Though they may not lean into the term, The Hard Quartet is a new “supergroup” made up of four players that have had illustrious careers in the world of indie rock.
Stephen Malkmus (Pavement, The Jicks), Matt Sweeney (Chavez), Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang), and Jim White (Dirty Three) formed the group in 2023 and released their debut self-titled album late last year. While they’ve all been floating near each other professionally for decades, this is the first time these four people have been in a band together, bringing their own ideas and styles to the table to make something new that will please both new and longtime fans.
The band is on their first U.S. tour now that includes a stop at Cat’s Cradle on March 23.
Sweeney recently caught up with WUNC’s Brian Burns to talk about the formation of the band and what it’s like starting fresh after such a long career.
This is an excerpt of an edited transcript of that conversation. You can hear the full interview by clicking the LISTEN button at the top of this post.
Let’s talk about The Hard Quartet a little bit. Whose idea was it to start this band?
“I guess it was mine. I was sitting around with Steve [Malkmus,] and I was like, ‘You know what a really good band would be? Me, you Emmett [Kelly] and Jim [White.]’ He’s like, ‘That’s a great idea.’ I texted the other guys and everybody thought that it sounded like a great idea. So that was the genesis.”
How does the term “supergroup” make you feel?
You know, as grossed out as anybody else. People have to say something to cut through the noise, I suppose, so it’s better than a lot of other things.
The first song you released from the record was “Earth Hater.” Tell us about that one.
“That’s a song that Steve had sitting around originally. We were going to put it first on the record, just because I thought it was such a cool song. Everybody in the group sort of does something in that one. It’s got a really pronounced drum part, and big harmonies from Emmett. It’s got an obnoxious glam rock guitar solo. I thought it was a kind of like a ‘hello!’ type of song.”
Another highlight from the record is “Rio’s Song.” What can you tell us about that tune?
“I had that song for a long time, but it didn’t have a vocal line. It was just like a piece of music. And then when I had the pressure of finishing a song, I was thinking about my friend Rio, who’s like a best friend for me and a lot of people, who had passed away recently. So, the song is sort of about that, about life being short, so have a good time. It sucks, but it doesn’t have to.”
Where was this all recorded?
“It was recorded on Zuma Beach in Malibu, in an old house that was built by Standard Oil. It’s basically an old party house that an oil company built to entertain sheiks in the fifties. Not a house designed for recording, but definitely a house designed perfectly for hanging out. The recording studio is where the hot tub used to be. The Band used to record there in the seventies, and [Bob] Dylan, and I think Keith Richards. I think it was a drug den in the 1970s. Lots of recordings happened there, but not a lot of albums came out.”
How does launching a band like The Hard Quartet in 2024 compared to launching a band like Chavez in the 90s?
“That’s a good question. I think in both cases, the market seems to be really saturated. It really felt that way in the 90s. I felt like kids that I knew who didn’t even like music had bands, and all of a sudden there were so many records. Like with The Hard Quartet, everybody in Chavez had also been in bands before, and we knew that it was going to be difficult to get people to pay attention to us. I feel like we’re in that same exact situation now.”
The Hard Quartet is on their first U.S. tour now. What does the rest of 2025 look like for you after that?
“We’re going to take a break after the first little leg and then go out west and do some more touring in the U.S., and then we’re going to go to Europe. That will take us through to July and then we’ll probably enjoy our Summers, and I hope to get back in the studio. I’m already banging on the studio door seeing what’s available for the fall.”
The Hard Quartet’s debut album is available now on Matador Records.
