Formed in 2013, Turkish neo-grunge band Kirpi blends 90s rock with progressive elements. With two albums, their music reflects political unrest and creative evolution.
1. Kirpi was formed in
2013, and you released your first album Nöbet in 2017. Looking back, how would
you describe the evolution of the band’s sound and your personal growth as
musicians since then?
It took us some years to gather the band to its final form. After Emre
joined us as bass player in 2018, we were complete. Emre brought a lot to the
table with his creativity, and completed the missing piece. My growth is mostly
political, unfortunately. I have to be stoic to keep the band going. Being in a
band is like trying to keep a marriage alive with not one, but three other
people, lol.
2. You’ve mentioned that
Nöbet was full of great ideas but that you were still learning the process of
composing, recording, and mixing. What were some of the most important lessons
you learned during those early years?
We have learned to DIY... Under $5K, we set up our own recording studio and
doing everything ourselves except the final mix/mastering. When you're an indie
group, $5K will get you a lousy experience in a studio, but a great one at
home. We also started treating each track with full attention, so that when
it's playing, the song is not completed with extras we hear in our heads, but
everyone can hear it as we do. We've learned how to turn the song into a
complete story with all its fine details, and that throwing a couple of strings
in there doesn't cut it.
3. Your second album Kıyamet
(Apocalypse) is described as a product of seven years of hard work. Can you
share the themes or concepts behind this album? What inspired its creation?
We don't really pre-plan a concept, It reveals itself somewhere in the
middle of the process. I write lyrics on riffs that move me. And whatever
I'm/we're going through during that time, reflects on my lyrics. We are living
in a country/time where there's no shortage of political turmoil and pessimism.
Kıyamet, meaning Apocalypse, is just a reflection of our mood living here, and
in these times in general. We are not doomers though, what we have is
"doomer optimism".
4. Kirpi’s music mixes
soft and hard rock with occasional progressive influences. How do you strike a
balance between these different styles, and how do you decide what sound fits
each song?
I have an uneducated answer to this: We are grunge kids, we love the 90s
sound. We also hate repetition and naturally push the songs' complexity beyond
a simple pop-rock template. The result is that we don't have long, repeating
sections, and sometimes we don't even have a chorus. Is that progressive? I
don't know... I'll leave that up to the pros to evaluate.
5. You call yourselves a neo-grunge rock band. What does neo-grunge mean
to you, and how do you incorporate it into your music while also maintaining
originality?
What defined Grunge was its nihillism, sound and simplicity in my opinion.
You can hear that in Kirpi, we are not shredding, nor trying to play very fast
or complex. There's nothing "virtuoso" about Kirpi. But we're also
not imitating anyone. Our lyrics has this salty doomerism mixed with nihillism.
We enforce the rock sound with synths and electronic effects - unlike 90s
grunge. I think our description of our music is more of a feeling/desire,
rather than a true definition.
6. Each member of Kirpi brings a unique skill set to the band. How do you
collaborate during the songwriting and recording process? Is there a specific
approach or dynamic that you rely on when creating music?
We love riffs and start working on good riffs. We improvise as lot and
change our song writing approach to experiment and grow. For a couple of
months, it's linear drumming, then guitar riff based, then bass+drums groove
based. But mostly, or songs start with a cool guitar riff and me slapping one
of my old poems on it or improvizing to find some cool vocal melodies first. We
are constantly educating ourselves to start with the groove first, I personally
believe that's what gives the song its spirit.
7. You’ve been candid about Nöbet not being perfect but full of potential. What do you feel is different or better about Kıyamet? What elements of the album are you most proud of?
We're proud how far our drummer Uğur came since the first album. The drums in the second album and first one can not even be compared. This is valid for all of us, I'm not a great vocal either. But Uğur's hard work combined with Emre's bass really elevated Jeffrey's beautiful guitar riffs. We played with time scales and expanded the sound to break the unison-ness of first album. I've also dived deep into keys, synths and effects to connect the song together this time. Like I mentioned before, so that it's not just in our heads but everyone can hear it fully.
8. Releasing Kıyamet as
singles over time is an interesting strategy. What influenced that decision,
and how do you think it will affect the way listeners engage with your music?
You unload a plethora of hard work and it gets forgotten within a week in
the new digital age. This is us adapting to the zeitgeist, but also keeping our
stance by gathering all singles under one album at the end. We hope to get a
longer dopamine hit from it at least.
9. Your music has both a modern and retro feel. How important is it for
Kirpi to strike a balance between paying homage to rock’s past and keeping the
sound fresh for today’s audience?
Honestly, our biggest homage is sticking to the love of 90s sound and the
concept of "greatness" we used to feel throughout pre-internet years.
We won't have a Madonna or a Pink Floyd again. Society and communication is
fractionalized, hype is short lived and people always looking for the next
shiny object. By writing timeless lyrics and staying true to ourselves, we are
sticking to our roots. By trying to transmit that sound to the listeners of
today, we keep renewing ourselves.
10. The lyrics in your songs are known to tell stories. Can you talk about the inspiration behind your storytelling? Are there any specific themes or personal experiences that drive your lyrics?
I started writing poems in 2002 with Jeffrey and we failed on publishing them after some efforts. When we formed our band, most of those poems (in which I questioned life, myself and others) started falling on the riffs impromptu, in our band practices. Then I started writing more just for the songs, of course. But this is how I write lyrics all the time, pretty much: I search for what I'm feeling the strongest about at that time. It can be a woman, politics, society, anything. Bir Bilmece is about a place I visit, for example. It just have to be affecting my emotionally at that time. Otherwise, I don't have anything to say.
11. With Kıyamet being released in stages, do you already have plans for what’s next after the album? Are there any creative goals or projects Kirpi is eager to explore?
Well, I'm an animation director and illustrator by trait. I also have lots
of experience on events and communities. It's all about the community, I wish
some of that 90s spirit came back so we can rock and roll like we used to. This
won't happen with one band of course. It has to be a movement back to
sincerity. If we can be a part of such a movement, we can bring a lot to the
table for the genre and our fans.
12. Lastly, what does the future look like for Kirpi? Where do you see
the band heading musically, and what message do you want to leave with your
listeners through your music?
Kirpi will always evolve, grow and try new things. We will make music until
we die. So even if we don't make it and you're one of our 10 fans left in this
world, don't worry. Kirpi's here to stay and bring you new music...
Kirpi (@kirpirock) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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