In this interview, Amnesiak takes us through their unique sound's inception in 2020, the thematic inspirations behind tracks, collaborations, and the challenges faced in creating chilling narratives.
1.Congratulations
on the release of your self-titled EP! Can you share the inspiration behind
forming Amnesiak and the journey from its inception to the recent release?
Thank you! We
wanted to come out with a unique blend of sound, it took a long process and
many collaborations, we have been working on this idea from 2020.
We wrote
and recorded nine songs for a total of two EPs before we came out with the
final 4 tracks. Harm’s Way recalls the concept behind our EP Amnesiak.
The
dramatic story that repeats each time a life of an innocent is taken away by a
murderer.
Any person taken away from this world is a drama not to be ignored and it doesn’t matter when and how it happens.
2. "Harm's Way" is a powerful track with a haunting video. Can you
delve into the creative process behind the song and the concept for the music
video?
Harm’s Way is the last track of the EP and we wrote it thinking to make a track that would resume the entire EP concept, which has been the guide for the creative process of the video.
3. The EP covers dark and intense themes. How do you approach songwriting to
convey such heavy subject matter, and what message do you hope listeners take
away from your music?
There are
places and situations in this world and some realities which are hidden from
our everyday routine. We can just get an idea of the dark aspects of those
realities through movies, TV, socials, etc.. We thought to bring out these dark
and intense themes through our music.
Our message is to be aware that darkness hides in our everyday routine and it can come out in any moment and surprise us.
4. Your music video for "Harm's Way" was directed by Kassandra
Powell, a UK Music Video Awards nominee. How did the collaboration come about,
and how do visuals contribute to your storytelling as a band?
We got in touch with a photographer to discuss a photo session and she suggested Kassandra to us. We wanted an intense horror video and the fact that we acted in it made everything more exciting and coherent to our idea in drowning ourselves into the story behind the song and our music project concept.
5. The EP's first track, "Worms of the Mind," deals with
Delusional Parasitosis Disorder. How did you capture the essence of this mental
illness in your music, and what kind of impact do you hope it has on listeners?
Grace came
out with the idea and funny enough in Francesco’s house there was a book left
behind by someone that use to live there, about this mental condition and so
everything was served to us and the idea of “Worms Of the Mind” just came out from
there. We just wanted once again to
remind to the listener that we live in a very fragile bubble, and so, is our
mind.
6. "Elizabeth's Pleasure" draws inspiration from Elizabeth Bathory. How did her historical atrocities influence the creative process of the song, and what challenges did you face in portraying such a dark figure musically?
These
horrific events can reflect in our days if we just compare it to war crimes.
It’s not like watching a movie and feel confortable with it because we know
that it is on a screen or far from our reality, the creative process starts in
the moment when you think that it’s close and real and set your mind in that
situation feeling the chills, the horror and discomfort.
The challenge is to create that atmosphere with the music and make it sound dramatic and horrible but create a kind of musical exorcism and relieve too.
7. "Morbid Bride" tells the story of a victim tortured by a serial
killer. How do you balance storytelling with the intensity of the music, and
what emotions do you aim to evoke in the listeners with this track?
Inspired by
a true story this song describes the agony and the last few hours of a victim
tortured and dressed up by the killer as a bride, before he kills her.
The serial
killer keeps the corpses of his victims under the floorboards of his house, and
she is next.
It again could be a everyday situation ended dramatically and repeated by the killer to quench his thirsty mutated mind. Darkness is around the corner.
8. "Harm's Way" is dedicated to a woman who was sexually abused
and killed by a stalker. How does the band approach creating music that
addresses such sensitive and real-world issues, and what role does empathy play
in your songwriting?
We imagined to be the victim and anyone close to the murdered.. We grabbed a pen and a guitar and wrote what we saw and what we felt.. mixed with our surrounding.. London has many dark stories..
9. The EP features Mark Gemini Thwaite on guitar and Matthew Setzer on bass.
How did their contributions shape the overall sound of the EP, and what
dynamics did they bring to the collaborative process?
Mark and Matthew played on the last two tracks of the EP, ‘Morbid Bride’ and Harm’s Way. Amnesiak is a progression from absence of light to dark visions. They both brought pure energy giving the EP powerful vibes.
10. Amnesiak emerged during the lockdown in 2020. How has this unique period
influenced your music, and what challenges or advantages did you face as a band
starting out in such circumstances?
We had the project in mind for a while and the lockdown seemed like the perfect time to make it happen. Our hometown is London, it’s a huge crazy city and it can be very quiet too, a place where you can hide and isolate yourself very easily anytime. You can be anonymous and disappear, and no one would realise. People here are busy with a thousand of things and the frantic lifestyle takes away the sense of time and space. London like the lockdown can be your best friend and the worse enemy.. you really need to know how to deal with it. We though to use both things in the most positive way, and so we used our connections and made new ones online which we had the pleasure to meet in person once the lockdown was finished. The positive side of all that time was the chance to stop and think about your potentials and skills and use it in the best way possible.
11. The
EP captures a chilling alternative rock sound. How do you see Amnesiak's sound
evolving in the future, and are there specific directions or experiments you're
eager to explore in upcoming releases?
No plans we will follow our instinct as we did with ‘Amnesiak’. For sure we like to research and evolve so expect something different but coherent to our concept and sound.
12. What's on the horizon for Amnesiak? Any upcoming projects,
collaborations, or plans for taking your music to a wider audience?
First of
all live shows, for sure there will be new collaborations with very special
guests. We are aiming to reach out to people through tours and festivals. Watch
this space!!
Musique | Anmesiak (bandcamp.com)
AMNESIAK (@amnesiakband) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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