have the listeners singing loud.

Honestly, so far on this record there really is not a weak song yet. [Hawking] have stepped it up on all levels musically and vocally.

Rock and roll guitar with plenty of groovy picking and more punk influenced pop would describe “Beneath The Rain On A Strange Rooftop.” The multi-layered guitar work is quite impressive and technical. There is so much going on in this song as it slows to a somber emotional bridge and breaks into an anthemic ending “This is what I call home!!”

A bit Taking Back Sunday, a bit Jimmy Eat World, dare I say? [Hawking] has worked hard to stay within their own style of pop rock. In today’s world of modern music it’s difficult to toe that fine line, but if [Hawking] is careful they may achieve that; if they make more songs like “Crowsnest,” which has a much softer touch. It is again very nice instrumentally and vocally. They recently performed this song live on CTV Vancouver (B.C. T.V. Network).

For a 7 track record they’ve put very choice songs on the album. Solid, mature, seasoned and still evolving, [Hawking] have made Atlas \\ Patterson an indie record worth researching. Made by some quality young gentlemen who have already experienced more than most at a young age through tragedy, this record is definitely hopeful and inspiring. It’s worth a listen and [Hawking] deserve the support of music fans for working so hard at making quality music.

Atlas \\ Patterson is a good summertime set of jams that definitely need to be experienced live, so make sure to check [Hawking]’s Facebook and Twitter for tour dates across North America.

Rating: 4/5 - Bearded Gentlemen Music

[Hawking], out of Vancouver could very well be one of the next breakthrough bands on the Canadian music scene, and they’re coming through Kamloops as part of the tour to promote their recent release, Atlas \\ Patterson.

Their guitar intros remind me a bit of Big Wreck, but with exquisitely timed tempo changes, upbeat rhythms, and with exceptionally tight drumbeats and occasional Ska-inspired (I would guess) upstroke, offbeat interludes, [Hawking] plays with the joy and energy of bands like Jet, Treble Charger and Gob. Maybe I’m dating myself there, so let’s go with Vampire Weekend, Foster the People (without the murderous lyrics), or Fun.—but a little punkier.

It’s good, in any case, and you can check them out at The Dirty Jersey on Friday, June 6, as they join local band The Fineprint.

Check out [Hawking]’s work, including three songs from Atlas \\ Patterson HERE, and some of The Fineprint’s work HERE. - The Omega

WHO: [Hawking] is composed of Thor Vanderkam (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Klassen (vocals, lead Guitar), Chris Young (bass) and Chartwell Kerr (vocals, drums). Vanderkam describes the band as indie/math-rock/Midwest emo.

WHAT: Curious about the band’s show? Vanderkam gives some insight: “If you’re in the front row, prepare to be hit in the face with our sweat. We’re only partially joking, which is pretty gross. But, seriously, we’re really high-output live. We want people to walk away from our shows and talk about the insane experience for weeks after. The last thing we want to be is average.”

WHEN: “We’ve got a gigantic three-month long, 48-date tour of Canada and the western USA coming up this summer, and a new album called ATLAS \\ PATTERSON coming out on June 3rd (the day before we leave!)” The tour stops in Kamloops on Friday, June 6, for a show at The Dirty Jersey, 1200 Eighth St. Doors open at 8 p.m. and opening act The Fineprint starts off at 9 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door.

WHERE: hawkingband.com

HOW: “We wanted to get girls,” Vanderkam said. “And, for some reason, we thought the best way to do that would be do drive around in a mini-bus playing shows and sweating on stage and not showering afterwards. Seems to be working so far. We’re just as clueless as you probably are.” - Kamloops This Week

Vancouver alternative quartet Hawking are set for their North American tour. To help prep, they released a music video for their song “Broken Glass.” The band will release their debut LP Diverge on April 7th.

