ROBERT FITZSIMMONS (LIFE.LAIR.REGRET RECORDS)
Photo Credit: Marcel Cuthbertson
Robert from Life.Lair.Regret Records joins to talk about the label and all things hardcore, especially hardcore from Down Under.
MORGOTH BEATZ
Morgoth Beatz—producer for artists like JuiceWRLD and MGK, guitarist for Winds of Plague and Shav—joins Jacob for this interview on his musical background and what directions he sees music headed.
DEFOCUS
Q1. For readers for whom this is their introduction to Defocus, would you be so kind as to fill them in on your background—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?
Hey Guys, we are Defocus and we’re from Stuttgart, Germany. Defocus was formed in 2019 but we are making music together for about almost 10 years. The Band consists of 4 Members: Simon (Vocals), Jeff (Guitars), Jonas (Drums), Bambam (Bass). Fun fact, Simon and I (Jeff) first met while I was working in a music store. -Jeff
Q2. Your second album There Is a Place for Me on Earth just dropped and it is sick! I’d like to talk about that for a bit. What was your mindset going in to album number two?
Thank you! At first we didn’t really know what to do on our next project because everyone had different visions for us as a band. After brainstorming for a while we really wanted to push every aspect of our music to the next level and embrace the diverse creative influences. We thought that it wouldn’t be fair if someone is holding back just because it may be something that doesn’t fit into our sound, so we really tried to commit to all ideas and be open minded. -Jeff
Q3. How did the album take shape in terms of writing it? What was the recording process like?
I mean we already had a lot of demos laying around, “crooked mind” for example was first written after we shot the music video for “diverge” from our first record. We really wanted to try a few things out and be more creative with this record, so we just wrote a lot of songs and then decided which ones have potential for our second album. And after that we just made them as perfect as they can be and made them fit together on the album. Regarding the recording process, we really did everything ourselves from home. It’s funny because during the recording process, we were never together in one room, usually it was just one or maybe two of us. For that we have our own discord where we can send all the files to each other. -Jeff
Q4. For people who haven’t heard it yet, what can they expect?
A very heavy album with very emotional lyrics. -Simon
Yes, it’s very heavy with a few twists and surprises here and there. You can expect fast and aggressive songs, and maybe some electronic and hip hop influences. -Jeff
Q5. Are there any tracks you’d identify as highlights or ones you are particularly proud of?
I would say since we experimented a lot, basically all of them are pretty unique but as we all have our own favorites I’d go with “don't let it hurt me”, “watch me bleed” and “hybrid anthem”. -Simon
It changes all the time for me, but right now I’d say “consumed by you” because I love all the production we did on that song and the riff is so much fun to play. -Jeff
Q6. Do you have any plans to tour in support of the record?
We are currently working on that in the background and right now we're focusing on playing a lot of festivals this spring and summer which we are super excited for. -Simon
Q7. Both of your albums have been released through Arising Empire. How did that relationship form?
We’ve known the guys for a very long time to be honest, long before the label even existed. I think we first met them a few years ago when we were playing a show in Stuttgart. We talked a little and instantly knew that we have the same interests. Since then we met up every time there was a local band playing in our Area. After they founded “arising empire” and saw that they had super cool bands on their label, we knew that we had to become part of that. Since then we worked hard to achieve that and the rest is history I guess. -Jeff
Q8. Who are some current artists we should be paying attention to? Who are some past or present who have influenced or shaped your sound?
Definitely go check out Fromjoy, Moodring and Avralize! It's probably hard to tell which bands really had their influences on the defocus sound but those are definitely bands we are obsessed with right now. -Simon
Q9. Any last messages for readers or anything else on the horizon you want to tell us about?
Thank you all for listening to our new record, we are so thankful for the amazing feedback we received so far and hope to see lots of you people very soon! -Simon
nightlife
Q1. For our readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you please provide some background on the band: where you’re from, when and how you formed, etc.
for sure! we’re from baltimore, relatively new as this band (2 years) but we’ve been playing together in different contexts for much longer. hansel wanted to make a band that could hang with the other “heavy pop” bands growing in the scene, then him & julian linked up to work on the songs that’d become the first EP. the mission & vision are always shifting, but we’re still here to bring groove & the funk to the genres of alt & heavy music we love so much.
Q2. Who are some of your primary influences?
it’s hard to narrow down, each member has different sides they bring to the table at different times. for hansel, it’s a lot of r&b and music with experimental production mixed with the heaviest shit you’ve ever heard. julian brings a more eclectic background in reggae, funk, soul, and so much more with him, in addition to also digging tech-djent and other progressive stuff. isaiah’s a drumhead through & through, and fucks with a lot of instrumental/experimental hiphop and jazz fusion stuff with killer rhythms on top of deathcore & the more progressive sides of metal.
all of us can kinda come back from whatever tangents we’ve gone on musically and center around heavy, groovy guitar stuff as a group pretty naturally.
Q3. What made you want to pursue making music?
it’s different for all of us, but we’re all connected by a desire to see more shit like what happens in our minds out there in the music we love. that’ll always start with us making stuff to begin with, but hopefully it’ll end with a bunch of different bands & artists pushing the boundaries of guitar music to its groovy ends.
Q4. How did your addition to some dates for the Issues farewell tour come about and what’s the experience been like? Tell us about the world’s first RnB mosh pit!
honestly it was kinda a few years coming! back in 2020 hansel posted a video of him singing an issues song that got some traction on twitter, including from issues themselves. we’ve communicated back & forth over the years since for this or that, be it to write together or to talk about their music with others or whatever. they’ve always been super supportive of what we’re doing and we’ve always tried to be as open as we could about their influence, legacy, & importance. eventually they hit us to see if we were around and while it still blew our minds, it also made sense & we were so grateful they saw that.
playing the shows was kinda crazy. it was our first experience with a lot of things, including even basic logistics of getting to & from the shows, let alone being backstage & navigating the show days themselves. it all kinda flew by once it was time for the shows, but it was completely surreal the whole time. WAY more people knew about us & our music than we expected, and the crowds were so supportive both times. honestly, it goes to show the kind of community issues was building with their music for the past decade plus that they were able to pull this whole thing off so gracefully, our part included.
the rnb pits were absolutely crazy to watch. we’re sure they weren’t actually the “first” of their kind, but looking in even just for a second you could tell the vibes were a little different than your normal moshpit. everyone was still bumping & throwing limbs, but there was clearly an emphasis on everyone having a good time – the same vibe that was in the crowd the whole night, tbh.
Q5. Tell us about your most recent single “face2face.”
it’s been a long time coming! we spent a lot of 2023 talking with industry folks and seeing what we could make come of it. that meant trying a bunch of different things and languishing over demos for way too long…kinda like we’re doing now, except we weren’t sure what we wanted to make as a next move. the industry stuff fizzled out, & we ended up staring ourselves in the face again & wondering what the goal here was.
“face2face” kinda came to be finished first out of these new songs, and it definitely captures a lot of the ideas we’ve been trying to work through – the exploit of repackaged nostalgia, updating old ideas & continuing things others started, that kinda thing. we want to do more than just say “hey remember when” when we throw it back, and already face2face itself has started showing the connections between what we do now, what r&b groups like TLC or Boyz II Men used to do, and what other artists around the music world are doing – k-pop already had its y2k era, for example. we love music so much & it’s fun to make these connections in realtime & learn more about it as we go.
