Gritty sounds and dystopian views form the foundation of “Gone Dark”

Transmission 100: Interview with Human Impact

Formed by musicians from Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop, Made Out of Babies, and Daughters, Human Impact emerged as a project deeply rooted in the noise rock and industrial scenes. The band, comprised of Chris Spencer (Unsane), Jim Coleman (Cop Shoot Cop), Eric Cooper (Made Out of Babies), and Jon Syverson (Daughters), debuted with their self-titled album on March 13, 2020, bringing together a mix of dissonant guitar riffs, electronic elements, and intense rhythms.

Title: Gone Dark
Artist: Human Impact
Release Date: 2024-10-20
Genres: Noise Rock, Post-punk
Label: Ipecac Recordings
Description: Human Impact delivers raw, dystopian noise rock in their second album "Gone Dark" with dissonant guitars, electronic elements, and intense rhythms.

Their second full-length album, “Gone Dark” (scheduled for October 2024 on Ipecac Recordings), continues to explore dystopian themes, offering a raw and aggressive sound developed through live performances and jam sessions. Recorded with co-producer Andrew Schneider in Austin, the album draws on their collective experiences. Throughout their work, Human Impact reflects on the darker aspects of society, channeling their shared vision into powerful waves of distortion.

Can you tell us about your earliest influences and what drove you to pursue music?

[Jim Coleman]: I was forced to take classical piano lessons at an early age, against my will. What I really wanted was to make my own songs. I took eight years of classical piano, then started playing French horn. I was in a jazz band in junior high school. An old dude who taught Dizzy Gillespie to play trumpet was my teacher. We toured around the Washington, D.C. area when I was young. That was my foundation in making music.

Later, I got into sound collage stuff in film school. I started making sound collages and messing around with audio, which led into sampling. I always loved Joy Division and Gang of Four, so that was my starting story.

How about you, Chris?

[Chris Spencer]: My mother played bluegrass with weird hippies in upstate New York. These guys would teach me stuff on guitar when I was really little, around seven. My hands were tiny, so they taught me ways to cheat. I learned basic stuff when I was young and then fooled around. My older brother also played guitar, so it was around the house. My mother was playing bluegrass with weirdos, so it was easy access.

[Jim Coleman]: I had no idea about that story.

How did you meet and how did you decide to start a band together? What did you envision for Human Impact’s sound?

[Jim Coleman]: Chris and I met in the late 80s. We were causing problems in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Chris, I think you were just getting Unsane up and running.

[Chris Spencer]: Yeah, Unsane was just getting started. We didn’t even have a name at that point. I was trying to get any shows we possibly could with my friends under a couple of different names. Jim and I had a mutual friend, Brian Moran, who ended up being my roommate. The three of us were hanging out, drugging out, having good times.

[Jim Coleman]: Chris and I wanted to make music together off and on through the years. It just took us a long time to do it.

[Chris Spencer]: I was doing Unsane. Jim was doing Cop Shoot Cop. When Cop Shoot Cop broke up, I asked the guys in Unsane if they’d be cool if we had a sampler, Jim from Cop Shoot Cop, come in. They said no, we needed to remain a three-piece. That dream was squashed early on, in the late 90s.

In 2017, Jim came to an Unsane show at St. Vitus in Brooklyn and asked if I’d be interested in making some noise with him. After that tour ended, we started sending material back and forth. The rhythm section at that time were the guys from Swans who Michael Gira had decided he was going to replace.

We started out sharing ideas via internet. We both have recording setups at home. Then we got Phil Puleo and Chris Pravdica in the band for a while. They got re-recruited into Swans. I had been playing with John Syverson and Eric Cooper for reissued early Unsane stuff. After we lost Chris and Phil, John and Cooper rejoined for a European tour.

As for our sound, it’s been completely organic. The new record is way more live sounding than the earlier stuff because we actually played it live a ton before we recorded. Earlier stuff was more like sending things back and forth, working on material, then getting together for two weeks to rehearse and make a record.

[Jim Coleman]: Some of the early stuff was even like, we went into this project with the first record kind of knowing what we were doing on one level. But on the other hand, it was like, let’s see what happens. Some of the early recordings were just seeing what came out, and some of those early songs were actually pieced together post-recording.

[Chris Spencer]: Oh yeah, that’s true. We went and recorded some stuff in Hoboken. Then they actually rearranged some of the stuff. Jim, you did that. That was kind of impressive, actually, early on. Changed arrangements even after it was recorded.

[Jim Coleman]: Super early stuff was at Martin Bisi’s.

[Chris Spencer]: That’s right. I forgot about that.