Pre-Order Diverge here



4/7 – Kelowna, BC @ Habitat
4/8 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens
4/11 – Edmonton, AB @ Mercury Room
4/12 – Regina, SK @ Exchange (Club)
4/13 – Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Hotel
4/14 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Foundry
4/15 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Foundry
4/25 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
4/27 – Ottawa, ON @ Live On Elgin
4/28 – St. Catharines ON @ Detour Music Hall
4/29 – Oshawa, ON @ Moustache Club
4/30 – Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha
5/3 – Kent, OH @ Stone Tavern
5/4 – Cincinnati, OH @ Drinkery
5/5 – Akron, OH @ Empire Concert Club
5/6 – Chicago, IL @ Elbo Room
5/7 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
5/8 – Lincoln, NE @ Vega
5/9 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
5/11 – Carson, CA @ Sol Venue
5/13 – Camarillo, CA @ Rock City Studios
5/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Viper Room
5/16 – San Francisco, CA @ Brick and Mortar
5/17 – Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp
5/18 – Medford, OR @ Bamboo Room
5/19 – Portland, OR @ Twilight Cafe
5/20 – Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur
5/21 – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse - New Noise Magazine

We’re pleased to bring you the premiere of HAWKING’s new album Diverge (listen below), which is scheduled to be officially released tomorrow, April 7th. You can purchase the album on iTunes now.

HAWKING vocalist/guitarist Tom Vanderkam comments on the new release:

“This record is really just us trying to make the type of music we wish there were more of. It’s the culmination of being frustrated with the lack of middle ground between the Heavy/Progressive and Rock/Alternative scenes. We’ve never been accepted by the musical in-crowd or been cool with playing anyone else’s game. We’re music nerds who dig technical genres, but strong hooks and general pop sensibility are huge for us, so here we are determined to be aggressively original in the most listenable way possible.” - New Noise Magazine

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REVIEW: Hawking – Diverge (Album)
By Phil Walker · On April 13, 2017

Well the only thing I can say about Hawking is wow. They’re like an alt rock mixed with some technical bits from the likes of Polyphia. It’s certainly a refreshing sound and it’s pieced together perfectly. Tom’s vocals seriously soar perfectly over the melodies of the drums and guitars that really makes this a masterpiece compared to what I was expecting. For their album to be released with this incredible sound is something I was not expecting at all.

The ep’s from Hawking were incredible but it really doesn’t have a scratch on this album as every song from start to finish has it’s unique sound while keeping a perfect sound which is something totally new in the scene. The song that really sticks out to me would have to be Broken Glass as it compliments extremely well together and has a very Polyphia vibe which I did not expect to come out of nowhere. The bass bits in Broken Glass are also extremely surprising as they come out soaring through the mix which is a pleasant surprise and it shows the talent in which the bassist has behind their songs.

If you’ve yet to check out Hawking I’d certainly recommend checking out this release as it has something extremely refreshing and I am expecting it to turn a lot of heads when it is released because I feel this is a masterpiece in the over saturated scene. I am completely in shock at how well this is produced mixed and mastered this deserves credit as they’ve done an extremely well done job on this release. - Invicta Magazine

On Aprill 7th, the independent Vancouver, Canada-based alternative group, Hawking, released their fantastic 11-track release, Diverge. (Order your own digital copy via Bandcamp.) Currently, in the midst of a lengthy North American tour, we caught up with the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, Tom Vanderkam, to chat gear and better understand the source of their sound.

What one piece of gear do you use to obtain your signature sound?
Vanderkam: The star of our live show is the super-rig, which is a 200lb 16U road case full of some very advanced gear that even I’m baffled by sometimes. Our bassist Chris was the mastermind behind putting it all together. He made our live show the most efficient and sophisticated it could possibly be on an independent band’s budget. That said, the stars of the super rig are definitely our dual Fractal Axe FX II’s. Those beasts are responsible for all of Saul and I’s guitar tones and some of Chris’s bass tones on Diverge.


What about it makes it so important to you?
Vanderkam: This is old news, but the Axe is just freaking incredible. The versatility, the programmability, everything just makes it the perfect piece of gear for a modern band of tweakheads who do their own production both live and in the studio.

