Prepare for the otherworldly yet infectious, danceable sounds of Violentene in this latest interview spotlight! I chat with the duo about their latest project (Otherworld), enduring a pandemic, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Do you love the 80s? You’ll LOVE this!
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
We are from the capital city of Canada, Ottawa. Our style has been described as wide screen synthpop, darkwave, 80s aesthetics drenched in mood and dance worthy beats, while still feeling introspective and reflective.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Our obsession with music began as kids and music is something we always wanted to do, without a doubt fueled by passion. Moving forward with it as our chosen artform was a given, even back then! It’s something we want to do everyday, all day and we couldn’t stop even if we wanted to. Growing up as ”outsiders” music has always been a means of escaping the normal, and a way to express ourselves and our innermost intuitive thoughts and feelings, and the only way we get to be creative and conveying our emotions is through this medium. Performing is our drug, we fell in love with the scene. It’s healing, enabling and completely addictive, we get high from the energy of our audience!
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
Our new EP ”Otherworld” feels like a really focused version of what we were going for after “Phantom Youth” and moving on from our prior chill/shoegaze vibes and finding ‘our sound’. The essence was and remains our introspective vocals & lyrics woven in layers of synth pop and darkwave with a richer tapestry that wraps around the music we are writing. “Otherworld” was shaped by change and the forces that influenced it in the creative process over the last two years. It represents the fine line between surrealism, the lucid vs the dream states of mind. It’s created this unique blend that is still relatable to listeners searching for meaning. The single and video for ‘Delusions’ sort of summed up this overall theme and we were SO stoked to get it out recently!
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
During the height of the pandemic we had to turn to digital platforms and still managed to self-release ”Otherworld”. In a constantly shifting music industry we sort of have to quickly adjust and luckily we both had our own studio spaces to write and work in, and we continue to evolve as artists and same for our limitless creativity. Music finds you and not the other way around and like many people we couldn’t escape feelings of anxiety when thinking about our existence in this world and era and we turn the music into therapy for ourselves and seeing how it has has touched fans, radio, DJs, and the music community as a whole has been very inspiring. There’s been lots of love so something must be working!
What was the last song you listened to?
This is an interesting question because we have such a wide range of music preferences between us. Actually, the last song we listened to was in a collaborative sense, it was our own unreleased song called ‘Break The Silence’ which is in the midst of completion. A song we both dig currently is ‘Reckless’ by Leathers. Absolute gem!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
We really dig vinyl, there’s just something about it, it offers a sound quality that digital formats do not. The depth, rich sonic quality of analog and its authenticity is undeniable.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
You can get our music and merch on Bandcamp. Follow us on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and if streaming is your thing ”Otherworld” is on all platforms. Come find us and say hello!
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Je vous en prie! Thanks so much for your time and for reading!
