Interview with Innlet at The Rain Room
Innlet photographed by Emanual Avila @burnout_050
Innlet was born from band members Levi Miller, Matt Heitzmann, Charlie Justice, Max DiRocco, and Hugh Brennan, who joined forces while finishing high school. Together, the five friends from Long Beach Island, New Jersey, have curated an engaging sound through their curious approach to music. Combining a variety of differing genre elements, we get bits of jazz, surf-rock, and indie-rock, to name a few, that shine through their original music. They have played countless shows in the NJ/NY/PA area and have recently become known for their catchy outdoor covers on social media. Following the release of their debut EP, Flytrap, Innlet has further solidified their name as a band and continues to grow with their sound and musical plans for the future. I spoke with the band after their set at The Rain Room in Glassboro, New Jersey, in November to chat about their latest EP and how Innlet came to be.
This interview took place on November 16, 2024.
Hi, I'm Natalie, by the way. Nice to meet you all. I'm here with Innlet. If you guys all want to introduce yourselves, what you guys play?
[Max] I am Max, and I play the drums.
[Levi] I'm Levi. I sing and play guitar.
[Matt] I'm Matt. I'm lead guitar.
[Charlie] Charlie. Bass.
[Hughie] I'm Hughie. I play trombone.
So, you guys played a great set, by the way.
[Levi] Thank you so much.
That sounded really amazing down there. I know you guys released a few singles between February and June [2024] and returned exactly one month ago [October 16, 2024] with “This Winter.” So, kind of just talk to me about that single, and kind of how it came to be.
[Levi] “This Winter” was one of the songs in the first batch of the songs we wrote with “Black Horse Lake” and all those. We were going to release it around that same time, but we kind of decided to push it [closer] to [when we put] our EP together just because we enjoyed it more. It kind of came because I was really into Malcolm Todd for a while, and he has this thing on YouTube, it's like “Malcolm Todd Christmas.” I wanted to write a winter song like that. It was originally slow, and then we just kind of built it up from there. Same thing with the riff, like that was kind of Malcom Todd inspired.
Nice. Do you guys follow the same routine typically when you're writing songs, or does it change between songs?
[Levi] I would say-
[Matt] It's usually like one of us just has that bright idea to start a song, and then we all just start adding on to it afterwards.
[Hughie] And then they send it to me, and then I put horns over it.
Nice.
[Levi] Yeah, and then kind of builds together 100%.
What's the best part about making music and performing live together?
[Levi] I think it's just the energy. We're all pretty good friends, so just to be able to do that together and feel like you've actually crafted a body of work where you look back and you're like-
[Matt] It's just like a safe place to express yourself, you know? When you build in and do all in your own time, it's a great chance to show it off to other people.
[Levi] I guess that's true.
[Hughie] To add on to that, this is pretty much the only chance I get to really play my trombone. I'm in the marching band at Rutgers. That shit's like, it's all right, it's ass. It’s just marches and I'm walking around the field looking like fucking dumb ass.
I understand.
[Hughie] But here, it's fun, which is a stark difference.
[Levi] We're super lucky to all have each other. We all bring something else different, and yeah, we're super grateful for that.
Nice. So, how did the band form? You know, where did Innlet truly begin? Since you guys are all friends.
[Levi] Basically, I dropped out of AP Chem because that shit's horrible and my teacher was really annoying. So, I dropped for eighth-period guitar class, and then I knew this boy played guitar, and I hunted him down and I was like, “Oh, is this seat open?” I just sat next to him. Next thing you know, we're playing and shit. Next thing you know, we're in the practice room every day, not doing anything else besides practicing. We started writing “Black Horse Lake” in that practice room. Then Charlie, we'd seen him in school and shit, and I knew him growing up. He was like, “Yo, bro, I know this guy named Max. We jam all the time.” I'm like, “Okay, you should stop by.” But then that never happened. And then we were supposed to play an acoustic show, just me and Matt, real quick.
Okay.
[Levi] Then I was like, “This shit's going to be terrible without drums.” So, we invited Max, and then we all came together, bro.
