Ahead of the release of their upcoming EP Expect Us (you can see our review here), we caught up with Arcturon for a chat to find out a bit more about the band. See what happened below!
Thanks for the interview – could you introduce yourself and tell me a bit about the band?
Hi! Thanks for having me, im Flo, guitarist and one of the founders of Arcturon. We are a fourpiece and started out as 14 year old kids in 2004. Since then we released two full length albums, 2 demos and now the EP Expect Us. We are all located near Basel, Switzerland.
You’re currently getting ready to release your new EP Expect Us – can you tell me a bit about the writing and recording process?
Well it was just a perfect run. We started to write songs just after finishing our second album. After writing and writing we decided to choose just 4 songs, the best ones, to put on an EP instead of an album. That way we can give every song the attention it deserves, and we also plan to make a music video for each song, since every song is so unique. Then finally, in July 2014 we drove to Varberg, Sweden to record the songs in 10 days in the Fascinationstreet studios. These studios are well known for work for bands like At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Paradise Lost etc. and I must say we had a blast! The whole recording was just amazing. We enjoyed the Swedish summer with Barbecues, took a swim in the ocean at midnight, and just releaxed while working really hard also. This athmosphere was essential to the recording and gave the songs the life they have now. It could not have been better.
Were there any songs that were more of a challenge to complete?
Yes, of course. All of them were challenging to get them the way we wanted but the title track was definitely a technical bitch to play. The time signatures were so abstract to us when we analysed it, but it was just the way I came up with that riff, so we didn’t want to change it. We never construct “complex” things, they just happen, and if they don’t, they don’t. But overall, we put even more effort into arranging the songs, which is always a big challenge, since we want things to be simple and effective.
My favourite track of the EP is A Restless Soul – can you tell me a little more about that one?
Cool to hear that! Making this song was simply amazing. We wrote it and just tried everything out that came to our mind. When we wanted to add something extra, Sam came up with the idea to play the bassline we already had with an accordion. Our studio assistant Viktor loved the idea and called a friend of his which played the accordion. She came into the studio the next morning and recorded the accordion parts. Its also the very first song on which Aljosha sings clean.
Which track are you most proud of?
All four tracks are our favourite. Every band member has a different favourite song which proves that every song is on the highest level it could be.
Do you have any interesting tales from the studio?
Yes of course, as I mentioned, we just tried out so much different things and made it as unique as we could. The best part was that our bassist Sam played all the piano parts in the studio, it makes the songs so much more alive. Beside that did things like: using a marshall mini-belt-amp for an intro, made a speechpart with a computervoice and integrated electronic beats into the songs. All these things were “firsts” for us. And after the hard days of recording we had an amazing time in Gothenborg or in the ocean or barbecueing with the neighbors. Ah and before I forget: we saw a moose which was pretty impressive in the middle in the night!
How would you describe your live show to someone who hasn’t seen you live yet?
Its different. We try to be as unique as possible also on stage. So we are aware that only playing the songs won`t make it. We put up a show and try to give our best to entertain the people who payed their heardearned bucks for seeing us.
What would you say the best show you’ve played has been?
All our shows in our hometown were amazing. Especially the ones in the famous Z-7. But we also played the German Summerbreeze Festival infront of a packed 4000 people tent. That was simply amazing!
And if you could play a show anywhere, where would it be?
Hard question. I guess the old Roman theatre in Augusta Raurica, near where we live would be a total dream, packed with 1600 people!
