Hillhaven Talk Finding Their Sound, SiriusXM Support, and the Pressure of Stepping Into the Spotlight

Hillhaven haven’t been around long, but the band already sounds like they know exactly what they want to be.

Since launching in 2024, the group has steadily built momentum with a sound that pulls from modern hard rock, technical metal, and emotionally honest songwriting without leaning too hard into any one lane. It’s heavy when it needs to be, melodic without sounding watered down, and self-aware enough to avoid taking itself too seriously.

“I tend to describe it as our best attempt at blending artistic and accessible,” Hillhaven frontman Chris Kelly told Philadelphia Music Live. “I come from a metal background, particularly very technical and progressive stuff, so I do my best to sprinkle small hints of that throughout our songs while trying to keep it within the boundaries of modern hard rock.”

For a newer band, Hillhaven already seems unusually comfortable with its identity. Kelly says that came from simply staying busy.

“Having only existed since 2024, I would say the band is still very much in its early days,” he said. “But I think putting out the volume of music we have over the past couple years helped us find our sound more quickly than we might have otherwise.”

That clarity carries over into the lyrics too. Rather than hiding emotions behind layers of metaphor, Kelly tends to write directly and personally.

“When things start getting overly metaphorical, it just kinda feels like I’m trying to sound smarter than I am,” he admitted. “It’s proven far more effective to write directly about my own thoughts and feelings.”

That honesty has connected with listeners in ways the band didn’t entirely expect. One song in particular, 2024’s “This Time Tomorrow,” continues to draw deeply personal reactions from fans.

“I’ve seen everything from ‘this song helped me through a nasty divorce’ to ‘this was my mom’s last song before she passed away,’” Kelly said. “I’m evidently quite terrible at comprehending the idea that something I wrote could have such a meaningful impact on another person.”

Even with only a short history together, Hillhaven has already landed some significant support. Kelly pointed to SiriusXM Octane and Vinny Rockwell as a major turning point for the band.

“It’s not often a band this young sees so much love from a major radio outlet,” he said. “We do not take it lightly.”

That growing visibility arrives at a time when heavy music feels less defined by genre lines than ever before, something Hillhaven fully embraces.

“All that matters now is writing a decent song,” Kelly explained. “If it connects with you, it’ll connect with someone else.”

That mentality is shaping the band’s newest material, especially the recently released single “Dead Doesn’t Hurt,” which Kelly sees as the clearest picture yet of where Hillhaven is headed.

“We’ve done our best to continue refining that blend of heavy and accessible,” he said. “I think this is a really good example of that.”

Offstage, though, stepping into the spotlight has come with its own challenges. Kelly admitted that becoming the face of the project has been a major adjustment after years spent more comfortably in the background.

“I’ve been writing for years and touring as a guitarist for over a decade,” he said. “I’m used to being in the back or on the side somewhere. Now I’m the center of something. I’m the one talking to the audience and sitting in the interview chair. My social anxiety is incredibly angry with me for doing this.”

Still, there’s a sense throughout Hillhaven’s answers that the uncertainty is part of what makes this stage exciting. Right now, the band seems focused less on fitting neatly into a scene and more on continuing to figure itself out in public.

“It’s literally just pure possibility in front of us right now,” Kelly said. “Which is also terrifying, but it’s very exciting.”

For anyone looking for a starting point, Kelly recommends “Say My Name,” “Sycophants,” “This Time Tomorrow,” and “Dead Doesn’t Hurt,” which he describes as “a look at where we’re headed.”