How did your time in Unsane and Cop Shoot Cop influence the sound you wanted to achieve with Human Impact? When you’re writing, how much of the process is intellectual versus instinctual? Do you analyze the direction of the sound, or does it develop more naturally?

[Jim Coleman]: I think that’s kind of organic. That’s just what Chris and I are drawn to. It wasn’t any kind of master plan, but it was just organically our DNA.

[Chris Spencer]: Yeah, that’s kind of what we both bring to the table. I’ve been writing for Unsane since ’86 or ’87. We both play music a certain way and approach music a certain way. So when you put us together, you get what you get. There’s no pre-planning. We want something we’re both into, but Jim and I are very good at communicating with each other when we’re writing. We tend to ask each other as friends, “What do you think of this?” Every time I change something, I call up Jim and go, “Well, what do you think?”

I think it’s more rewarding to just throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks. It’s like this quote I read from Rick Rubin: when you’re writing stuff, just treat it like it’s a hobby. Don’t treat it like you’re making the next Beastie Boys record. Treat it like you’re just having fun and writing music as a musician, not really thinking about an overall formulaic way to write. For me, and I think for Jim to a certain extent, it’s less rewarding to try to have a preconceived idea of how this should sound. It’s better to just have it happen organically. I think it’s more rewarding for everyone involved.

[Jim Coleman]: Yeah, our process is instinctual in that way. Part of the process leads with what I can get very maximal. Editing and saying what’s really necessary is part of that process. Decision-making, seeing what does and doesn’t work. My wife is a filmmaker, and it’s a very different process with her. Her creative process starts as a concept, often goes to the written page and rolls out from there. I’m more like, let’s hear what this sounds like when it’s put up against this thing. Does that work? It’s really kind of reacting and responding to that stuff.

Your music often has a bleak, apocalyptic feel. Where do you find inspiration when writing about such themes?

[Chris Spencer]: A lot of it is just stuff I see around us, where humanity is heading, how we’re being forced into a world that not everyone finds appealing. Having all your bank records and personal info on this electronic network is one aspect of it. I write what I’m thinking about and what I’m seeing around us, trying to say something about how we should be a little more careful about what we’re doing. As humanity in general, it’s hard to change anything. Things are going to naturally go the way they go. So it’s not up to me, but at least I can express myself about the things I’m seeing around us. Like the United States right now is really getting fucked in a weird way. We may be up for serious right-wing bullshit. There are a lot of different aspects affecting all of us. At least I can get off my chest what I’m feeling about these things. It’s really writing about the stuff I see around me.

How do you know when a song is finished in the studio? Is there a point where you have to consciously step away from it, or is it more intuitive?

[Jim Coleman]: Even through the process, there are points where you have to step away. On a micro level, I can finish the day thinking, “Oh, this is awesome,” and then come back the next morning and think, “What? That doesn’t make any sense.” So definitely, sometimes having a little space is necessary. By the time we get into the recording studio, we know the songs structurally and with all the parts we’re playing. We’re open to hearing something else, but the songs are basically done when we go into the studio at this point. Choosing the right take or which mix is the best and what needs to be revised in a mix can be a bit of a long process that you need to come back to over a few days.

[Chris Spencer]: Throughout the whole thing, from the very beginning, there’s always this step back, reassess, see if you’re really into what you just did. That can apply to the initial drum beat and bass riff or end up being which inflection of the vocals is highlighted in the final mix. Throughout the whole thing, you’re picking things apart to make sure you got what you want.

[Jim Coleman]: We’ve got so many songs that are partly recorded and never made the cut. There’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t end up being released.

Can you talk about the visual and aesthetic elements of Human Impact? How do the album artwork and live visuals tie into the band’s overall vision?

[Jim Coleman]: They’re pretty intrinsically tied. Our visual aesthetic is pretty tied to the music and the lyrical content. A lot of the visuals, we pull from the world around us. We aggregate stuff from, like, the last single we put out was really pulling from old anti-drug public service announcements from the 80s. It feels like it’s all part of the same puzzle or piece.

[Chris Spencer]: Jim and I tend to talk. He’ll have ideas, and we bounce ideas off each other a lot. All the artwork is tied in with the music itself. Often, Jim will have ideas, and then we’ll look at the lyrical meaning and use that to pull in new ideas on other stuff. It’s all one big part of the same animal. It’s all part of that same beast.

Can you share any details about your upcoming projects?

[Chris Spencer]: With this record coming out, I’ve already started writing more stuff for whatever’s next. Two of the guys, John and Cooper – John just had a baby, Cooper’s having one in January. So we’re waiting until April, and then we’re gonna tour Europe in April and beginning of May to support this and get out there. So really, just write more shit and tour in the spring.

Human Impact’s official site & Instagram
Photo courtesy of Human Impact

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others