Subatomic Strangers discuss their new single "The Edge," exploring its inspiration, their evolving sound, and upcoming album, while reflecting on personal experiences and musical influences.
1.
Congratulations on your new single 'The Edge'! Can you tell us the inspiration
behind the song and how it reflects your current musical direction?
Our songwriting process always starts with an instrumental track that we create
while jamming during practice. When we created the interlude, so the more
eastern sounding part, the lyrics began to flow. One of the first lyrics that
was sung during jamming was “You know the truth, you can feel it….” and the
rest of the song was created from these first sparks. Also our singer Sharon
believes wholeheartedly in this message.
After our first album we always knew that we wanted to go more in the direction
of a heavier sound, with inspirations from progressive metal, like TOOL, but
also rock, like Foo Fighters.
2. The theme of 'The Edge' revolves around fate and finding strength through
challenges. Was there a personal experience that influenced the lyrics and the
message of the song?
Throughout my whole life I’ve noticed that for every bad experience you
encounter, there’s always a positive one that follows. The universe makes you
encounter these experiences for a reason. It gives you what you need, not
always what you think you want. - Sharon
3. Sharon, your vocal delivery on 'The Edge' is both comforting and
motivational. How did you approach crafting the emotional depth in your vocal
lines for this track?
I always listen to the instrumental track and the melody and delivery of the
lyrics usually flows naturally. I don’t have to think much about it. Sometimes
other members from the band give pointers as to other ways of delivering the
vocal lines, but not for “The Edge”.
- Sharon
4. Your debut album 'Special Satellite' faced delays due to the pandemic.
How did that period of waiting and uncertainty shape the band’s creative
process for this second album?
Since we couldn’t practice during the pandemic, each member of the band created
songs or instrumentals on their own. And when we got back together to practice
and jam we exchanged ideas to make these songs into about half of the songs on
the upcoming album. We quickly realized that most of the songs we created
needed a heavier sound.
5. The band underwent a significant change when Arne left and Mathijs
joined. How has the band dynamic shifted with Mathijs as the new drummer?
The dynamic didn’t shift much, but of course there will be differences. We are
all still very young people, but with Mathijs it adds a boost of even more
youthfulness. Even though it’s the first band experience for Mathijs, he’s a
quick learner and mixes well with everyone in the band.
6. Subatomic Strangers have cited influences ranging from Foo Fighters to
Blondie and The Cranberries. How do these inspirations manifest in your sound,
particularly in your upcoming music?
As most of our generation, that are into rock and heavier music, we grew up
with these bands, so of course our sound and inspirations will always have a
nudge towards them. But we don’t want to classify ourselves as having only one
style. We like to mix multiple genres together and weave them into our songs
with our own sound. These genres include new wave, post-punk, rock, metal, pop,
progressive metal, 80’s pop/rock and alternative music.
7. You’ve had the opportunity to tour the UK and perform at notable venues like the Sportpaleis. What have been some of your most memorable moments from these live shows?
So our first mini tour in the UK was quite the experience, we arrived hilariously late to our first show, however the venue was very understanding as we had a huge traffic jam on the M6 highway. Even though we didn’t get to play our whole set, the people there still really liked our music. We learned from this that we should always leave earlier than we think, especially when going to the UK. That’s why we didn’t arrive late on our second mini tour in Scotland.
Since the Sportpaleis is the biggest concert hall in Belgium, we were a bit overwhelmed at first, but quickly felt at ease. You could say this concert gave us the drive and confirmation that this is what we really like doing: “Playing our music in front of people that enjoy it!”
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into the overall vibe of your second album? Will 'The Edge' set the tone for the rest of the tracks?
We wouldn’t say that The Edge is setting the tone as much, because each song has their sound and vibe. We can say however that “The Edge” is one of the heavier songs on the album and overall the album is heavier in sound than the first one.
9. Your lyrics for 'The Edge' encourage listeners to follow their intuition. Do you feel that intuition played a role in shaping your band’s evolution, from Nicholas forming the band to your current lineup?
Intuition definitely played a big role in the current lineup of the band. Our bass player and drummer for instance were found by placing notices for a new band member online. During the first practices together we could immediately feel if the vibe felt right and if they would be a good fit. Jonas and Mathijs are definitely a good fit in the band.
10. You’re about to embark on a mini-tour in Germany. What can fans expect from your live performances this time around, and are there any surprises in store?
We’re always looking for ways to improve our live performances. Right now we’re working on improving the live sound and having a cool light show added to the performance. We’re also looking to rework some older songs into our more heavy style, like “Special Satellite”.
11. The combination of synth melodies, dreamy guitar riffs, and sultry
vocals has been described as taking listeners to another dimension. How do you
strike that balance between alternative rock and atmospheric soundscapes?
As you can hear in “The Edge” we tend to create a dreamy and atmospheric
soundscape in the verses and build up to a rock crescendo in the choruses. So
that’s how we usually find balance. Some songs can be more atmospheric and
others can be more rock but there’s always a bit of both in every song. We love
to use the dynamic differences between these styles.
12. Looking forward to 2025, what are your goals as a band for the next
year, and how do you hope 'The Edge' and your second album will resonate with
your audience?
2025 is gonna be the year to score some bigger concerts and festivals, and
maybe along the way attract opportunities to reach a larger audience. We hope
our current and future audience resonates with the heavier sound we are
“edging” towards and will like the songs and the album we will release in the
coming months. We also hope some of our songs validate the feelings that some
people may have concerning life and all of its mysteries.
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