Interviews Jacob Oliver Interviews Jacob Oliver

SIDESTEP

Answers by Nils, Guitar

Q1. Could you please provide some background information on the band for those readers who may not be familiar with you—where you’re from, when you formed, etc.?

All of us are from around the Gothenburg area in Sweden. We actually know each other from being part of the competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee scene, attending local tournaments and meetups. The name “Sidestep” is taken from a move in the game (also called spotdodge, which doesn’t sound as cool though).

The first seed for the band was planted when I asked John, the drummer, if he wanted to jam around early 2018. I was into metal, and I knew he was obsessed with this niche punk subgenre called “hardcore” which I agreed to playing. Eventually he came up with the idea that we should form a band consisting entirely of smash players, and so we did. It wasn’t very serious to begin with, and most of us were newcomers to the punk scene.

We recorded a demo in our rehearsal space and released it in 2020 just before covid hit. When we started playing local shows after the restrictions were lifted the scene in Gothenburg really started popping off, and we realized that we had the potential to actually be a serious band and not just a fun project. Since then we’ve been fully sucked into the hardcore vortex.

Q2. How would you describe the band’s sound? Who are some of your primary influences?

Madball was definitely the main influence in the beginning. It’s one of John’s all-time favorite bands and was my first proper introduction to hardcore. We ended up with a groovy sound which wasn’t very prevalent in Swedish hardcore at the time. Since then we’ve added more and more of a hip-hop influence which is largely due to the fact that the singer, Hugo, is a huge old school hip-hop nerd. Our music has also been influenced by hardcore bands such as Trapped Under Ice, Cold World, and Fury of Five.

Q3. What was it about hardcore that attracted you to it?

The largest thing for me was definitely the live shows and sense of community in the local scene. Shows are always crazy, everyone involved are dope, and people really care about the scene and writing good hardcore.

One thing that attracts me musically to hardcore is the conciseness of the music. Hardcore bands often understand not to overstay their welcome, both when it comes to the length of individual tracks as well as live performances. With Sidestep we think a lot about how we can make the songs “all killer no filler”, without any boring bloat.

 

Q4. Talk to us about the new record—what was the writing and recording process like, what themes do you explore, what can people who haven’t heard it expect?

The riffs are pretty much written 50-50 between me and John. Songs are often completed in our rehearsal space, where the band collectively discusses how the songs should be put together and what the lyrics should be. After we had all songs lined out for the record, we reiterated everything for a while, making minor improvements here and there. Then we booked a studio time at Hoborec and went on an intense and somewhat anxiety-ridden rehearsal grind to make sure we were good enough. Recording was very fun but also nervous. We recorded everything in four days, living and sleeping in the studio. At the end, we were definitely satisfied with the result.

Lyrically, a lot of songs are just about hardcore being sick as fuck. Others are about dumb topics such as Gothenburg being cold, or not being able to decide what food to order. The song “Muscle Memory” is homage to our roots, Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Musically it’s mostly very groovy with quite a lot of hip-hop influences. Lots of 2-step with some heavier mosh parts spread out. We also venture outside our comfort zone with some songs, such as the punky “Fuck You (Not Me)” and the positive “Hoodie Up”, which is basically a pop song. Overall, I think it’s a pretty “wide” record that still has a unique identity.

Q5. What would be your dream lineup of bands or artists to share the stage with that you have not had a chance to?

TUI and E-Town Concrete.

 

Q6. Do you feel like hardcore is in a good place right now? Are there some bands from Sweden or beyond we should be looking out for?

I feel like it’s in a very good place. The Gothenburg scene is bonkers, and there are tons of great bands globally. From Sweden, you should especially look out for Bulls Shitt, Speedway and Xiao, all of which have upcoming LPs around the corner. There’s also the band Pipe Dream in which I’m the singer, which will soon release its debut LP of heavy metal-inspired hardcore.

  

Q7. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Any last words or a parting message for the readers?

Thanks for having us! Don’t forget to check out all the sick Swedish bands. And if you’re on tour, you should hit up Moral Panic and come play in Gothenburg. You won’t regret it.

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Interviews Jacob Oliver Interviews Jacob Oliver

REEBZ

REEBZ joins to make a special announcement and to talk about the exciting frontier of drum n’ bass metal, the power of building community around values, and more!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REEBZuk

Instagram: https://instagram.com/reebz_uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/REEBZ_uk

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reebz_uk?_t=8nxbL4X8GBc&_r=1

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2cUSgme8otbeKGRDl6xm1t?si=aASTdh1fTCqSVJDIbkLW1g

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/reebz/1596188243

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCDrx6kjFKTVyRUCwNtI2GDg

https://hypeddit.com/rbz-thanatosis

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Interviews Jacob Oliver Interviews Jacob Oliver

ICYKAL

UK rapper, South London Film Festival Winner, artist manager, and co-founder of Southeast London Pride Icykal joins for this incredible interview about her music, her work, the importance of having real conversations, and beyond!

