Loathe made major strides in 2023. Still riding high off of their 2020 breakthrough, I Let It in and It Took Everything, the U.K. alt-metal band spent the majority of the year touring their asses off with a dizzying range of acts.
They kicked off the year on the road in the U.S. with Underoath and Periphery, hopped across the pond to trek with Spiritbox and Brand of Sacrifice, and then returned to U.S. soil to open for Three Days Grace and Chevelle on their fall run.
In between all that, their shoegaze-y 2020 track "Is It Really You?" had a bit of moment on TikTok, and frontman Kadeem France is feeling incredibly stoked for the new year to arrive.
In the spirit of reflection, we spoke with France about his favorite music, live show, movies and more of 2023. Then he clued us in on the new album that Loathe have in-store for 2024.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS LOATHE'S BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT OF 2023?
I would say the amount of touring we've done and how relentless our touring schedule has been. And the fact that we've still managed to somehow be creative in that has been a big achievement, not only for me, but for everyone else in the band.
Especially on this tour, we've been doing a lot of writing, and honestly I didn't expect us to be able to pull it off but we've written a couple of really good songs on this tour. So I'm very proud of us for that.
And also even the tour that we're on [with Three Days Grace and Chevelle], I'm very proud of us for being able to pull it off the way we have. Being on tour with bands like that, they're so worlds apart from the type of band that we are, but somehow we've managed to fit in on this tour and actually do really well.
I'm proud of us in that way that we can step to a stage with almost, like, a dad-rock type vibe and still pull it off.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2023?
I don't know how to pronounce it, but Earl Sweatshirt just dropped an album with the Alchemist. Voir Dire. That's probably my favorite of the year. I've been waiting for that album.
The Alchemist is probably one of the greatest producers of all time. And then him doing an album with Earl, it's just like... there's no way it could fail. It's just unreal. Earl's always been one of my favorite lyricists so I was really hyped when that album dropped and I've literally been playing it nonstop since.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SHOW YOU SAW IN 2023?
That's a hard one. Two come to mind, but I'm gonna say Meshuggah. I got to see Meshuggah at Bloodstock. One of our friends who works for Live Nation got us into sound tent, so we got to watch Meshuggah from the sound tent. It was unbelievable. Probably one of the best live bands I've ever seen in my life.
WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE NEW ARTIST YOU DISCOVERED THIS YEAR?
I'm not sure if they're a band or a [solo] artist but there's an artist called quannnic. I discovered them this year... and it was so funny, as well, 'cause it was through TikTok. One of the songs was being used as a sound on TikTok.
I've listened to that tune, "life imitates life," and had it on repeat. I shared it on my story and turns out they were a fan of Loathe, as well, which was really cool.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE OF 2023?
The last film that I went to the theater for and I enjoyed was the Mario film. [Laughs] That was fun. I literally didn't see Barbie or Oppenheimer. But I'll say Mario. That's my film of the year.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2024?
New music. Our music that we're writing now is honestly some of the best music I've listened to in a long time. Especially some of the tunes that we wrote on this tour. It's just really, really inspiring me and getting me so pumped for the new year — and to just play new tunes.
Bro, we've been playing these songs — I know it's only been three years, but it feels like an eternity. So I'm just so, so excited to play new music. So excited to release new music, new art and just start a new chapter.
SO A NEW ALBUM IS COMING?
Absolutely.