Q6. If you were to highlight one song as “quintessential Nightlife,” what would it be and why?
probably new low! we had our whole lives to write that song, you know? there’s so much context & energy that went into making that one song that it only gets better with time to us. it shows more of us to us every year & feels like it’ll be one of those songs that might just last forever, be that in our scene or whatever.
Q7. Dream lineup: what artists would you most want to share the stage with that you have not had the opportunity to?
oh man. in the heavy world, we’ve fucked with & respected bring me the horizon for years individually so that would be a dream. other bands that are killing it with their own unique sounds also inspire us so that’d be sick – bands like bad omens, sleep token, static dress, the home team, they’d all be sick to play with.
getting more creative, groovy mfs like anderson .paak or thundercat are def at the top of the list. artists who push the envelope like charli xcx or rina sawayama would be so cool too, & k-pop groups like stray kids or (g)i-dle would go crazy.
dreaming completely, give it d’angelo, miss lauryn hill, or the roots too.
Q8. What’s on the horizon for Nightlife?
more music! if a single bigger body of work shows itself to us while we’re making these songs we’ll work toward it for sure, but for now we just want to keep experimenting & seeing how many sounds we can fuck with that we wanna. so singles on singles on singles, if we can keep our shit on!
we’re also going on our first full US tour in june, so that’ll be a gamechanger for the band for sure. hopefully it’ll mark the start of a bunch of playing out for us.
ABSTRACT SEKAI
Q1. Would you please provide some background on yourself for readers who may not be familiar with you—where you’re from, when you started making music, your sound, etc.?
First of all, thank you for having me Jacob, I appreciate you giving me the platform to allow me to introduce myself and my sound to those less familiar with my exploits, and with that said I go by the name Abstract Sekai, a rapper / producer from a small mining town called Chingola in Zambia. The name basically translates to Abstract World, and is really what I’ve built my sound on, abstract, non-concrete ideas, so I also can’t really say I can pin down my sound to a specific genre. If I could try and explain it I’d say some kind of atmospheric, electronic, trip hop fusion, lol. I am relatively new to music making, my memory doesn’t go as far back as most, actually I only picked up a DAW about 6 years ago with no prior background to any form of music making. The journey itself has been surreal and every day is an experience to learn and grow.
Q2. What got you into music and what made you want to pursue making it?
I guess the environment I grew up in defined me, I come from a family of avid music listeners, literally everyone who helped raise me left a bit of an imprint of their musical tastes, My Mom was a huge 90s RnB and Hip-Hop fan, my Dad leaned more towards the reggae side of things and my first taste of soul was from my Grandpa, so I’d say family got me into music. Funny enough none of them pursued actually making it, for me that came from the curiosity of how my favorite songs were made.
Q3. Who are some of your primary influences?
A lot of my production influence stems from Dj Krush, he’s someone who’s ability to craft their own unique sound amazes me. Lyrical I’d say The Iapetus Records roster, the likes of Yugen Blakrok and Hymphatic Thabs and their general approach to Rap, listening to them and being a Sci-fi fanatic myself made me feel more in my element with my choice of words. Honorable mentions to Method Man, MF Doom and Kool Keith.
Q4. Is there an over-arching vision for or a headspace you try to evoke with your music?
I wouldn’t say there is, I’m very unintentional with my music and at the end of it all it comes down to whether I really like what I’ve made or not.
Q5. Talk to us a little about your writing process and what goes in to crafting your songs.
Well, a whole lot of reading, a whole lot of Sci-fi movies and a whole lot of patience, lol. There’s a lot of association with what I read and watch with what I experience on a daily basis, I speak out through these vague associations so sometimes building that bridge to connect a scene from my favorite read or watch to a real life event takes some time. The information I take in comes to me at different paces and so does the inspiration. I don’t like to force myself, I let most of it come naturally so I’m admittedly a slow writer to some extent.
Q6. How would you say your sound has evolved from the beginning until now?
It’s hard to say, it’s more of a feeling, I feel I’m a whole lot more experimental with my sound than I was in the beginning and I’d say that has set me apart from what others around me and where I’m from are doing. I see that deviation as grow and the greater gab the better I guess.
Q7. Who are some of your favorite contemporary artists?
These will come as a bit of a shock to most, I’d say Metric and Florence & The Machine because I’m a huge fan of the song writing abilities of Emily Haines and Florence Welch, Solange, The 1975 as well…I could go on.
Q8. What are some of your future plans or things we should be looking out for from you in the future?
Well more music for sure, I’ve been in my lab experimenting over the last year or so, definitely more music.
HERO IN ERROR
Jacob is joined by guitarists Gary and Rob from Irish metalcore legends Hero In Error for a conversation on the band's past and their return with new music and new shows!
PROFILER
Mike from the excellent UK nü djentcore band Profiler joins for a chat about their new record (released February 16th via SharpTone Records), their upcoming tour with Vended, the vanguard of the scene, and more!
Profiler Links:
POETICAL NADZ
In this video interview, I sat down with West Midlands-based rapper Poetical Nadz, and we talked about her influences, her creative process, the Grammys, and more!
You can check out Poetical Nadz’s music at: https://poeticalnadz.bandcamp.com/.
SHUNAJI
Photo Credit: Vera Marmelo
In this inaugural video interview for The Angels’ Share, I had the opportunity to chat with the exceptionally talented Shunaji about her background, her creative process, life as a DIY artist, and much more!
Biography:
Shunaji is a music producer, rapper and vocalist hailing from Rome and currently based in London. Her musical style blends jazz-influenced hip-hop with funk, soul and psychedelic rock flavours.
Shunaji’s releases have been acclaimed within independent music scenes in the UK and abroad, as she pushes the boundaries of mainstream music.
She is the recipient of multiple awards including the PRS Woman Make Music fund, Help Musicians' Do It Differently and MOBO awards, and Sound and Music's Interpreting Isolation.
Shunaji has performed internationally and across the UK, including festivals like Glastonbury Festival, Love Supreme, Montreux Jazz Festival and We Out Here.Socials
Photo Credit: Vera Marmelo
FATAL MOVE
Answered by Thomas Luyten
Q1. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! For our readers who are not familiar with you, can you talk a little about where you’re from, when you formed, that kind of thing?
The original line up was formed in 2009 by a group of friends living in Merksem; a city next to Antwerp, Belgium. After some line up changes in the first years we only had one change; I took over the bass in 2018.
Merksem is a small city with a big community. A lot of people here played in metal or hardcore bands. And those who didn’t play an instrument would still come to the local shows. Most of us kind of knows each other through previous bands or shows.
Q2. What got you into hardcore in the first place, and what made you to want to start a band and pursue making music in the way that you have?
For me (Thomas) it was the love for loud and heavy music. I started playing bass and guitar in punkrock bands when I was 15, got into metalcore and hardcore at a later age. Playing in bands, and I’m sure everyone from Fatal Move agrees on this, it’s just so valuable. I mean it’s a bunch of friends agreeing on seeing each other regularly to start playing and writing songs. Everyone contributes to the band in his/her own way. You get to go to new places and meet new people. You learn to organize a small business, to network, to party, to control your boundaries, to become a better musician, … It’s freedom also. Because there’s no rules or playbook for this thing. There’s no teachers, mentors, manuals, at most some parents that agree on helping you out haha. It’s all DIY. You get out of it what you put into it. Playing bigger shows and becoming more successful is awesome and incredibly rewarding – but not the final destination. It’s really cliché but the journey is what makes playing in a band so rewarding.
