Tell us about:

Your latest single you have released:

That would be “Shining,” which is the opening track on our album, “THE ROPES” – but was composed and recorded last, so it does a good job at capturing the essence of the contrasts we like to have in our music : it’s catchy but emotionally intense, it’s powerful but with a lot of texture, and it has light and shade – we’re not into “pedal-to-the-metal-all-the-way,” we believe every good song, good album and good gig should take you on a trip, with variations, to keep you hooked and interested. You can find the video on YouTube easily.

Your first single and how you felt when it was released:

It was called “Take the Money and Run” and we made it in 2016. It’s one of our signature tunes – we’re still very proud of it but, being a bunch of anal perfectionists, we ended up re-recording it for release on the album, with a new arrangement that sounds more like us. And with David on the bass – he wasn’t there when we made the first version, although he is in the video (which was made right after he joined).

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

You’re asking us to choose between our children. Not gonna happen. I’ll tell you, though – the one we worked the HARDEST on is “Again;” it’s a very intricate blend of rock instruments and sequences, with a fairly metronomic beat – and it took FOURTEEN mixes for us to be happy with it. Yvan Barone (our producer and recording man) had warned us it would be a nightmare, and Brian Robbins (who did the mixing) can confirm ☺. But we’re extremely proud of the result – it sounds like a blend between early 90’s Depeche Mode and something Royal Blood could have done.

Your favourite song to play live:

I’m torn between “In troubled Times” – which we open with, so it’s associated with that really addictive feeling of stage fright just before we kick it off, especially as we play it with a really long, cinematic kind of intro; and “Chrome” – which is probably the closest thing we play to a pure metal song; it has that really dark, cathartic energy – we get sort of trance-like when we play it. 

Your most emotional track:

Probably “Forever and a Day.” It starts off really intimate – in both a highly sexual and very sad sort of way, and then it has that really dramatic strings arrangement and epic power-ballad-styled solo that elevates it into something that lives in the same room as “Nothing else matters.” At least in our minds. Did I just compare us to Metallica ? Oh, the arrogance.

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

Extreme terror and extreme desire. At the same time. And a rock-solid confidence in each other. 

The hardest track to play live:

We have an all-acoustic cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” which demands unbelievable amounts of focus, as well as a kick-ass sound engineer, to do justice to the song and our intention for it. That’s what’s both exciting and scary about unplugged stuff – can’t hide behind the loudness.

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

Ultimate Ears custom-made in-ear monitors.

Describe your fans in three words:

Wives, kids, friends. Nah, joking. Passionate, friendly, intense.

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

Depends on the band member and changes everyday. Today for me it’s “Read my mind” by The Killers. Pure post-punk-revival perfection : sad and irresistible at the same time, with a sound somewhere between early New Order and 90’s U2. And Brandon’s voice.

What we can look forward to from your band this year:

The first album continues to get those fab reviews – so we’re working on the second one to prove to ourselves we can do even better. But we’re horrible perfectionists so not sure WHEN you get to hear the results. “This year ?” Maybe. Maybe not.