Pop-punk is alive and well! Globally we are seeing so many of our favourite bands returning from hiatus and giving us anniversary tours and new music from the likes of My Chemical Romance, to Boys Like Girls. Even in Australia we are starting to see some of our favourite bands like Short Stack and Masketta Fall return. And now joining them is Forever Ends Here!

The Australian trio dominated the scene between 2012 – 2018 with their infectious hooks, big hair, and epic live shows. After saying goodbye half a decade ago, they have returned with new single “Cherry Chapstick” and an east-coast tour that saw them getting up-close and personal with fans again. 

In the middle of their tour I had a chat with lead singer Luke McChesney about what happened during their first rehearsal post-hiatus, how the reaction has been so far on the road, and explored the creative process behind their new single “Cherry Chapstick”. Check out the full interview BELOW;

THOMAS BLEACH: You’re back from the dead, and back on the road as a band again. After being on hiatus for 5 years, what was that first Forever Ends Here rehearsal or writing session like? Can you talk us through that moment of picking up the instruments again as a band?

LUKE MCCHESNEY: You could feel the excitement in the room the day we did our first rehearsal back. We had the promo photos taken in the rehearsal room before we started playing so the suspense was building up for hours. “100 Times Over” was the first song we played and the moment we started playing it felt like the balance had been restored. We did film it, although we never ended up posting it because it didn’t sound quite as good as we hoped *laughs*.

TB: Were there some songs that came back to you quickly, and were there others that were difficult to remember? What were they?

LM: You know that meme of the guy saying “sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit”? … that was us on day 1 of rehearsals. I think the old old songs that we’d played relentlessly for years like “6 Impossible Things” and “Oceans Away” were muscle memory, they weren’t an issue. It was the songs that came out towards the end of FEH that were tricky. They’re a little more intricately produced and with a totally new live setup, we had to do a bit of finessing. 

TB: Is there a song from your discography that you wish stayed in hiatus?

LM: We did this relentless pop punk cover of “Starships” back in the day. When we asked people what they wanted to hear on this tour EVERYONE said “Starships”. I saw an interview with Celine Dion once where she said she hates “My Heart Will Go On” every minute of the day except for the 4 minutes she’s playing it on stage each night. That’s how I feel about “Starships” *laughs*. We played it on this tour and it was a blast, but I think it could be the last time.

TB: The tour is currently in full swing. Is there a song that you’ve personally now got a different relationship with that has maybe grown on you over time and has felt quite special in the live set now?

LM: We were discussing this in the van today. “Home Sweet Home” has really surprised us on this tour. It has a fun “woah” section which was always a bit of a singalong but I think I’d fallen out of love with the song as a whole. We considered cutting it from the set because we didn’t know if fans would still be into it, but it’s actually been one of the show highlights each night which has reignited our love for the song too. I think it’ll stay in rotation now.

TB: Seeing the fans so passionately singing all the lyrics again back at you after so long must be overwhelming and comforting at the same time. Is there a particular song or moment in the show that has surprised you with its reaction from the crowd? 

LM: It’s been so damn special seeing the people have remembered the lyrics this whole time. I think the biggest shock though has been “Cherry Chapstick”. We promoted this as a nostalgia tour so we expected there to be a lot of old fans who weren’t invested in new music – but the whole crowd have been singing “Cherry Chapstick” back at us word for word. It’s only been out for a month and it’s our first song in nearly 6 years so it’s really nice to feel like people are still invested and connecting with new Forever Ends Here.

TB: Reflecting on your first Forever Ends Here tour, and this current tour, what would you say are the biggest differences?

LM: I think the biggest difference is our perspective on reality and how appreciative we are now. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve always appreciated every ounce of support, but because we were so young and our brains were still developing, selling out our first headline tour gave us a very warped perspective on what being in a band is like. It became the norm for us and in hindsight, I feel we didn’t give enough credit to the people who came to support us and make it happen.

Now being a little older and having had so much time off, we have a whole new level of appreciation for those who have stuck by us, and I hope that resonates in the live show. We give it everything we’ve got on stage and try to give back as much as we can.