Q3. What are some of the biggest influences on Fatal Move’s sound?
The sound has evolved quite a bit throughout the years but I think we can all agree on bands such as Terror, Nasty, Paleface, Get The Shot, Lionheart, Comeback Kid, No Turning Back, Trapped Under Ice …
Q4. The second single from your upcoming EP “F.U.G.A.Z.I.” was recently released. I absolutely love the line “Freedom is not a reward”! Can you tell us a little about the song—the sound, the meaning, etc.?
The single is also the title track of our new EP. F.U.G.A.Z.I is a military slang that stands for ‘Fuck Up Got Ambushed Zipped In’. The meaning behind this word is a fucked up situation or ‘damaged beyond repair’. Our guitarist came up with that title and we all instantly agreed.
F.U.G.A.Z.I. is a warning; It’s about trust, about cracks in the democracy. Which may just be cracks, but where is the line with incipient polarization? Do we trust our politicians or do we take matters in our own hands? What happens when they begin to impose their will and personal agenda on people? Whether they think they are doing it for justifiable reasons, and whether they are really justified, it is still a scary thing when there is no room for debate or negotiation in a democracy. Should we trust governments blindly when history has proven over and over again that this was not always the right move?
F.U.GA.Z.I. is way more politically inspired than Somewhere Between Life And Death. The world has always been and will always be a sh*tshow and this EP is our way to process all of this. The first victim in every conflict is always the truth and that’s almost always the starting point for every war or form of extremism. It’s so f*cked up because mankind has always been and still is our own worst enemy. We could all live in peace but instead we chose to destroy each other for whatever reason. Whatever, that’s a whole other conversation.
Q5. When does the EP come out in full and what else can we expect?
The release is for May and this EP is our heaviest – yet most progressive to date. There’s singing in there, a legendary guitar solo from a guest, we experimented with a whole bunch of guitar effects… We took our time during the spring/summer to record everything DIY with the help of our friends Max Everaert and Tim ‘Penny Beats’. All of this in private locations in Merksem, which made everything really more laid back. Most riffs and structures come from our guitarist Kenny who did a really good job writing most of these songs.
Artwork (yet to be released) is done by Chuck Anderson from the states, who has worked for Drain, End It, the Chicago Bulls, PBR, … We’re really happy with how this turned out and can’t wait to share it.
Q6. What are some of the best shows/tours you’ve played and are there some coming up you are excited about?
Too many to list up… Graspop 2023 was of course the biggest and craziest show we have ever played (and the best, everyone was on f*cking fire that day). Dour Festival was another dream come true, really crazy to be part of that festival. For me, Extreme Fest 2022 was my favorite. Imagine playing a big festival with a personal vibe in the south of France, with some of your best friends, surrounded by nature, with a lake nearby, and an amazing afterparty with all bands and volunteers at the end. Headlining and almost selling out Trix Club with Mark My Way, Mindwar and Surge Of Fury last year was also amazing. Seeing so many friends, families and colleagues support us is so great. Another one that comes to mind is playing Elfer Club in Frankfurt AM in the winter of 2019 (shout to Laura Diehm). The show was great and we got to do karaoke with that whole German crew afterwards. That was a wild night. Or that one show in Luzern in Switzerland where we got free drinks in every bar in the same street and ended up sleeping in our van while it was freezing outside…
Q7. Who are some other bands or artists in the scene we should be paying attention to?
For me Mindwar is the biggest band in BE HC at this time, Becoming AD is the most promising rising band (they just released a killer EP) and Primal Truth wrote some of the sickest riffs ever (hope they play shows again soon). Antwerp legends Eightball and our friends from the south Do Or Die are the real deal. Strayed is also a really good beatdown band from Wallonia.
From FR: Affenpinshers (Useless Pride Records) is a fresh wind of inspiring hardcore riffs, our bro’s in Beyond The Styx are ripping it every show and Alea Jacta Est (UP Records) is always solid in everything they do. I was very impressed by Headbussa from Paris when they supported Jesus Piece and I’m happy for them that they get to support Knocked Loose on tour.
In other genres I’m stoked about Campus playing shows again, can’t wait to see them live.
Q8. Is there anything else on the horizon for the band or any other things you want to tell our readers about?
Right now we’re focusing on our release and we’ll see from there. We have a bunch of cool shows planned already in BE and FR, we’re playing Alcatraz Festival and playing a very cool festival in Denmark in September.
Master an instrument, start a band with your friends and embark on one of the greatest adventures of your life. You won’t regret it. Namaste
PENI PARKER
Photographer credit @adeleshotme
Q1. For readers who may not be familiar with you, could you please provide some background on who you are, where you’re from, what got you into music, etc.?
I’m PENI PARKER, an alt rock artist from Gadigal land NSW. I really enjoy blending my favourite sub-genres, stealing elements from pop rock, punk and emo. My work is heavily inspired by pop culture and politics, growing up I always had a lot to say & enjoyed using music as a tool to get my anger out.
Q2. This is a fun question I asked Ebonie from Metal & Coffee and I’m curious as to what your answer will be: Ignoring the obvious logistical issues with how you’d actually listen to them, for the sake of the exercise, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have five albums with you, what would they be and why?
+ My chemical romance - Danger Days,
but would love to bring along every MCR album.
+ The Pretty Reckless- Light me up
+ Stray Kids - Rockstar
+ One ok rock - 35xxxv
+ Avril Lavigne - let go
Think that’s the perfect combination of emotions to deal with being deserted on an island, So hard to pick though, tomorrow I’d probably say the Used discography and Nova twins.
Q3. Tell us about the new single!
The next single Curse is actually my first collaboration, Bunny is a talented Japanese producer/writer & hit me up to do an anime inspired track. He’s very much inspired by BMTH, Enter Shikari, Poppy so it’s a bit heavier than my normal songs. Curse it’s out 28th of February, i can’t wait for everyone to hear it, I’ve had so much fun creating lots of dorky AMV edits for it.
Q4. How would you say your sound has evolved from the beginning to now? Are there other sonic directions you’re planning on exploring or is it more a “take it as it comes” sort of thing?
Think I’ve just matured & found what works for my voice instead of fighting it. I always wanted to sound thrashy & punk but my voice just doesn’t suit that, so I started exploring different sub-genres to find something that makes more sense for me & found a happy balance.
In the future I’m definitely taking it as comes sonically and just letting it evolve, I would love to try some more girly pop tracks but also some heavier ones.. i like the duality there haha
Q5. How does your album art and aesthetic intersect with your band name? It feels like entering into your own comic book universe.
Yeaa that’s the intention, each body of work will come with a comic to dive into the world a little more. I’ve always loved comics & anime so wanted to incorporate that, with my own spin. The project is very alter ego like, and I try create a safe space where the crowd can escape & turn up as whatever version of themselves that they want to be that night. Try new looks or even names in a non-judgemental supportive space 🍓
Q6. Are there any over-arching themes you explore with your music, and how does the music communicate them?
I tend to base most of my work around what makes me angry or sad, so a-lot of political themes & life events. I’m terrible at writing positive uplifting songs but it’s definitely something I want to try more.
Q7. Who are some other artists we should be paying attention to?
I actually sent a recommendation list to my friend the other day which included
From AUS, Grenade Jumper & Redhook
From the UK, Bex & Crashface
From Japan, CVLTE & Paledusk
From Korea, Dreamcatcher & Rolling Quartz
Q8. What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve played or tours you’ve been on?
