_{By Michael Luce}

It goes without saying a large, distinct religious presence means Provo (and by extension the Provo music scene) has a unique culture compared to most college towns. Consequently, people leaving for a few years is nothing unexpected. Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints anticipate serving a mission for years, though it often happens at interesting times in the individuals’ lives. Such is the case for Provo-based rock quartet Health Care.

The band released their second album, Totality, mere days before three of the four members left to serve two-year missions. When you consider the band hadn’t been together for much longer than two years before they split, it’s amazing to hear how committed they are to getting back together afterwards.

So how do you keep a band together with everyone completely separated? According to lead singer Alley Greer and drummer Kaden Cook, it all depends on what kept the band going when they were together in the first place. I had a chance to sit down with the two to discuss the emotions and growth the band experienced as they released an album and immediately said goodbye for two years. The interview was unique because Kaden had already left on a mission and was temporarily home recovering from some health challenges. This provided a distinct insight into how bands with Latter-day Saint members function in the middle of such a major shakeup.

Health Care formed almost as a whim when Kaden and guitarist Judd Whiffen decided to get a group together for their school band competition. Jared Walters and Alley were recruited for bass and vocals respectively, and Health Care was born. The name didn’t come until later though, as the band cycled through name after name until one member threatened to quit if it was changed again. Thanks to the unique live music culture here, the group had opportunities to perform at local venues like The Boardwalk and Velour despite being under 21, and later released their debut self-titled album.

One thing that helped the band find their footing was making music they enjoyed instead of following trends. Alley admitted they had tried a few viral TikTok fads, but it just didn’t suit the band’s vision or style. “I think that if we all four put our heads down, we could definitely write an epic banger TikTok song, but I also think that we would hate ourselves,” she explained. “Being a musician is finding a balance between commercialism and self-expression… We’re not writing for social media; we’re writing because we’re musicians.”

Health Care has a very distinct-yet-familiar sound, like if ’70s and ’80s rock classics were performed by a ’90s alternative band. They enjoy piecing together different influences, though some of the comparisons they hear repeatedly do grow a bit old, specifically those to Paramore and The Cranberries. Alley laughed at the shallowness of the connection. “It’s just the first bands you think of when you hear rock music with a girl singer.” (Though I can’t imagine her red hair does much to dissuade the parallels).

Despite these comments, the band has found they’ve attracted more fans by being genuine than if they worried about popularity, which has validated the decision to stick to what they enjoy. “It’s a good motivating factor,” Kaden remarked. “Like, people like our stuff and are taking it genuinely!”

All this connection and sincerity were front-of-mind as the band came together for their second album. Missions were on the horizon for the guys, and the nerves of leaving home and family, living in an unfamiliar part of the world, and stepping away from the camaraderie of the band weighed heavily on all four. In the end, they decided to embrace the uncertainty and poured their feelings into the writing process, designating one emotion per song. The parts and lyrics were written according to that focus, and the result was their second LP, Totality.

While Health Care’s first album conveyed the group’s fun-loving attitude, it took time to get comfortable with displaying a deeper level of sincerity and vulnerability both to each other and in their music. “Honestly, I feel like that transition has been a struggle for us because our second album is a little more serious,” Alley said. “We’re trying to find a balance between not taking ourselves too seriously but having genuine music.”

As you can imagine, this doesn’t mean everything has been sunshine and roses for Health Care. Sharing so many intense emotions led to a fair number of disagreements, and both Alley and Kaden admitted there were days when they expected everything to come apart. During one particularly difficult recording session, Alley said she had to step aside and remind herself of why they were there.

“I went into the bathroom and I kind of collected myself and looked at myself in the mirror. And I said, ‘this is the most important thing to you, and this is exactly where you’re supposed to be right now.’”

The two frequently compared the group to siblings: plenty of disagreements and differences, but ultimately together through it all. Both expressed a strong belief that the band will play together again once missions are complete and felt comfortable saying the same on behalf of Judd and Jared. The key, they said, is remembering the bond and love they’ve shared. For Alley, this means listening to their recordings when she’s missing the others and looking forward to the day they’re reunited. “Aside from the music, the guys are genuinely my best friends and like my brothers. I miss the music a lot and I miss writing with them, but above all, I just miss hanging out with them.”

From the other side, Kaden’s few months on the mission emphasized how much he values his friends and the bond they’ve shared. “We’re going to keep going, absolutely. I missed it so much,” he said. 

They said even though many of the decisions they made with releasing an album only four days before the guys left weren’t ideal, they wouldn’t change a thing as the process of writing and learning together was what brought them so close in the first place. More than anything, these friends are just grateful for the adventures they’ve shared thus far. “I wish that everybody could experience what it’s like to be in a band this close, honestly,” Alley said. “Because it’s very special.” 

Editor’s note: Following a successful recovery, Kaden returned in early February 2024 to his mission in Spain.

Make sure to follow Health Care on Instagram. You can listen to “Fall Behind” below!