Mutiny On The Bounty asre set to release a new album called ‘Trials’ this September, and we got in touch over the internet thing for a catch up on all things Luxembourg and MTOB!
FIRSTLY, HELLO! HOW’S YOUR DAY GOING SO FAR?
Nicolas (guitar) : hey there, our day is not that bad. Enjoying the summer…rain. Pretty good day to stay at home and write some new riffs to be honest!
FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW YOU GUYS VERY WELL – CAN YOU SUM UP THE HISTORY AND SOUND OF THE BAND IN AS FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE?
So basically, we began as a two piece in 2004 with Sacha (drummer) and I. We found some other members who left for various reasons over the years and have a solid new line-up since 2010 with the addition of Cedric on bass and Clement on guitars. The sound of the band is difficult to categorize as we’re trying to evolve all the time. I guess it’s a mix between math-rock, post-hardcore, pop and more synthetic sounds.
IT’S BEEN FOREVER SINCE YOU’VE BEEN IN THE UK AND YOU’RE BACK IN SEPTEMBER. DO YOU HAVE ANY STANDOUT MEMORIES FROM SHOWS IN THE UK FROM OLD TOURS HERE?
Last tour we did in the UK was in 2010. Between now and then, there has been loads of changes in the band. The UK has always been great to us, and from the first tour we’ve ever done there, people were really interrested in what we were doing. I remember a really cool festival in Grantham we played with Meet Me In St Louis, Rolo Tomassi and I Was A Cub Scout on our first tour, where people went completely mental while we were playing. All our gigs in Leeds were absolutely crazy as well. I can’t remember exactly as most of them were really great.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE UK SCENE COMPARES TO THE SCENE BACK HOME?
Our music scene back home is really different, Â so you can’t really compare what’s happening in Luxembourg [to the UK]. There is quite a lot of bands for the size of the country, but everything [stays] in Luxembourg. As for the UK, pop-rock and underground culture [has been] established for decades now. I mean, not any band in Luxembourg has really made a living out of their music over here so I guess making the choice to give everything away is a pretty tough step to take. I guess that the main problem in Luxembourg is that bands are really young, and when people are leaving for studies they can’t really pursue with their bands as they’re leaving for other countries, but there are many metal bands and great bands, such as Heartbeat Parade or Mount Stealth.
IF PEOPLE WERE GOING TO COME TO LUXEMBOURG, WHERE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THEY GO TO SEE SOME BANDS?
There’s not a town per se to go to see gigs. The country is so small that you’d have to go to specific venues. I guess the best venues (especially for smaller shows) are Exit07 and DQLIQ, which are more into new and experimental music, the Rocas which does shows from punk to electro, and the Kulturfabrik that has more of a hardcore/metal vibe.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER BANDS IN THE LUXEMBOURG SCENE OR NEIGHBOURING SCENES THAT YOU’D RECOMMEND WE LISTEN TO?
I’d definitely recommend some bands such as Mount Stealth, who are playing Battles-vibe [rock], or Heartbeat Parade who play Hardcore-Instrumental music – but there are very good bands in every genre… Scarred for metal is awesome, Sun Glitters and Hal Flavin are great electronic bands and Versus You are a very great Pop-punk outfit.
YOU’VE CHANGED MEMBERS AROUND AND TAKEN A WHILE TO GET THE NEW RECORD OUT – HOW DIFFERENT WAS THE RECORDING AND WRITING PROCESS THIS TIME AROUND?
The album took two years to write and to record. The first stage was to write the songs. It took us a while as we changed many members. From the moment we were reformed, it took us only eight months before we headed to the studio in Seattle with Matt Bayles. So all in all, the writing process was very fast for this record. It took 8 months more to be released, but this is a marketing/media thing that is not really in our hands. I guess the writing process was very natural, and instead of bringing nearly finished songs to the band, we just went for a more frontal approach and jammed a lot. Half of the record was written out of jams. The recording in itself was very different, as it was the first time we’ve been to a “real” studio with a real producer. The two recordings we’ve made before were self-made with a friend. Working with Matt was scary and awesome at the same time. Scary because we didn’t knew what to expect and whether we were good enough to work with a big producer like him. It was fascinating because we’ve learned so much with him, and actually not only about music but about ourselves as he pushed us to our boundaries.
THE TRACKS YOU’VE POSTED HAVE QUITE A DIFFERENT SOUND THAN THE LAST RECORD IN PLACES. IS THAT INDICATIVE OF THE SOUND OF THE RECORD AS A WHOLE?
I guess it is… I think we grew up and started listening to music we never really listened to before. We listened to a lot more electro or pop music from the 80’s that gave us the idea to use guitar/sounding guitars. I guess we were also fed up with basic guitar sounds and needed something new to play with.
WHAT TRACKS WOULD YOU SAY YOU’RE MOST PROUD OF ON THE RECORD?
It’s always a tough one as it could be as if someone would ask you which of your kid you prefer. I guess all the songs have their own energy and I like them for what they are but if i had to choose a couple, I’d say “Myanmar” as it is a very dark and moody song but still very danceable. “For The Men Who Had Everything” has got a pretty catchy hook and “North Korea” is a very loud and heavy song.
HAVE ANY BANDS OR RECORDS IN PARTICULAR INFLUENCED YOUR SOUND ON ‘TRIALS’?
This one is tough as well. We’re listening to a lot of music all the time. If I tell you one band, I’m pretty sure the other ones will tell you something else. But I guess the last Adebisi Shank has definitely played its share of influence on the album. And So I Watch You From Afar as well. The rest would be from Michael jackson to the Smiths and Electro Influenced bands such as PVT or Aucan. The rest might be more obvious if you know MOTB : The Blood Brothers or At The Drive-In have been long-time fav’s for us.
WHAT’S BEEN THE RECORD OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR YOU?
Tough to say, for myself, I’d say “Attack On Memory” by Cloud Nothings or “Tamer Animals” by Other Lives (even if it’s from the end of 2011) or maybe the latest LITE – “Past, Present & Future”.
Check out two tracks from the album using the SoundCloud players below!
TOM AYLOTT