Playing with Enter Shikari and Against the Current last year was incredible, both bands are such seasoned pros.. was inspiring for sure.
Supporting WAAX was actually my favourite crowd by far though, they were so welcoming and just gave me so much energy back which made my heart explode!!
Q9. What is the most rewarding part of making music? What is the most challenging?
I love when people connect with a song or a visual that I create & get inspired in their own way. I’ve had gorgeous humans create their outfit around a song or a dance routine.. that’s so badass!
The costttt is the most challenging.. As an independent artist I haate missing opportunities when cost is the only barrier. I’d love to be dropping songs regularly and say yes to each tour but it’s just me funding the project so I just have to be patient & realistic sometimes.. much to my disappointment haha trying to match up a working class wage with big dreams!
Q10. So what’s on the horizon for Peni Parker?
Fingers crossed for more shows, more music, more collaborations & more comics!
Photographer credit @adeleshotme
PRESSURE PACT
Q1. If our readers are not familiar with you, would you please provide some background on the band—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?
We started in 2016, because we missed the primitive 80’s hardcore sound in The Netherlands. There was a big Metalcore and modern hardcore scene in our region, so we felt it was time for something different.
Q2. How would you describe Pressure Pact’s sound?
This is what Ben Marshall from Maximum Rock’n’roll had to say about our sound:
‘’It’s a frantic mess of ferociously barked vocals, creepy-crawl riffs, and a rhythm section as taut as you like. It’ll bore straight through your skull and give your chimp brain a tickle; you’ll be unlocking your inner Neanderthal and sticking your head through a brick wall by track three. An abso-bloody-lute belter.’’
Q3. What are some of Pressure Pact’s influences?
It’s a combination of classic 80’s hardcore bands from SSD to Heresy in combination with modern bands like Boston Strangler and the British NWOBHC bands like Violent Reaction, The Flex and Arms Race.
Q4. What made you want to pursue making music?
We all knew each other from previous bands and wanted to start something new. We shared the same vision and we became a band and really good friends rather smoothly.
Q5. What would you say is the most challenging part of being in a band and what is the most rewarding?
The most challenging part has to be combining everything with our regular jobs. Being on time for shows during the week, booking time in the studio or even plan tours.
Q6. What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve played and/or tours you’ve been on?
Without a doubt our tour in Japan with Crucial Section. It was such an honour to be invited. We played with so many amazing Japanese bands and the people we met were all so kind and generous. We will never forget the amazing time we had over there.
Opening for Turnstile in Cologne must have been one of the most surreal shows we have played. A sold out Palladium thinking Turnstile would start and instead hearing Len yell ‘’We are not Turnstile, we are Pressure Pact’’ in a combination of Dutch and German was the perfect start of our set.
Q7. What’s on the horizon for Pressure Pact—new music, shows/tours, etc.?
We have a 7’’ recorded which we were meant to release last year, but didn’t happen yet. We recently got into contact with Mendeku Diskak and they are able to release the 7’ very quickly, so we are really stoked about that!
We took a break from playing a lot of shows in the next couple of months so we can focus on writing songs so we can record a new 12’’, because it’s been a while.
Hiro (singer of Crucial Section) asked us to return to Japan together with The Breed for another tour in Japan this year. We can’t say no to that, so we really hope we can make it happen!
pulses.
Q1. For our readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you please provide some background on the band: where you’re from, when and how you formed, etc.
Caleb: we come from Northern Virginia, pretty much the suburbs of Washington DC. The most basic form of the band formed in 2015. I was in my senior year of school and wanted to participate in the battle of the bands before graduating. I was going to have two of my old friends from middle school join me for it but they had to bail out like a week or two before the show. I asked Kevin (my brother) and David, a classmate of mine, to replace them so I didn’t have to drop out. We didn’t win but we had a good time doing it, so we decided to keep the band going and start focusing on trying to write some original music. Been playing together ever since. Matt came into the fold a couple years into the band’s life and we’re grateful for that.
Q2. Who are some of your primary influences?
Matt: We pull from a lot of different artists outside of our genre on specific songs but I feel like a lot of our post hardcore base comes from The Fall Of Troy, Silverstein, Thursday, and Underøath among others.
Caleb: The Fall of Troy was one of the first bands that the three of us at the time bonded over, and so many other influences stemmed from that. I like being able to take inspiration from anywhere I can and any music that I just like listening to. Keeps things interesting. Growing up I listened to a lot of pop, r&b, hip hop, soul, etc. so it’s important to me to throw those kind of sounds into the mix as well.
Kevin: For me, lyrically, hip hop plays a huge role in how I approach writing. I love referential lines, puns, and internal rhyme schemes.
Q3. What made you want to pursue making music?
Matt: For me, I grew up with my dad always either playing guitar or watching concert videos around the house so I just got into listening to music early. Then he got me guitar hero and that got me into heavier stuff and gave me my own taste, from there I really wanted to play the real thing and got really into the idea of wanting to write my own music. It’s just the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to do.
Caleb: Playing and performing music is always something I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid. I played in the orchestra all throughout school, and that gave me so much experience just playing in a group and giving me the opportunity to perform. Kevin and I were really involved in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band scene back when those were really popular (still stay involved to this day really) and doing that really enhanced the way I take in music. So much music inspires me in so many different ways, and I enjoy the ability to kind of pay it forward in a way by making it too.
Q4. Talk to us about It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This. What was the writing and recording process like? Was there a particular message or sound you were pursuing with this record?
Matt: Coming off of Speak Less, being a heavier project, I think we wanted to get back into our formula of fusing other genres with post hardcore and push it even further than we had on previous records. I think that’s what led to this album being so diverse.
Caleb: This time around I handled all the engineering for the record so I tracked/recorded everything, edited it, and mixed it. I feel like this allowed us to really hone in and focus on taking our time to make things sound exactly how we wanted. There was a sense of freedom in making this record that kind of harkened back to making our first record, bouquet. Just us hanging out in our basement and creating whatever came out of us.
Q5. Are there any songs that stand out to you on the most recent album or otherwise that you are particularly proud of?
Matt: I think Honesty, Honestly is my favorite song we’ve ever written. I’m so proud of how every element of that song works with the others, like everybody did exactly what they needed to, the feature from Sierra really elevates it, and I really love all the production stuff I added.
Caleb: Honestly, I’m proud of all the songs on the record and there are so many moments in particular too between all of us. Take a Look, Y’all was always one I was especially proud of personally when it came to the overall vibe of the track plus some of the vocals I laid down for it. Just a feel good song that feels uniquely us.
Kevin: The whole album really, I think it’s so worth experiencing it as a whole to truly understand the magic of the parts.
Q6. How has the band—personally, professionally, and/or musically—evolved since the beginning?
Kevin: I think we’ve just got better at working with each other, really. From the start, we’ve been doing exactly what we want in any given moment musically, and to be able to have some of the processes refined is really a blessing.
Matt: We were talking the other night actually about how it really feels like we can do whatever we want now. I think we’re at the point now where it really feels like a pulses. song can be anything written by the 4 of us and that’s a really cool place to be as a band.
Q7. What are some of the most memorable shows or tours you’ve played?
Matt: All of our tours with With Sails Ahead have been incredible honestly, so many amazing memories on those both on and off stage. Outside of those, we played a show in May of 2023 with our friends in The Callous Daoboys and it was such a blast, that’s probably one of my favorites in recent memory.
