It's no secret that mainland Europe is a haven for hardcore. Whether it's the beatdown antics of Nasty, socio-political charged fury of Wolf Down or the introspective attributes of Fjørt, the modern Euro punk scene is heavily maintained by the sheer number of DIY festivals and constant underground shows going on all the time. The Tidal Sleep aren't necessarily one of Germany's most well-known hardcore exports when compared to some of their contemporaries, but their widespread cult following is still significant nonetheless. We caught up with bassist Thomas Brechter to discuss the mindset and writing behind their most ambitious record to date.
The biggest change for The Tidal Sleep on ‘Be Water’, is the higher production values brought to the table this time around. Brechter explains; “Our writing process is always a bit difficult, as we live very far apart, all over Germany and can’t rehearse or jam on a regular basis. This time we ‘professionalized’ our writing, and we all used GarageBand at home to produce demos. Since everyone in our band writes songs, we only had to do our ‘homework’ and learn how to play each other’s songs.”
He maintains that aside from the daily grind of working life, the logistics of keeping everyone together is a constant struggle that becomes an inspiration for their songwriting.
“We rehearse in Mannheim (southwest of Germany), but for example, our singer lives in Berlin, and one of our guitarists lives in Munich. Both work a lot, so scheduling is difficult and traveling to rehearsal takes time and quite a lot of money. We have three fathers in the band now, which also makes it more difficult to coordinate stuff with the band. They have VERY understanding partners, but when you have a family and a pretty active band, it gets tough.”
Over the years, there have been several lineup changes, and of course, while they have their own distinct sound by now, their brand of melodic hardcore has remained fresh. Their earlier material has obvious comparisons to American ‘wave’ bands such as Touche Amore and La Dispute, and as with those groups feel gritty and rough around the edges. On ‘Be Water’ while the themes are still shadowed in a sense of ambiguous anguish, the album feels much more tied to a full concept, with tracks such as ‘Hearses’ and ‘Spills’ treading into pop-centric territory.
“We try to find a motive to guide us through recording and writing. With the last album, it was ‘Vorstellungskraft’, which just means ‘power of imagination’. We always referred to demos for that album with the addition of ‘just imagine what it will sound like as a finished song’. This time we chose ‘Be Water’ as a reminder to just let everything flow. If there is no way to pass an obstacle, just slow down, and if there is a chance of getting somewhere just let it flow faster.”
Although Brechter is modest and feels that his influences are less obvious as his input steers away from the thematic side of the songwriting, he maintains that the wide range of interests molds together what they wanted to achieve this time around.
“The taste in our band is very, diverse, we couldn’t agree on just a few influences.they draw from old school Screamo to modern songwriters. We did a Spotify playlist, to maybe demonstrate the diverse input. Since I’m the bass player, I concentrate on bands with outstanding bass work and gnarly tone. This time for sure my biggest influences were O’Brother and Kowloon Walled City. I’m sure that doesn’t show instantly. But if you listen closely, then maybe you can pick it out.”
While the band still maintain a close relationship with their first love, This Charming Man Records based in Munster, Germany, they have relished the opportunity to expand their physical releases to the UK, thanks to their partnership with Holy Roar.
“It’s pretty great to be on this label. I have always been a fan of a lot of records they put out (especially Pariso and Bastions). And when Alex Fitzpatrick approached us, we basically instantly wanted to give it a go. It’s great to reach more people in the UK, with support from a label that did/does so much for the scene there!”
Having ventured on tours with the likes of Defeater, Caspian, The Saddest Landscape and repeated visits to DIY fests such as Fluff in the Czech Republic, Brechter believes that every tour has been a positive experience for The Tidal Sleep.
“We are always glad Alex/Miss The Stars thinks of us when he puts on that great, great festival. We’ve played there before, and will definitely do again. The quality of the bands he ’rounds up’ is amazing.”
“We are very lucky when it comes to touring. We honestly can say – every tour we played was really good for us. We’ve been lucky enough to get exposure to so many different audiences, and every band we’ve met were also really great people. I’d like to use this opportunity to shout out, Viva Belgrado (total sweethearts, and one of Europe’s finest Screamo bands). They recently invited us to play four shows in Spain with them, and it was amazing. and Svalbard, who are great human beings and superb musicians. Looking forward to playing with them again so much!”
‘Be Water’ is out now through Holy Roar Records, and you can stream the album in full via their Bandcamp. The Tidal Sleep will be touring with Svalbard at the dates below.
OCTOBER
22 BIRMINGHAM The Flapper
23 BRISTOL The Exchange
24 GLASGOW Nice N Sleazy
25 MANCHESTER The Whiskey Jar
26 LEEDS Temple of Boom
27 BRIGHTON Green Door Store
28 LONDON Birthdays