A Quick Chat with Mark Howard
Can you tell us the meaning behind your single ‘Heaven Doesn’t Need You Like I Do’?
The song came to me not long after my brother moved in with me following a separation. He wasn’t able to see his children for quite some time and it was tearing him apart. I tried to write from his perspective and imagine what it feels like to miss the moments you thought you’d always be there for. We both lost our little sister when we were young. An impossible grief to put into words. The lyric “Heaven Doesn’t Need You Like I Do” came bursting out early on, and it stuck. I can’t fully understand what it’s like to be in his position, but I do know what it is to miss someone so much it physically aches. That’s where the song comes from.
How does it differ from other releases?
The song feels a little more direct and emotionally exposed than some of my previous work. There’s less metaphor and more heart on sleeve clarity in this one. It has an honesty that gives it a different kind of weight.
It’s from your upcoming album ‘Deep Dark Blue’, can you tell us a bit about this body of work?
It’s an intense journey of self discovery and healing. A lot of the album wrestles with those deeper waters, the things we keep hidden and what happens when we finally face them.
How did the album come about?
After releasing my debut album Passing Strangers in 2022, I hit the road, touring across the country. That gave me some momentum and threw me into this unexpected and pretty wild trajectory. I just wanted to keep writing, releasing, performing… and somewhere along the way, Deep Dark Blue started to take shape.
Do you have a favourite track on the release?
That’s a tricky one because they all hold a different shape and mood, so depending on the day I guess. But if I had to choose, I’d say Metal Underneath holds a special place. It came from a very real moment, after the sudden loss of my Mother, and it surprised me, both in how it arrived and how it ended up sounding. There’s a simplicity to it, but also something grounded in deep sorrow. It sort of the emotional compass for the rest of the record.
You have some shows coming up to support the release, where are you playing?
Australian tour dates
August 28th - Grinners, Hobart, TAS
August 29th - Easy Tiger, St. Helens, TAS
September 6th - Archies Creek Hotel, Archies Creek, VIC
September 10th - Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
September 11th - The Old Manly Boatshed, Sydney, NSW
September 21st - Tidal Festival, San Remo, VIC
You’ve played all across the world, what has been your favourite show and why?
One show that’s always stayed with me was in a theatre in Dortmund, Germany. The crowd was mostly students and at first, they didn’t seem too fussed, a bit distracted, maybe a language barrier at play. I remember having to dig deep. But then I played a song of mine called Nothing Changes, and something shifted. You could feel the room settle and the song really connected. The silence that followed and the applause after… it felt like the song had cut through. That moment, that feeling of, my song did that, still gets me through the tougher gigs... the ones where I might be playing under a giant TV screen blasting the footy.
What do you hope listeners will get out of listening to the album and seeing you live?
I hope the album feels like good company. I've poured a lot of myself into these songs but hopefully there's enough space for people to find their own stories in them. If I'm lucky enough for people to come along to these shows after hearing the album, I just hope they feel a little more alive.