Kevin: Blue Ridge Rock Fest was a trip too; being able to play on such a big stage and be a part of a big production like that at our level is an honor and privilege, even when things were kinda going awry.
Q8. Do you have any “sibling bands” aka other groups or artists you’re close with and if so, who and how does that foster a sense of community and/or how are those relationships reflected in your music, approach to the band, touring, etc.?
Matt: With Sails Ahead is definitely the main one! We have toured together multiple times, collabed on several songs, we share a discord, and we talk in a group chat with them daily. We’ve built a really cool community with them and they’re some of our best friends.
Kevin: WSA is definitely one that folks should know by now as our bestie band and I think our friendship makes both our bands better. We’re definitely tight with a number of other bands but I think what we have together makes us really special.
Q9. What is on the horizon for pulses. in 2024?
Kevin: More music for sure; don’t think it’ll be another album but some little treat releases. More show dates, hopefully in new places and returning to some banger cities. More twitter shenanigans, I’m sure. Just more pulses. overall; we have no plans on slowing down our presence.
WITH SAILS AHEAD
Answered by Sierra Binondo
Q1. Could you please provide some background information on the band for readers who may not be familiar with you?
Our band With Sails Ahead is a post-hardcore band from New Jersey. We’ve been playing music and touring together since 2017. Our influences range from math rock to progressive metal. Our guitarist Josef Warner-Reyes self produced and engineered our upcoming album ‘Infinite Void’, from which we’ve now released two singles, “Darting Eyes” and now “Swear Words”.
Q2. What made you want to pursue making music?
We all grew up loving guitar-driven music very much and playing in bands. For me personally, I knew I wanted to play in bands when I heard VersaEmerge for the first time in 2009. My bandmates absolutely love prog rock like Rush and Karnivool, or metal like Avenged Sevenfold.
Q3. What are some of the band’s primary influences?
Our #1 primary influence and our namesake is Lower Definition. So we'll always tie our work back to that group. I wanted to start With Sails Ahead because of that band. But we would also say Chon, Protest the Hero, and Tricot.
Q4. How would you say the sound of the band or even yourselves personally and/or professionally have evolved since you started the band?
Our sound has morphed pretty drastically over the years. At the very beginning, when we didn't have the line-up we have now, it was very metalcore/melodic-hardcore inspired. Once we solidified our current line-up, that's when we started to develop the proggier side of our music. That part of our sound will always remain, but people are going to hear a wide spectrum of what we can do on ‘Infinite Void’, and we’re hoping to explore all of those sounds moving forward. When it comes to songwriting, Josef has written the bulk of our material, but now we’re shifting into a more evenly collaborative dynamic. Now, one of us will finish an idea or the skeleton of a song idea, and then the five of us will each add our own parts to it.
Q5. What are your ambitions for the band?
We want to tour internationally and make records together for a living, or for as long as we can. It has always been our vision, but we are self-funding everything we do, so when you balance that with cost of living expenses it feels like an unattainable goal. We want to make EPs, LPs, collaborate with friends, see the world, have our music in shows and video games we love— the sky’s the limit.
Q6. Talk to us about the recent single “Swear Words”—what’s it about, what can listeners who haven’t heard it expect, etc.?
“Swear Words” is a more melodic follow-up to our single “Darting Eyes”. It still has memorable guitar parts, but it’s a lot more pulled back than the songs we’ve released in the last three years. I started the song idea but once I got most of the song down, my bandmates helped me finish it and clean it up. It’s shamelessly a very Lower Definition-inspired track, but it’s also very pop-inspired. I wrote the lyrics three years ago about someone that I was in love with for a very long time. I have had very bad anxiety my entire life. So it was a tribute to him; how he loved me even though I was a chronic worrier. He constantly had to talk me off of a ledge whenever something went wrong. And I just wanted him to know it didn’t go unnoticed.
Q7. I read on your website you have a full-length planned for the spring of this year. What can you tell us about that without spoiling anything?
‘Infinite Void’ is our first full-length ever, and it has 13 songs. We tracked the entire record in Josef’s bedroom, save for a few reamping sessions elsewhere. We had August Axcelson (Freeze MF, ASkySoBlack, Kaonashi, Regrown) mix and Kris Crummett (Hail the Sun, Issues, Lower Definition) master it. It has features by our friends pulses. and our friend Kevin from the band Poeta. Every track sounds like a With Sails Ahead song, but they’re all totally unique from one another.
The common thread throughout the record’s lyrics is facing the “infinite void” that is our uncertain futures and the personal journey that you experience as a result. We’re all living in such a weird (I’d personally say terrible) timeline and tomorrow is neither certain nor promised. Still, we wake up each day and face it.
It took us so long to get this record done and it feels so good to finally be able to openly talk about it.
Q8. Should we be looking for a tour in support of that record?
1000%. We're going out this May with a band we have not toured with yet. We’re coming back to cities we love to play (Orlando, Nashville, all of Texas) and hitting some places we’ve never played before, too. After that run, we’re hoping to play as many shows as possible.
Q9. Speaking of tours, what are some of the most memorable shows or tours you’ve been a part of?
We have a recurring tour that we do with our best friends pulses. called Woodland Creatures. All of those runs have been incredible and memorable; it’s really hard to just pick one, but I think a huge Life Moment for all of us happened on WC3. The final show was with I Met a Yeti, Letters to Part and Holodeck at Will’s Pub in Orlando, which has become like a home away from home for all of us. We learned that there were so many people there to see the show that the line to get in was wrapped around the block. We’ve been touring with pulses. since 2019, so that was such an insane and validating experience.
Q10. Several years ago (actually an uncomfortably long time ago at this point is probably a better way to put it haha) a friend and I drove down to Asbury Park from Maine in a blizzard to see the Bouncing Souls and the World/Inferno Friendship Society at a venue whose name escapes me (I think it was by the beach). In talking to a few people after the show, the general sentiment was the local scene was pretty vibrant for not just punk but for alternative music in general. What’s the scene like these days?
That’s awesome! To be completely honest, the Asbury music scene is not what it was. Several venues have shut down, meanwhile the town is being overdeveloped with ugly condos and high rises. It feels like there's virtually no support for music to thrive. I think there are three venues left that are actually booking local artists. A lot of people have given up on trying to actively gig in Asbury, but hopefully something can change. I heard a rumor that a venue is opening up on Cookman Ave in an old gym so, fingers crossed. Shoutout to Salty’s Beach Bar, which is a venue in a town over called Belmar, which has really opened up to the community and become the new spot for shows across multiple genres.
Q11. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! Any parting words for our readers?
Thank you for reading this interview! Please support our band in this upcoming album release, anything helps. Pre-order ‘Infinite Void’ if you can, but if you can’t, literally just interacting with us on social media and posting our music helps us an incredible amount. We hope you’ll look forward to all of the new music we’re dropping this year and that we’ll see you at a show!
Stream "Swear Words": https://withsailsahead.ffm.to/swearwords
Pre-save 'Infinite Void': https://withsailsahead.ffm.to/infinitevoid
Pre-order 'Infinite Void': https://withsailsahead.com/merch
BONES OF MINERVA
Photograph Credit: Tumulus Design
Q1. For readers who may not be familiar with the band, could you please provide some background on yourselves—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?