So, you have your sound defined as indie-surf with some jazzy elements. Where does that come from?
[Levi] I think specifically for me, just like my influences in writing. Especially because a lot of the songs I've kind of started on my own and then brought to the band, and that has just kind of transpired. Then from there, just all being able to influence through each other and bring on the horns and stuff like that. That's how we kind of developed that.
Okay, nice. So, going off that, how do you continue to emulate that exact sound through new music when you're writing and recording? Whether that be technique or the style you guys play?
[Max] I feel like there's not really a sound. I think Levi just kind of writes whatever comes out, and then we obviously add all of our parts to our instruments. And then, however it comes out, it comes out. We don't really want it to sound like any specific genre or anything.
[Levi] We’re never really trying to write like, “Oh, we want it to be in this genre.” Do you know what I mean? I just feel like that really bogs you down. Well, also, I did struggle sometimes with being like, “Oh, should we stick with this?” Just because that's what people like in their mind, but to be able to kind of combine our influences and what we know to create something that's a little bit different is important.
Yeah. Well, for all of you, what are some of your biggest influences in music?
[Hughie] Probably any jazz. I did a lot of jazz ensemble in high school. So that's basically how I learned how to play my instrument like this. Music-wise, like when I'm thinking what parts to write to what, mainly Will Wood. Great artist, I will say.
[Levi] I grew up like being force fed The Beatles and shit. I love Ax and The Hatchetmen and indie music and stuff like that.
[Charlie] I would say Pink Floyd inspired my bassing.
[Matt] Yeah, anything metal, I'm a huge metalhead. Obviously, it doesn't resonate with our sound, but you'll hear it in maybe a solo or two. Yeah. You know, when this man with the glasses lets me put my distortion pedal on, it's a lot of fun. Yeah, metal.
[Max] Uh, Nettspend.
[Levi] I think it's just we all have very different influences. So, they all kind of come together, being able to hear it. Even like Max, Max will add like some different drum parts, and then I listen to some of the songs that he likes and I'm like, “Oh, that's kind of where he got it from.” You kind of understand it.
So again, with the influences, what are some of your influences that are not music-related? Kind of just stuff that you encounter every day that influences you and your music.
[Max] This might sound a little cliché, but I just like nature.
[Matt] I mean, yeah, people say I'm the drug guy, but I really, you know, I... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Cut the mic.
[Matt] I'd say, and people don't want to talk about this, but depression. I struggle a lot with sadness and struggling to keep myself in a happy state, but yeah, I'd say depression.
[Charlie] Probably my family.
[Levi] My family, my girlfriend, my dogs. My dogs are cool.
[Charlie] I would say my girlfriend and my dogs as well.
[Levi] All right.
[Hughie] I don't know, probably nature. Like Max. I don't know, I'm pretty one-dimensional.
[Levi] That's a cool question, though. I like that question.
Thank you! And then, kind of just to wrap this up, I know you guys have an EP coming out. Is there anything you can kind of tell us with that? I know you have another single coming out on the 25th [of November].
[Levi] Yeah. We have “Fly Swatter” coming out on the 25th. And we don't have like an official release date for the EP, but it's a five-song EP. It's going to come out sometime in December.
Nice.
[Levi] And we're going to be playing at the House of Independents on December 27th, opening for Echo Plum and Surf Haven to kind of just celebrate that. That's going to be fun.
[Hughie] If you want to listen to any of our songs or you're looking out for the EP, it's Innlet, I-N-N-L-E-T. Two Ns. Make sure you put the second N in there. You can find us on Apple Music, Spotify, wherever you listen to music. On all of our socials, it's @innlet_, right?
I wasn't going to include that. I wasn't going to include your guys’ name.
[Hughie] Well, I’m making sure in case we got some blind listeners out there.
[Levi] In case you didn't read the title.
No, that is true. If they're just listening and they're not reading, that is true.
[Charlie] Innlet with two Ns.
[Levi] For some reason. But yeah, thank you so much.
Yeah, thank you guys. It was nice talking to you guys.
[Levi] Yeah, awesome. You're very nice.
Cover photo by Emanuel Avila @burnout_050