What are the major pros and cons?
Vanderkam: The pros are everything in our case. The only real con is the occasional analogue purist loudly explaining how tubes are better across our merch table. Did you know tubes are warm? Far out, man, we’ll definitely be adding an extra 50 lbs of outdated technology to our load-in now that we know dudes with bass cleft tattoos from New Hampshire dig that sort of thing.

Do you have a backup for this gear, if so, what?
Vanderkam: We’ve got a Boss GT-100 as a back-up, which was actually my main workhorse up until recently. It did its job, but for this new album and tour, we knew Axe FX was the way to go.



Give us your best "gear goes wrong" story.
Vanderkam: The curse of Nanaimo, BC. Every time we play there all our gear decides to malfunction. Like, literally all of it. Every time. In-ears, lights, fog, and everything wireless.

Any final thoughts or comments on the gear?
Vanderkam: I used to use Amplitube for all my cleans and I’m honestly still having trouble letting go. All the guitars and bass on our first EP use it actually. The Axe’s cleans are exquisite but I think there’s just a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in the interface of Amplitube for me. Can’t beat the Axe for Djenty stuff though. Pick up the album and judge for yourself!

Check out the video for the song "Broken Glass" - Pure Grain Audio

With significant elements of both progressive-metal and self-described “math-pop,” Vancouver rock act Hawking made national news not for its music, but for the tragic crash following its first western Canadian tour that sidelined bassist Paul Engels permanently and left all members with varying injuries. Tough break when you’re following the time-honoured “tour-to-become-known” format for career-building. But driven is what they are and this full-length album showcases a group with class. The modern-rock bent of the material is radio-friendly and there is nothing wrong with that. Because Hawking is full of surprises. Just check the hyper-tight finger snaps and proto-R&B married to Muse-ish arena rock of Comfortable or hyper-time shifts, vocal swoops and full-on-metal arpeggiation in the first single, Broken Glass. I’m reminded of both Thrice and mellower moments of Protest the Hero.

Presently tearing-up the road all over Canada and the U.S. Info at hawkingband.com - Vancouver Sun

A couple of years ago I saw a band from Vancouver, BC play in a tiny venue called Brothers Drake Meadery. Columbus favorites Playing to Vapors provided the local support that night. That band was called Hawking.

Back then, Hawking showcased a mixture of sounds that could be defined as Chon meets Two Door Cinema Club, with a bit more emphasis on the math rock riffs. On their debut full length album Diverge, they expand on that sound while at the same time throwing some more muscle and accessibility to the music.

Hawking may have acheived the goal of most bands trying to make it in the industry. That is, produce a record that ought to be accessible by the masses without compromising their core sound. That’s somewhat of a unicorn in this industry, so I salute them.

There is such a cornucopia of rock subgenres on this album to be honest I’m having a hard time knowing where to start. “Stepping Stone” goes from simple pop rock in quiet moments, to pop punk in the gang vocals, to math rock in some of the guitar work. Album opener “Catalyst” appropriately has a huge hook and is a bit easier to pin down stylistically but both songs I just mentioned are easily digestible.

Some well placed synth pushes the album toward arena rock territory too, if I’m being honest. Almost a Panic! at the Disco meets Phoenix vibe. You might be getting tired of my name dropping by now but I’ll do what I want, darn it! “Outside” is a good example of this, along with the aforementioned opening track.

The main deviations from the danceable genre-mash up include “North of the Black Sea” which sounds like what a post-hardcore band might put together in a moment of stillness, and album closer “Leave You Behind,” which comes across as a classic acoustic pop punk number.

Again, I have to give kudos to this band. They accomplish music that somehow both deviates from and sticks to a predictable songwriting formula. Predictability isn’t bad, especially when the spin is as as fresh and fun as this. The deeper you listen, the more intricacy you’ll find. I and the Hawking boys really hope you’ll listen. - Tuned Up