Insta: @icykal

Tik Tok: @icykalofficial

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Interviews Jacob Oliver Interviews Jacob Oliver

WORST DOUBT

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.?

Jacob (Guitars) : Hey man, thanks for the interview ! The band started in 2014. We’re from Paris. Hugo (singer) and Emile (drums) used to play together in a beatdown band called Backboned. After the band split up, they created Worst Doubt. Different line up back then but the plan was to play straight up New York Hardcore. Since that time, we released two demos, a LP and an EP. Our style has changed a bit, but we still see ourselves as a glorified NYHC band with metal influences.   

Q2. Who are some of the band’s primary influences?

In the beginning of the bands, we were super into the og NY bands from the late 90’s / early 2000 (Dmize, EGH, Bulldoze, Merauder, Kickback…) but also the more “modern” ones like TUI, King Nine, Soul Search. Since that time, we also add some more metal influences, mostly Death Metal as it’s a genre we dig a lot. Bands like early Suffocation, Dying Fetus and their side projects, Pyrexia, early Gojira. We fuck a lot with the Hardcore bands that mix those two genres, like Irate, Terror Ave, All Out War, etc.  I think you can hear it on Immortal Pain.

Q3. Your EP Immortal Pain was recently released—what was the writing and recording process like, and what can listeners who haven’t heard it yet expect?

Pretty much the same writing process since the start of the band. Hugo, our singer, is the main songwriter in the band. Most of the time when he has ideas, he records pre productions, send it and we discuss what’s to keep / what’s to change until everyone fuck with it. Some of the songs of the ep were already written during the Extinction (our first LP) writing sessions.

Regarding the recording, we worked again with our friends Max (from Rixe) at Chateau Vergogne Studio. He’s a great producer and he knows how we work so it was a no brainer to call him again. We recorded the ep in a weekend and ask Cody from Sanguisugabogg / Volcano to mix / master it. We love his bands and the records he produced and felt like his style was a good choice for the direction we aimed for, which was mostly like “we want this ep to sound like a 90’s Death Metal demo”. Some people hated it but it is what it is haha. We love it, that’s all that matters.

I think it’s a straighter forward record than our LP imo, but if u fuck with that “in your face” type of Mosh Metal, people should give it a spin.

 

Q4. What are some of the themes you explore on the EP?

Theme wise, it’s the logical continuity of the LP lyrics. Personal struggle, social dynamics criticism, poser shaming, you name it. We also have a song with 10+ featuring from a lot of friends from the Paris Scene which is your classical ignorant “my city is better than yours, fuck you” type of song and was super fun to do.

 

Q5. For American listeners, the EP was released via DAZE. How did that relationship come about?

When we were talking with Cody during the mix session, he told us “That’s the kind of shit that Lumpy (from Daze) would fuck with. I just sent him a track, you sould send him the whole EP when it’s done.” Which we did. He actually fucked with it and he was already familiar with the band, he was down to do a co release with BDHW. He’s a great dude and has one of the most exciting roster at the moment imho so we’re super happy to work with him. Plus, he’s one of the few US hardcore labels that actually give a fuck about euro bands.

Q6. Some of your members also play in Headbussa, recently on the road with Knocked Loose and Deafheaven and then out in Asia with Last Wishes. What were those touring experiences like and does Worst Doubt plan to hit the road in the near future?

Yeah 3 of us plays in HB (Hugo, Emile and Baptiste, our guitarist). I was lucky enough to do merch for them on that tour and it was really dope. Awesome conditions, rock star tour bus, sold out big clubs almost every night. And everybody was really nice to us. S/o to Knocked Loose for picking up Headbussa,  S/o Deafheaven for being awesome people. We were sharing the bus with them and we had tons of fun. It was really far from the DIY style type of tour we’re used to, great experience. I wasn’t in Asia but they loved it as well. People there were super welcoming, crazy moshers. SE Asia / Japan have a great scene.

Regarding Worst Doubt, we all have been super busy with our different projects but we just did a French run with our friends with Sorcerer (great band, check them out) that was really dope, as it can be tricky to do only French shows for bands. We wanted to play a only French run for some while now and are super happy with how it went. Now, we’re mostly working on some stuff that we can’t talk about yet but cool news should be announced soon for late summer / end of the year, so keep your eyes peeled. 

Q7. Who are some other artists/bands on the scene we should be paying attention to?

They are so many atm but I really fuck with the Glasgow scene (Despize, NBE, Hellbound, DOP…), our friends in Take It In Blood, Sorcerer, Corruption Pact, Citrus, Dig in Wretch, Broken Ankles are also dope and you should check them out.

Q8. Is there anything else on the horizon for the band or any other things you want to tell our readers about?

We working on bringing our asses to places where we never been yet, so that’s the main focus right now. We’ll also probably try to write a new LP next year. Some of us also play in a new band called Severed (Worst Doubt / Headbussa members). We recorded a demo so hopefully it ll be out soon.

Thanks for the interest and all the best with your zine.

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