When rock band Gambling Hearts were recording and writing new music in 2019 they never anticipated that they wouldn’t be able to share it with live audiences.

But as the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down the entertainment industry out of an abundance of caution and fear of concerts becoming super-spreader events, artists like Gambling Hearts were forced to re-think their release strategies and find new ways to promote themselves in a solely digital world. While also finding new sources of income to keep them afloat, staying healthy, and staying inspired.

And while these tasks are daunting, especially as the world is seemingly falling apart around you, it hasn’t stopped the UK natives from pushing on, writing new music, and staying devoted to their musical craft.

We had the chance to chat with Gambling Hearts about all of the above, as well as how their new releases are going and how they hope the world changes in 2021. You can read our full interview below, and be sure to stream the band’s latest single “Still Waiting,” out now.

Second Society Report: How have you all been doing during the past year? Hopefully your friends and families are staying safe and healthy! 

Gambling Hearts: It’s been horrible, hasn’t it. Hanging in there though. I’ve still found the odd moment to write and play guitar, but it’s tough. I’ll be glad to see the back of this for sure.

Second Society Report: Did you have any big releases or tours that were put on hold because of the pandemic? How has that affected the band? (could be personally, financially, morale wise, etc.) 

Gambling Hearts: We had a couple of festival appearances that got cancelled, and a few other shows here and there that were pulled. We’ve no real grounds for complaint though. We’ve not lost anything that can’t be rescheduled.  

Second Society Report: How have you been spending your newfound “downtime” while the world has been essentially shut down?

Gambling Hearts: I’ve got two young children, so there hasn’t been much downtime, just the fresh hell that is ‘home-schooling’.

Second Society Report: Have you picked up any new hobbies while quarantining that you’d like to share? 

Gambling Hearts: The guitar hobby is enough for me. When you can play guitar, why would you do anything else? 

Second Society Report: Have you worked on any new releases during this time? Any that are already out or that we can get a sneak peak of? 

Gambling Hearts: What with the home schooling, the redundancy consultations and the job searching, there hasn’t been much time, but I have actually managed to write a few new songs, so this year’s not been a complete write off!

Second Society Report: If already out- what was the inspiration for the release? Have you written any songs specifically about the state of the world right now? 

Gambling Hearts: The inspiration for this release was borne out of a mix of frustration at the lack of musical fulfilment and a bit of self-deprecating mindset. But it’s set to quite a poppy arrangement, which kind of saved it. Otherwise it could have ended up sounding a bit too melancholic! 

Second Society Report: How has it been being an artist in a time when you cannot tour? How have you been working to promote your music and expand your reach? 

Gambling Hearts: It’s been really tough. We don’t tour, but it’s been tough not being able to meet up and play. I’ve played a few solo acoustic shows on the band Facebook page. They were fun to do, but it’s not the same. We’ve put a couple of singles out, and tried hard to promote them on the socials, but it’s no substitute for getting out and playing live and promoting a single or a record or whatever, not at our level anyway. 

Second Society Report: Do you have any words of advice for fans that are feeling particularly bummed out about the live music world coming to a halt? 

Gambling Hearts: Everyone gets it, everyone knows there are bigger things at stake right now. We’ve just gotta be patient and bide our time. It’ll pass, all things do, and then there’ll be some new headache to deal with, though hopefully not on this scale!

Second Society Report: When the world returns to a safer spot and we are able to (hopefully) attend live shows again- say in 2021- what do you hope to achieve? 

Gambling Hearts: I dunno, man, I can tell you what I’d like to achieve, but that’s possibly a different thing to what we WILL achieve. We’re happy just to meet up, spend a few hours in each other’s company, play some songs and dream about fame and fortune. But like I say, we’re happy enough with what we’ve got, anything beyond that is a bonus.  

You can stream “Still Waiting,” out now, and be sure to connect with Gambling Hearts via the links below to stay up to date on all future endeavors.

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