We are a Spanish band formed by Eustaquia (singer), Ruth (guitar), Nerea (drums) and Chloé (bass). Our music is kind of like a chimera in that it has a lot of different elements to it (metal, progressive, alternative..), we just like to do whatever sounds good to us. We started playing together as teenagers around 2013 in Eustaquia’s basement (which was really fun) and in 2016 we recorded our first album, Blue Mountains (2017, La Rubia Producciones/ Nooirax). We are really grateful for the repercussion it had because we managed to play in the big festivals here in Spain like Download Fest Madrid and Resurrection Fest, and toured a lot over here. When the pandemic started we had to stop touring, so we could finally concentrate on writing our second album, Embers (2022, Aloud Music/La Rubia Producciones).
Q2. What made you want to form a band and pursue it in the manner that you have?
Ruth, Eustaquia and I (Chloé) have been friends since we were kids and always enjoyed similar music and wanted to have a band together and tour. We’ve always made music our priority and consider it our main job, although we all have side jobs to support ourselves. We all (including Nerea) are very lucky because we have very musical and supportive families and we could spend time learning how to play instruments and such.
Q3. What are some of your main influences?
Our influences have varied since we started the band, but Tool is one of the ones that have stayed with us since the beginning. Deftones, Mastodon or Gojira for example have influenced our music and other artists such as Florence and the Machine have influenced the vocals.
Q4. Your artwork—your albums’ cover art for example—is exceptional. Who is responsible for the concept and execution?
Thank you very much! We are really proud of the artwork of the band. Eustaquia and Ruth are both trained artists, Eustaquia is a tattoo artist and Ruth is an illustrator and comic colourist, and they’re responsible for all the art that we have in Bones, the covers and most of our T-shirt designs. They work a lot to be able to illustrate all that the band means to us in images and art. Although sometimes we like to take some work off their shoulders and work with other amazing artists like Rita Booh, Natalia Velarde or Álvaro Cubero.
Q5. You recently released “Sky.” Can you walk us through it a little bit—the themes you explore, the sound of it, etc.?
We’re currently working on writing our next album and are very excited! We wrote Sky because we wanted to release a song before the tour we had in October supporting Svalbard, so we got in the studio and recorded it very quickly. It was a very fun process; we mixed a lot of ideas and are very happy with how it turned out. We don’t know right now exactly how the new album is going to sound but we’re really excited with the writing process.
We released our last album Embers in 2022 and it’s an album where we explored different subjects and we kind of consolidated our sound and the type of songs that we wanted to write moving forward. In this album there are more atmospheric songs, more metal-y ones and more progressive ones. Some of the songs of that album were recorded during lockdown in 2020 so there’s that at-home-locked aspect where you use day to day elements to get inspired, like Merula, which started from a birds’ song. Other songs are about grief and loss, and some are about hope and fighting for what you want and never giving up. A mix of everything haha, but in the end that’s what Bones of Minerva is, we all bring different and personal aspects to the music.
Q6. What was the writing and recording process for that album like?
Embers had a different writing process because we wrote almost all of it during the pandemic. Ruth, Eustaquia and I (Chloé) were roommates at the time so we could get together to play and write music, but Nerea was living in a different province so even when the lockdown ended, restrictions meant the four of us couldn’t rehearse together and write new music in person. We'd write a basic "skeleton" of a song and share it over Telegram with the others so everyone could chip in and bring their own elements to the song. Some songs were written completely by one person, others started as a riff and everyone contributed parts of it… We didn’t really have just one way to do things. It was intense but very interesting and we had to think more about each song and what we brought to the table to make life easier for the others.
We recorded it at Metropol Studios here in Madrid and we decided with our producer, Alex Cappa, to record it live. All of us except Eustaquia were in one big room, and she was in a smaller room next to us separated by a glass window. It was basically like we were playing together in our rehearsal space. It was a very interesting and enriching experience but it was also very demanding. You want to play your part perfectly, but you also have to listen to your bandmates and pay attention to them. You see them looking at you and everyone is focused on their own playing but also on listening to the others and supporting them when everything gets too overwhelming.
Q7. How has your sound and your approach to the band changed since you began?
I would say that we’re more mature now; we know what we want and how we want it. We’ve found our sound and even if we like to have outside opinions, we’re the masters of our band and our sound and that’s never going to change.
Q8. What are some of the most memorable shows or festivals you’ve played or tours you’ve been a part of?
Last summer we played at ArcTanGent and it was a dream come true! It was amazing, we got to play at one of our favorite festivals and got to meet a lot of amazing people. It was part of a tour in the UK for 10 days which was really intense but so cool. And then, thanks to playing in the festival, we met our current booker and went on tour supporting Svalbard in Germany and France and it was so awesome. We enjoyed it a lot and we have learned a lot too.
I (Chloé) personally would say that playing Resurrection Fest in 2019 was the moment where I finally realized that this was going the right way and we were achieving all that we had worked so hard for. It was also the first big festival where I went as a teenager (with Ruth and Eustaquia too haha) so being able to play on a stage that I had known for almost 9 years at that time was amazing.
Q9. What are some of the future plans of and/or directions you’d like to take for Bones of Minerva?
We’re currently working on our next album (hopefully it will be out later this year!) and we will be touring in Spain and Europe this spring. We can’t wait to go back to the UK and hopefully play in many new places.
SHOTS FIRED
Q1. Could you please provide some background on the band for our readers—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?
About a decade ago, a rock and pop academy near Antwerp (Belgium) launched a band-coaching endeavor with the goal of bringing together four to five musicians united by their love for rock music. Within a year, our band took shape, initially with a completely different lineup, with only founder Eric (rhythm guitar) remaining from those early days. At the start, we delved into rock cover songs, but our band coach soon encouraged us in crafting our own lyrics and melodies. Over the years, amidst changes in band members, and the tumult of events like the pandemic and reboots, the latest version of Shots Fired emerged. This is the climax of what Shots Fired was always meant to sound like!
After some detours, Jon (guitar) and Eddy (bass) joined the band pretty much during the pandemic. Each with their unique input that lifted the level again. And Nieke has been our frontlady since early 2023. She adds extra colour to that unique Shots Fired sound. Our drummer Eric (yes, another Eric😃 ) also joined us in early 2023 and we have been unstoppable ever since. This is where Shots Fired should always have been.
Q2. What made you want to pursue making music?
The indescribable passion we share for music ignites something magical when we take the stage together. From the very first notes in our new band formation, we felt it. Our energy resonates with audiences, provoking super cool reactions wherever we go. While making music is a personal journey, driven by the need to release the creative energy within, sharing it with an audience elevates it to an incredible passion. Those goosebump-inducing moments when people groove to our sounds, sing along with the lyrics, or approach us afterward to express their gratitude... they're simply heavenly.
Our original frontwoman wrote our debut track "New Life," a song that we still play live to this day. Eric fondly recalls the magical moment when her lyrics seamlessly melded with his music for the first time. This synergy sparked inspiration for further songwriting, leading to the creation of "Dark Road," although in a different style from its current version. Today, our songwriting process is more collaborative, with each member bringing their unique influences, styles, and emphases to the table. While Eric still has a huge part in the lyrical aspect, our creative journey has evolved into a collective endeavor.
Q3. What are some of the influences on Shots Fired’s sound?
Our distinctive sound is a product of our diverse influences in rock music, each member bringing their unique style of playing to gigs and reheasals. When we collaborate on a song, everyone contributes what they feel, and together we refine the sound until each member is satisfied with their contribution. You could say we are a mixture of grunge, rock with some punk spice. Garbage meets Pretty Reckless and Hole.
