The Rise of Forest Hills

Traveling a few time zones back all the way to The USA, we arrived in New York City. Here we found Forest Hills. No, not the neighborhood.

Forest Hills is a rock band with a rapidly growing fan base, which is amazing! Forest Hills’ members are Zero Surico (voice) and Jack Burton (drums).

We’ve talked to them and here is what the duo told us:

How did Forest Hills form? Which is the band’s story?

Our band formed in October of 2018. Although we are based in New York City, we met in Los Angeles, California, where both of us were searching for bandmates.

Where does the name come from?

Forest Hills is named after Forest Hills, New York City, which is where our singer is from.

What was your inspiration for the debut album?

Our singer writes all our music, and he uses music to write about past experiences, trauma, feelings, and things he’s currently going through. 

Tell us the story behind any track in “Break Free”.

As stated in the last question, our singer writes about personal experiences and emotions, so all songs on our first album are derived from that. To give a specific background for one of the songs though: our song “Echo” was written when Zero felt like his voice meant nothing – as if his voice were nothing more than an echo. 

How was it to keep on making music during the lockdown?

Our lives during quarantine have not changed much, as our music studio is still open and fully operational. We mixed and mastered our second album, Renegade, which comes out August 1st, and have been writing new music and also doing several livestream concerts while in quarantine.

What should the fans expect from your upcoming album?

Fans should expect hearing how Forest Hills has truly come together as a unit, rather than a new band that is learning how to work together and make songs together. Our second album shows how we’ve refined and perfected our chemistry and working relationship as artists.

Besides all the charities and other causes that Forest Hills supports, what is your impact, as an LGBTQ+ band?

Being that our band consists of LGBTQ+ members, we make our shows inclusive to all. No matter what gender identity, ethnic background, religion, or otherwise, all are welcome at our live shows. Our impact on our community is that we give back through charity, support, and inclusivity.

Given that June is the Pride Month, what message do you have for all the LGBTQ+ members out there?

Our message to LGBTQ+ remains the same, regardless of the time of year. We are LGBTQ+, 24/7, 365 days a year. We are proud of who we are and you should be proud too. Don’t limit yourself being proud of who you are to one month of the year; be proud every single day!

What message do you have for the people who will read this article?

We are an independent rock band who loves our fans and community and is seeking to continue growing and positively impacting our fans. Through continuous charity donations (50% of our merch profits go to charity), inclusive shows (all our shows are epilepsy-friendly & all are welcome), and through responding and interacting with all fans who comment and message us, we seek to be not just another rock band with fans, but a band with a strong bond to its fans and community. Every like, comment, share, and follow truly helps us as a band, and we appreciate every new fan we get. We’d love for you to be our next fan! 

Check out Forest Hills’ debut album, Break Free, on Spotify and make sure to follow them on social media.

Article and interview by Stefania-Ioana Marinescu