David Howls Is Taking Off the Mask, Imperfections and All
Punk Head: You make a pretty brutal distinction between missing someone and missing having someone. When did you realize those were two different kinds of loneliness?
David Howls: I guess as I’ve gotten older and have had more experience. There’s a lot to it, but I think TGD is about that self-doubt in any relationship. That, “is this person going to be there if they see this part of me” feeling. Then it’s about being honest about those doubts and dealing with the potential consequences. TGD is about saying the quiet part out loud. It’s about the harm we sometimes do to people because of our own insecurities, but then trying to move on and grow from it.
Punk Head: What does accountability sound like in a rock song?
David Howls: Screaming. Yelling. Uncomfortable vulnerability. Expression. Expression. Expression. That’s what rock is to me. When I listen, for me personally, it's less about one specific element like the lyrics and more about the entire experience. What is felt. What is heard. What’s great about music is we hear the same thing, but we experience it very differently. I hope that some of the discomfort and insecurities can be heard in the song.
Punk Head: The title, “The Great Deception,” feels deliberately larger than a single breakup. What exactly is being deceived?
David Howls: Oh boy. Where to begin. Imposter Syndrome is worldwide, and at its heart, TGD is fueled by it. TGD is wrestling with authenticity in the face of loneliness and discomfort. It’s about choosing honesty when it’s hard and owning the fact that at times we do put on masks or hide parts of ourselves.
Punk Head: If the song is partly about giving up the fantasy of perfection, what did you have to stop expecting from yourself in order to write it honestly?
David Howls: Well you said it there. Perfection. Or even something that’s “good.” I’ve played music for a long time and have had this fear of “not being good enough.” I had to stop expecting myself to get every little thing right. Perfection is the enemy of progress, as they say, and perfection stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to let go of my own personal feelings and worries about releasing music and just get it out there. I had to stop worrying about fear of how others might perceive me or my music. I’m a big believer that once the song is out, it really isn’t the artist’s anymore. I think the magic gets spoiled by too much behind-the-scenes explanation. What is your private, intimate, personal experience with each song?
Punk Head: After releasing your debut full-length in 2024, has your relationship with songwriting changed? Are you more willing now to leave some things unresolved?
David Howls: In some ways. It's changed in that I’ve learned to let go and to keep moving forward (with lots of help from my producer/engineer). In every one of my songs there’s more I could do or want to do, but then they’d never see the light of day. So, I leave the imperfections where they are and all of them together combine into my sound.
To be honest, I still struggle with finding closure and resolution. So it’s probably going to always be a part of my songwriting.