Q4. You have some new music—tell us about that!
In January, we unveiled our debut single to the world: "Girl Down". Towards the end of last year, we went into the studio with Frank Rotthier, a seasoned sound engineer well-known in our region. With his expertise, he skillfully captured our distinctive sound and offered invaluable producer insights along the way.
"Girl Down" often kicks off our set, brimming with vibrant energy despite its darker undertones, addressing resilience in the face of adversity. It’s a theme you’ll often find in our songs. The human resilience and skill at crawling out of the deepest valleys by yourself.
Our next single, "Dark Road", is set to drop on February 14th, followed by "Unbreakable" on March 13th. Please do pre-save them ;-) via www.linktr.ee/ShotsFiredAntwerp
Q5. You recently played a live set for Radio Benelux—what was that like and how did that come about?
Our close friend, Evy Wilbers, hosts her own program on Radio Benelux called "The Belgian/Dutch Rockumentary," where she exclusively features songs by Belgian and Dutch rock and metal bands. Around six years ago, Evy attended one of our early shows and immediately sensed the potential of Shots Fired. She continued to follow our journey, and last year, she extended an invitation for a live performance and interview on Radio Benelux. Listening to the interview, it's clear that we had an incredible time sharing our story with her audience.
Q6. What would you say is the most challenging part of being in a band and what is the most rewarding?
The greatest challenge lies in crafting songs that set Shots Fired apart from other bands, cultivating our unique style and sound. As we've grown closer as friends, there's nothing more fulfilling than taking the stage together, showcasing our music. The process of writing new material collaboratively and witnessing a song evolve into its final form is an incredibly rewarding experience for all of us.
Q7. What’s on the horizon for Shots Fired—more new music, shows, etc.?
The future looks better than ever for Shots Fired. For instance, we will soon play at a two-day festival on 'female violence day' together with big names like COBRASPELL and GIRLSCHOOL. They are all role models for us. Sharing the stage with such legends is a dream come true! Bookings are going very well, we will be releasing more of our recordings during the year, and we are working on some new stuff. Soon we will announce another important festival. And hopefully, by the summer of 2024, we can also play at the typical Belgian one-day festivals. Or, who knows, even across Europe.
So people will learn more about our music, and hopefully we will see them at our shows.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fenMm1qjckngHbRSkYQVW?si=dQsfQ8LKRm-C_GF4lO5Yaw
Pre-save links:
DARK ROAD (release 14th feb): https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/shotsfired4/dark-road
UNBREAKABLE: (release 13th mar): https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/shotsfired4/unbreakable
SHORELINE
Answered by Hansol Seung
Q1. Can you please provide for our readers who may not be familiar with you a little background on the band—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?
We’re a four piece band from Münster, Germany and we formed late 2015 / played our first show in 2016. Shoreline are deeply rooted in the DIY punk and hardcore scene of Germany, we spent a good amount of our early twenties playing squats, house shows and record stores all across Europe/UK.
Q2. How did the band come together and what made you want to really pursue it in the way that you have?
All of us played in other bands before we formed SHORELINE, but it was the first time when everyone was on the same page musically and equally invested. All we wanted to do is tour as much as possible. We even did a full Europe and UK Tour when we just had two shitty demos out on youtube (nowhere else and that was 2016 haha). Christoph (who is playing bass) joined the band 3 years ago, when our old bassist decided to quit. We just take it from release to release to be honest, thankfully more and more people seem to be into it every time, so we just keep going and try to see how far we can take it.
Q3. What would you say are the band’s influences?
When we started, we were heavily influenced by punk of the 2000s and late 90s, everything from Fat Wreck to Epitaph, especially Strike Anywhere, The Flatliners etc.
That changed over time when we got more into emo and hardcore and that’s apparently where our band sits stylistically, so I’d say we’re now more inspired by bands such as Title Fight, Drug Church, Citizen. Julius and I, who are the main songwriters also listen to loads of rap and pop music, so those influences start appearing in our music in a more or less subtle way.
Q4. You have an album coming out in February via Pure Noise Records. How did making that your “label home” come about?
Our manager used to do a lot of PR for the label in Germany for a couple years, so they had a good relationship. It’s a pretty “boring” story from there haha, Jake liked the record, we had a couple calls and chats and we signed to the label. They’ve been really really good to us, everyone is very invested in the band and try to make good things happen for us, although we are one of the smallest acts on their roster.
Q5. What was the writing and recording process for the album like?
It was very different than usual for this record, because we recorded everything ourselves in our own studio that we’ve built during covid. Chris Teti (Silver Bullet Studios) co produced it per remote and he also mixed it. It was very challenging, going from recording our previous records in a professional studio to doing it ourselves was scary. I can honestly say that I think that this is our best sounding record so far and we are extremely proud that we were able to pull it off.
Q6. The song “Seoul,” which I believe is to appear on the record, is out now. Can you talk to us a little about what that song is about?
Thanks for asking about this one, it’s one of my favourites of the record!
I am talking about my experiences as a German-Asian. We started talking about this on the last record already (GROWTH 2022, End Hits Records), but the approach was a very different one. It’s much more introspective and realizing what my cultural heritage is, trying to unlearn internalized stereotypes that I did not reflect before and connecting with other Asian kids, trying to enter and create a community.
Q7. What are some of the near future plans for Shoreline?
We’ll tour a bunch this year, we got 4 tours confirmed alone for the first half of 2024. A goal would be touring more outside of Europe, let’s see how that works out.
TORPOR
Answered by Simon Mason
Q1. If you would, please provide some context for readers who may not be familiar with you—where you’re from, when you formed, your sound, etc.
Hi there! We’re TORPOR from Bristol & Wales in the UK. We formed in 2012 and we play music that reflects our combined influences & artistic ventures, which seems to come out as an amalgam of doom/ sludge & post metal.
Q2. I first got into doom and post-metal in the mid-2000s with bands that were local to me in Maine in Ocean and Conifer and some of the much more well-known acts like Pelican, and sludge and post-rock around the same time. This is not “easy” music. I’m curious as to what drew you to the “slow-burn”: What were your entry points and what are some of Torpor’s influences?
We’re from a similar age group, so we were all listening to the bands you listed as well as ISIS and Neurosis at that time as well as Will Haven, Torche & Floor. Mono played a part in our lives as well as the post hardcore scene of the time Planes Mistaken for Stars & These Arms are Snakes being a big part of that for both myself and Lauren. There’s a lot of trip-hop in our early influences (Portishead & Massive Attack etc.) as well. We’re all drawn to good riffs and hooks. songs that resonate on a personal level and speak to our soul. So I guess the answer to your question is that we find parity and a deep connection to slower, drawn out songs. Music with grit and a sense that you can feel the music rather than something that is consumed in a shuffled playlist.
Q3. What made you want to pursue making music?
This is an interesting question. If I really dig down into it, I would say that it was the sense of community that drew me to becoming a musician. Hanging out with people, improving your craft and spending time in the practice room used to be an escape from a fairly complicated and messy life in the early years for me. These days, the community aspect is the primary driver.
Q4. Your album Abscission came out a few months ago—talk to us about the record’s sound, theme(s), and what you were seeking to convey.
