Liverpool duo King Hannah may reside in the UK, but they’ve all but mastered the dusty Americana genre. The project began by a chance encounter: The two met at a bar after guitarist Craig Whittle saw Hannah Merrick perform live years earlier and convinced her to play together. Much of the duo’s sound revolves around Merrick’s textured vocals, though they’re able to craft impressively vast pastoral soundscapes with just a few instruments.
After positioning themselves as ones to watch with a handful of singles over the last two years, King Hannah are finally gearing up for a full-length release, which is due out this Friday. Just ahead of their album I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me, King Hannah sit down with Uproxx to talk about their inspiration, upcoming tour, and how Hannah makes a mean roast dinner in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Craig: Honest, Loud, Cinematic, Intimate
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Hannah: As good, timeless music that you can get lost in.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Hannah: We’re hoping for it to be New York! We’re playing Brooklyn’s Union Pool this March 10th and we cannot wait!!!
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Hannah: My Dad. Not musically, but from an attitude sense.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
Craig: Hannah makes a mean roast dinner!
What album do you know every word to?
Craig: Probably Abbey Road or Let It Be. When I was younger I knew the word to every Beatles album.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Craig: The Microphones at Le Guess Who blew my head off, such a massive sound for two people on stage.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
Craig: I have one outfit that I wear every single day for every single task, as does Hannah…
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
Craig: Wilco’s Drummer, Glenn Kotche. He does a drum beat project where once a week he uploads a new drum beat along with the drum notation on how to play it and the beats are always really interesting.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
Hannah: Sadly, I don’t think we had one!
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Craig: How to fade out an image in Illustrator.
What album makes for the perfect gift?
Hannah: Whatever that person’s into.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Hannah: We’ve only toured once! Nothing weird at all, but we all slept in one of Manchester airport’s lounges while waiting to check in.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Craig: We don’t have any!
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Hannah: Anything PJ Harvey, Bill Callahan, Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters, Portishead….
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Hannah: Letters are always lovely.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Craig: Don’t take things too seriously.
What’s the last show you went to?
Hannah: We saw The Microphones and Meril Wubslin at Le Guess Who Festival in Utrecht, both of whom blew our minds!
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Craig: There are a few films that I can just watch repeatedly no matter how many times I see them. Five Easy Pieces, The Long Goodbye, The French Connection, Inside Llewyn Davis, to name a few.
What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?
Hannah: Nothing, I’d suggest we eat out! I get really bored of cooking. Either that or Craig will make him his famous pasta bake that’ll feed him for a week.
I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me is out 2/25 via City Slang. Pre-order it here.
