In this interview, Neocracy discusses their evolution from a pandemic project to a full-fledged band, exploring their unique sound, creative influences, and the personal themes behind their latest album, Who To Blame?.
1. Neocracy
was initially a project born out of the pandemic. How did the idea to record
songs just for yourselves evolve into a full-fledged band with multiple album
releases?
The music we
created together started growing more and more artistically and we had many
ideas which we wanted to record. Also the positive critiques for the first
album had encouraged us to keep on producing because there seemed to be an
audience fort he music.
2. The band
name, Neocracy, is a play on "new democracy." Could you explain the
significance of the name and how it reflects your vision for the band's music
and message?
The name
has originated off of a former project where Volker has played guitar in. We
wanted to keep the name because we always maintained a political and personal
subtext in the lyrics. Also the music has a quite modern approach due to the
mixture of different styles and a “proggy” feel and we felt it would fit into
the theme of renewing an established system.
3. Your
debut album Pure Organic was praised for its organic
instrumental sound. How
did you maintain that natural, raw feel in the new album Who To Blame? while
exploring new musical structures?
Mainly
because of the work of our producer Stefan Gäbler who has a natural approach to
his production. For example all instruments have been recorded live on
microphoned amps, the drums haven’t been programmed but we had and awesome
drummer (Konrad Patzig) who contributed real drums to the album. All that
helped shaping a pure (maybe oldschool) and organic sound. With the current
album we didn’t change anything about that because we appreciate the raw
feeling of the sound.
4. Franziska's clear vocals paired with Tim's
growls create a unique dynamic in your sound. How do you approach balancing
these two vocal styles in your songs?
Some parts
of the lyrics are written kind of in a call and response style which helps
introducing two voices in the certain song. Also we tried to connect the use of
each voice to either softer (Franziska) or rougher parts (Tim) of the song
instrument-wise. We think both voices fit well together and sound complimenting
as well as contrasting, making the songs more interesting.
5. You’ve mentioned that the album Who
To Blame? processes personal experiences and emotions. Can you share
any specific stories or themes behind some of the tracks on this new album?
Basic
topics of the songs focus around very personal experiences such as revenge
fantasies, being a victim of stalking or keeping a clear mind in a stressful
work environment. Though there are also political themed songs about war, PTSD
and general dissatisfaction about the ruling class. But you also find a little
love song at the end of the album to ease the listener out of the LP a little
bit more. We basically wanted to make music everyone can enjoy.
6. The
band hails from Eisdorf, a small village in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. How does your rural setting influence your
creative process and the music you produce?
The biggest
influence on the songs is probably the observations we make of the people and
our surroundings. With the internet and AI being a thing these days, the work
on music and production does not differ that much from the quality of let’s say
bigger cities since we have a professional producer and our own musical history
as musicians.
7. You worked again with your producer Stefan
Gäbler on Who To Blame?. How has the collaboration evolved between
the band and Stefan since the first album?
The process
has been actually the same. He is a musical guide for us and a reliable source
of help theorywise since none of us is a professional musician or had any
lessons in the past. It helps immensely having someone to tell you sometimes
what works, what doesn’t, and why. But since we worked with him for so many
years now we all know what everyone wants and the process has always been quite
smooth.
8. You’ve
mentioned receiving praise, criticism, and rejection for Pure Organic.
How did this feedback
shape your approach to writing and recording the new album?
First of
all we always make the music we like and if someone else enjoys it too, that’s
great. If not that’s also fine! Still we took some of the critique points to
enhance our songwriting a little bit more, to make the songs more coherent and
not too cut up by different genres or parts that don’t necessarily fit the
song’s vibe. The new album is a little bit more rounded but still full of
surprises here and there.
9. With
your wide range of styles, from clear vocals to growls and varied musical
structures, how would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard
Neocracy before?
In general,
we don’t claim a certain genre for our band. You could say that the main
designation is probably Alternative/Crossover/Prog-Rock. That’s probably the
most fitting title for the sound of our music.
10. As an independent band, what challenges do
you face in reaching a larger audience, and what are your hopes for the future
of Neocracy?
A big
challenge is to not be a small fish in a pond with many others of your kind. To
separate yourself enough from the mass and to shine in a very saturated market.
Having regular jobs and other band projects besides NEOCRACY that isn’t much of
a pressure related topic for us but always a goal.
For the future we plan to release another video for one of the songs and to
promote our current album further, so be hyped for more stuff to come!
Thank you very much for having us and for your support, it means a lot to us!
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