On top of that, we’re also a little more clued up on production value now and have really elevated the quality of the live show with lighting, interludes and more.

TB: You are a band who have done some very impressive touring over the years. So what is one of the funniest or weirdest touring stories you have?

LM: *Laughs*, we certainly have a lot. Probably one of my favourite tour stories, and it feels very on topic at the moment, was the time we saw Taylor Swift in Adelaide. We were on a headline tour at the time that she was doing the 1989 tour. “1989” is still one of my favourite albums of all time and I’d already been to the Sydney show, but the following week our Adelaide shows fell on the same day. Ours was an early afternoon show so Kane and I decided that once we’d finished playing we’d go catch T Swift at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. We’d just come off stage and still had our AAA passes on from our show + got recognised by some fans when we arrived at the venue. I think the combination of those things led security to believe we were somehow connected to Taylor’s touring party. They escorted us into the venue and started escorting us towards the backstage door. I think we could have made it all the way backstage but… then what? So we told security we’d just watch this one from the crowd. We ended up in the 2nd row of the mosh pit after a few drinks haha.

TB: You’ve said in previous interviews that one of the inspirations to come off hiatus and tour again was in chase of nostalgia, and wishing that some of your favourite bands would do the same. So who are some bands you’d love to make a comeback in 2023 or the near future? Let’s do some manifestation!

LM: If we’re talking Aussie bands, we have a lot of fond memories with Tonight Alive. I’d love to see them back and I’d love to play shows together again. Some of the big international ones have actually been ticking themselves off the list for me – the new Boys Like Girls music RULES. 13 year old Luke is stoked about that comeback.

TB: You also noted that we’ve lost some great bands recently. Who is a band who have recently gone on hiatus that has inspired you as musician, or one you’d like to give a shoutout for the impact they’ve made?

LM: I think With Confidence splitting up was a big dent in the Aus scene. They’ve always been great friends of ours and we have some great tour memories together. I caught up with Jayden when he was back in Aus last and honestly, it sounds like they’re doing great and it was the best thing for them so I won’t manifest bringing them back right now, but a shout-out is definitely in order for all they did for Australian music.

TB: Along with the tour, you’ve also released the punchy single “Cherry Chapstick”. Can you explain the creative process behind this track?

LM: “Cherry Chapstick” was many years in the making. Myself and Mav launched a new synth pop band post-FEH split called Everchange and the Cherry Chapstick chorus actually originated as an Everchange idea. The more I sat with it, the more I felt like it was missing something. When the idea of restarting FEH came about, I realised that was what had been missing from the song. It needed to be driven by guitars. 

Back when FEH were a band the first time, we never really had home studio setups or any sort of production knowledge. It was nice to approach things differently this time around. I have a studio at home now so I was able to demo on the go and bounce ideas around the group chat with the guys. Once we finalised the parts, we took it to our friend Rich Mammoliti who produced the song.

We all work full time jobs outside of music now so we were doing late nights in the studio in and around working hours. It was chaotic but well worth it. We then sent it off to the states to be mixed by James Paul Wisner who has worked with bands like Paramore and Stand Atlantic. He absolutely nailed the vision.

TB: Sonically, is “Cherry Chapstick” an accurate representation of where FEH are heading in this new chapter?

LM: Definitely. At its core Forever Ends Here has always been a pop punk band. We want this new era to be reminiscing of the sound that kicked things off for us, but with a modern sensibility to it. I spent some time in LA whilst we were on hiatus and got to write with some incredible musicians over there. I learned a lot about pop writing and I think, and hope, I’ve been able to bring some of that across to new FEH. It’s guitar-driven, energetic pop-punk with carefully crafted top lines. 

TB: What’s a hint/teaser you can give us for the next new music that is incoming?

LM: Truthfully, if I knew more, I’d love to tell you *laughs*. We’d hoped to have a bunch of new songs done by now, but all of our time and energy went into the tour. Now that tour is over we can really focus on new music. I’ve been writing a lot in my car – just little chorus vocal ideas that live in my voice notes. I’m excited to bring them to life and build them out into full songs. 

“Cherry Chapstick” is out now!