The album grew from a place of personal loss and disappearance, and became an exploration of the different spaces opening up within us. Our main guiding principle through the writing and recording was the idea of this psychological journey, and how through our individual processes of meditation, contemplation and catharsis, loss and identity are transformed. We've always worked by allowing our experiences to converge into something new - Abscission is our collective dialogue of rupture and renewal.
Abscission refers to the natural cycle of trees shedding their leaves from Autumn into Winter. Specifically, the process of cutting off and letting go; part of the cycle of maturity and renewal which is reflected sonically and structurally by the flow of the five slow-burning meditations that make up this record. To quote Katherine May in ‘Wintering’, "The tree is waiting. It has everything ready... It is far from dead. It will not burst into life in the spring. It will just put on a new coat and face the world again."
Q5. I read on your Bandcamp that a percentage of the proceeds of the record would be going to a mental health charity. Could you tell us a little about how this came about, about the charity itself, and why this is so important to you?
Honestly, we have all struggled with our mental health for our own personal reasons. These experiences have forced us to reflect on our existence and made change and self exploration completely necessary. Society in its current form is hostile to existence. We're all made to feel as though anxiety or depression are abnormal reactions to being asked to cope with the endless battles we all fight on a daily basis. The charity we chose is called Second Step who are a Bristol based mental health charity who provide essential community support and we feel they are best placed to receive the funds we hope to raise from sales.
Q6. How would you say Torpor has evolved—musically and/or yourselves personally—since you began?
Well we are all 11 years older than we were when we first started out. So that’s an obvious one. I feel as though over the four releases the biggest change was between the first album (From Nothing, Comes Everything) to the split EP we did with Sonance (RIP). We were always getting darker in our sound, the vocalist we had on that first release added their influence to our sound, but after they left we just went forward and found ourselves where we are today. Evolution and incremental improvement is what life is all about. Abscission is reflective of that.
Q7. What does the future hold for Torpor?
We are playing Cvlt Fest (UK) in February, Roadburn Festival (NL) in April, Doom Lines Festival (UK) in July, ArcTanGent Festival (UK) in August and hoping to arrange a tour of Europe & Scandinavia which we are currently working on. We hope to add a few more festivals to that list as well. So if anyone reading this is around for any of the above hopefully we see you soon!
BODY PRISON
Q1. Can you provide some background on the band for our readers who aren’t familiar with you? Where you’re from, when you formed, that sort of thing?
We're based out of Melbourne, Australia, although our drummer Frankie is from Sardinia. The band came together around mid 2022, I (Tom) reached out to our vocalist (Dmac) with a handful of songs I had written over the months since finishing up with my last project. After that I hit up our now bassist (Nick) to be our 2nd guitarist but he opted to fill the shoes on bass instead, Nick also put us in touch with a killer drummer (Frankie) and before we knew it our lineup was sorted.
Q2. What are some of the primary influences on Body Prison’s sound?
Honestly we all have relatively differing tastes in music, with a large common ground in the deathcore/deathmetal genres. Bands like Humanity's Last Breath, Cattle Decapitation, Anaal Nathrakh, Full Of Hell, Frontierer and Tony Tapdance Extravaganza cover a large spread of the musical influence and we let Dmac do his thing on vocals!
Q3. You recently released your debut full-length UNTIL MADNESS. What was the writing and recording process like?
Until Madness came together pretty naturally, by the time we had played our first show in April of 2023 over 75% of the record was complete! Generally our writing process is started off by me writing in the studio, developing ideas before bringing them to the guys. Although tracks like Rumination and a few unreleased new ones the guys had given me writing prompts of themes/ideas and I'd put my own interpretation on them!
Q4. Can you walk us through the record a little? What are some of what you’d identify as highlights? Are there thematic through-lines, things you were looking to express or communicate?
Lyrically Dmac has made this record rather personal to his own struggles, touching on the subjects of mental health, grief, anger, and using the music to try and release those emotions. Musically some of the tracks are quite claustrophobic in their pacing (eg; Tunnel Vision and Until Madness) where we tried to keep the unrelenting vibe going for as long as possible before a brief moment to drop the tension. Tracks like Dysmorphia are more of a melodic side of the band, which we're exploring further in new material!
Q5. There are a number of remixes at the end of the record. Tell us about those.
The remixes were done by our friend Daniel Barnett (AILL), who previously played in a band with Nick. Nick reached out to Dan one day asking if he'd be keen on doing a remix of Dogma, which quickly turned into Dan remixing 4 tracks. We let Dan take the wheel with the remixes and he came back delivering the goods!
Q6. What makes a great breakdown?
Sick fight riffs, massive bassdrops, pitch shifting guitars down to indecipherable nonsense tunings and ringy snares.
Q7. Who would you say are the “Big Four” of Australian metal?
Currently or in the past?
Current; Parkway Drive, Polaris, Alpha Wolf and Make Them Suffer
Past; Red Shore x4
Q8. What’s on the horizon for Body Prison? Shows, tours, etc.?
We're keeping our heads down and have been writing a bunch of new music to hopefully release over the course of 2024. As far as shows go we have a couple booked already and are keen as to get touring when the time is right!
BLIGHT TOWN
Q1. For readers who may not be familiar with you, could you please provide a little background on the band—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.? How did the band come together and what made you want to really pursue it in the way that you have?
Sure thing! We’re from Nottingham and we formed about 4 years ago, but more like 3 considering our first year was during the pandemic. Jake, Sam, Will and Scott have been playing music together casually since they were like 16, but never actually formed a band together until our previous projects all kind of broke up at the same time and we just kind of went; “Well, guess we have no excuse now.” We picked up Joe shortly later and that’s where we’re at now!
Q2. How would you describe Blight Town’s sound? What are some of the band’s primary influences?
We like progression, technicality and catchy song writing. It’s rare for us to stick to one sound for long, even during a single song. We’re a very mixed bag but some shared favourites are Deftones, Circa Survive, The Fall of Troy, Say Anything and Tera Melos.
Q3. You recently released the single “Pipe Dream.” Talk to us about the sound, the video, and the song’s meaning.
Pipe Dream is probably our poppiest song to date, it actually has repeating sections! The song is about how demoralising the music industry can be from the perspective of a musician and how it can really eat away at your resolve, but that ultimately we do what we do for the simple fact that we love doing it.
Q4. Can you walk us through the contents of your most recent prior release in 2022’s It Lives…? What was the focus of that particular set of songs?
Sure. Our first EP was super technical and progressive and after that we felt like we wanted to write with more of a focus on traditional songwriting. Love that first release but the tracks on “It Lives…” feel more like “songs” if that makes sense?
Q5. How would you say the band has evolved from its beginnings to now?
We are definitely more of a collaborative effort now. There was a point where Sam would write pretty much all of the song structures and Jake would write all of the lyrics. Our recent stuff Joe has written some guitar for and Sam and Will both have some lead vocals parts! I think we’re all a little longer in the tooth now too and a little more understanding of how this being in a band thing works.
Q6. What are some things going on in the near future for the band (releases, shows, etc)?
We have a tour coming up this February with the amazing Blue Eyed Giants and some more shows with some really special guests later in the year. As for new music, it might be coming sooner than you think…
Q7. Is there a vision for the band’s future or some longer-term goals you are aiming for?
To be honest, we feel so grateful that our music seems to mean something to people, we started this band because we’re weirdos playing weirdo music and to see other people getting behind it means the world. We want to take that to as many people as possible and hopefully they love our music as much as we love writing it.