Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

We Do Not Belong Here is made up of AJ Martinez (drums), Troy Bennett (guitar and vocals), and I, Nat Heck (bass and lead vocals). We formed the band in the summer of 2022. I had been trying to get a heavy band where I did lead vocals together for a couple of years, and Troy and I had tried a couple of times with a few false starts. This time, with AJ involved, the ball got rolling.

We did not have a clear idea of the sound of the band when we started, outside of the very broad descriptors of heavy and screamo, and I think that really worked to our benefit. We organically landed on, what I believe to be, a defined, yet chaotic, sound by pulling from our varied backgrounds. I have spent my entire musical life playing in emo and indie bands, AJ has been pounding the drums in death metal bands for decades, and Troy fronts both a folk band and a death metal band.

As for the name, we’re based out of Louisiana, a place that feels less hospitable by the day, courtesy of climate change and wannabe fascists.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

Yes, we’re all currently living in Hammond, Louisiana, a college town about an hour outside of New Orleans. The three of us have known each other years and are friends. AJ and Troy play together in Faustian, and Troy and I play together in Troy Bennett’s Graveyard Lips.

When I brought up starting this project to Troy, he suggested that AJ would be into it.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

If you asked all three of us, you would get drastically different answers. For this project, I’m pulling from a lot of my favorite screamo bands, such as Portrayal of Guilt, Respire, City of Caterpillar, Envy, Ostraca, etc. As a bass player, Portrayal of Guilt is certainly the biggest, as I’m always listening for ideas on how to be more impactful with my bass parts. Blake Given carries so much weight in that band.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I’ve always wanted to be a musician, and I started playing in original bands when I was 14 or so. In my 20s, my entire professional life was based in the music industry, and I honestly burned out a bit. I transitioned to being a public librarian over the last half decade while still being in bands, and the balance has worked a lot better for me.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

I’m not a playlist person, but there’s a bunch of albums that have been in heavy rotation.

Here’s 10.
Burning Shadows in the Southern Night by Necrofier
Devil Music by Portrayal of Guilt
Repetition by Unwound
Heavy Heart by MOOR
Dance You Monster to My Soft Song! By Victory Over the Sun
Black Line by Respire
Disaster by Ostrace
Null by KEN Mode
All the Footprints… by Envy
Derramar / Querer / Borrar by Massa Nera

Do you sing in the shower?

Nope.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

Absolutely. Our debut EP, Strange to Cope in Today’s World, releases on September 8th. We’d love to hit the road to support it and play it for people between the end of this year and the middle of next year.

Beyond that, we’ve already finished nearly an album’s worth of material for the next release, so we plan to record the LP follow-up in the spring.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

Yep! The full EP releases on September 8th, but you can stream the single “A Life, Explained” right now on our bandcamp!

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

I’m probably the wrong person to ask because my favorite shows are packed house shows and DIY spaces. I honestly don’t know.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Hm. All-time? Probably Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In or The Ugly Organ by Cursive. I grew up in post-hardcore and emo, and those two records changed how teenage me listened to and thought about music.

Christfucker by Portrayal of Guilt has been my favorite album of the past five years, for sure.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Guilt implies I’m ashamed of my fandom, and I’m not. I love Celine Dion. Celine slaps, and I will not tolerate Celine Dion slander. Abba, too.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

This is tough, and I think my answer would change dramatically based on the vibe of the show. For the context of this band, I would love to see Ostraca, Respire, and Portrayal of Guilt on the same bill.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

Absolutely. I bought Gorillaz by Gorillaz at the Circuit City in New Orleans East in 2001. My book of CDs is one of the few things I still have from my childhood pre-Katrina.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

The world probably won’t get better anytime soon. Find catharsis where you can.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

We’re on Instagram @wedonotbelonghereband and on Bandcamp, wedonotbelonghere.bandcamp.com.

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

No, thank you for having me!

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum