CHIEFLAND
Q1. For readers who might not be familiar with you, would you please provide some background on the band—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?
We are CHIEFLAND, a modern emo/alternative rock outfit from Germany. We hail from four different German cities, making the band an exciting long-distance project. We started out as a melodic hardcore band in 2015, but have shifted towards emo and alternative over the years. On the one hand, we all evolved musically; on the other, it was due to member changes. We have released two full-lengths, three EPs and a couple of singles so far. Our new EP “Sentiment Valley” comes out November 8th.
Q2. Who are some of the band’s primary influences?
We are pretty much rooted in the sound of US bands such as Movements, Silverstein, Citizen, The Story So Far and the like. Depends on the individual song really, but those are some main influences. You can also hear a pinch of shoegaze in our songs as well.
Q3. How has your sound evolved from the beginning to now?
We shifted from melodic hardcore towards emo/alternative rock. However, we managed to keep some main characteristics of our sound. If you listen to “Silent Decay” from our latest EP, you definitely get a good impression of CHIEFLAND’s sonic DNA.
Q4. You guys are scattered across four different cities in Germany. How do you make that work?
It came to us naturally. All of us have played music for years now and got to meet a lot of friends through playing in bands and touring all over Germany. In our case, we had member changes during the pandemic and shortly after. Of course, you reach out to the friends you met through music, even though they live farther away. If you’re motivated, then that’s no problem at all. We stay in touch through our chat, have regular video calls and meet in person to rehearse. It all a matter of how much you’re willing to give.
Q5. Talk to us about your recent EP Sentiment Valley (I reviewed it here)—what was the writing and recording process like? What are some themes or particular sounds you explore on it?
Writing “Sentiment Valley” came about smoothly. We had a few sketches laying around, but most of the heavy lifting in terms of songwriting was done over the course of a few weeks in early 2024. We knew that we wanted our songs to sound more modern and beefier than our previous releases. Thematically, it is all about processing emotions anyone can relate to, such as loss, toxic relationships or everyday situations where you just feel uncomfortable.
Q6. I saw Alan Day of Four Year Strong (you can read my review of their most recent LP here) handled production duties. How did that come about?
We knew that Alan is a seasoned musician with a lot of experience under the belt. He also produced some bands we enjoy. Think of Can’t Swim, for example. Reaching out to him thus was a no-brainer. He is a super nice guy. We jumped on a video call, talked about the songs and how we wanted them to sound like. He then took the demos, re-arranged parts, made adjustments and put the songs on a whole new level. That outside view definitely helped us.
Q7. How did you choose your featured guests on the EP and what do you think they contributed to it?
We saw Christine perform with her band Pool Kids as support for La Dispute a while back in Hamburg. That show was awesome and Pool Kids have a very unique sound, somewhere between pop rock, emo and math rock. On “Bad Move”, Christine’s vocals bring in another dimension, very fragile in the verse, but powerful in the chorus. She can do it all. It really sends chills up your spine – in a good way.
Skywalker’s feature came about through touring. We supported Acres together in September 2023 and it was instant friendship. Jan contributes two different styles to “Silents Decay”. First off, some pop punk vocals that could easily be mistaken for a Mark Hoppus feature and then his growls that give the song its powerful climax.
Q8. With the EP now released, what are your plans for the near future?
We want to tour with the songs as much as possible to show them to our fans. However, we will also return to the studio early next year to record some more music to be released in 2025.