With their unique brand of music, performance and masks…we’re pleased to have a chat with the awesome people of Bone Cult, which very recently had their new single “One By One” alongside a music video.
- We’re super excited to have you guys, let’s start with getting the audience to know the people behind the mask.
[D2]: Thanks for having us! We’re excited to be a part of Rock Era especially after the feature you did for us recently.
- Let’s start where it all began…how did you develop that sonic character that you guys have now? When did it start?
[D2]: We’ve always had a strong interest in electronic music especially French artists such as Justice, SebastiAn, anyone on Ed Banger Records as well as British bands that walk the line between rock and electronica. Bands such as Pendulum, The Prodigy, even Chase & Status always excited us with their approach to the genre which is something we’ve done our best to embrace. When we’ve tried to stick to either rock or electronic music, we’ve always felt like either was too predictable and boring so the mixture keeps songwriting and production fresh.
- When you were creating “One By One”…what was the inspiration?
[N1]: We want to take the energy and aggression of metal and combine it with the electronic music we have been experimenting with in the studio. In terms of the theme of the song it’s about overcoming all the odds when they’re stacked against you and fighting back against them.
- …and what was the biggest challenge?
[N1]: The biggest challenge was to find the balance between the pure aggressive energy and making the song a memorable and enjoyable listen. We went through multiple versions and mixes of the track and eventually we collaborated with producer Bobby Tank who helped us focus the sound of the track towards more of a hard hitting electronic song.
- You’ve done many music videos before…what was the most challenging experience of all and why?
[D2]: I think for the music video we shot for ‘Cruel’. We hired a water tank to film in which gave amazing footage but it was quite uncomfortable being underwater for so long wearing the mask and being in cold temperatures. Filming in central Tokyo for the ‘Fever to Stay’ video was also very challenging too. That place has an insane amount of foot fall which made it very tricky to get the right shots in between waves of people.
- You guys have a very unique sound and presence…can you share some insights about your creative workflow? How do you start working on a new song?
[D2]: Usually it will begin with us both jamming on guitars. We’ll set up two audio channels, hit ‘record’ and then start riffing off each other. Loud, distorted guitars are always a great way to get into the creative flow and get a song structure padded out that is trickier on synths/ keyboards that tend not to lend themselves as much to chord progressions if you’re using a thick tone that can only really handle one note at a time. Plus it’s just a lot more fun on guitar!
- …speaking of the creative workflow…let me ask you an age old question…analog or digital…and why?
[N1]: As you might have guessed from our new album title, most of what we do is created digitally. Our songwriting process takes place using software and digital tools, but a lot of what we create still requires the human input to sound the way it does. The imperfections and nuances of a real guitar and vocals can’t be replicated with software, even though we will heavily manipulate these digitally they retain the essence of the organic sound that can’t be lost.
- So, what’s your future plans for Bone Cult? Is it more time in the studio, more music videos or more live performance?
[N1]: With the album now released our attention will now be on creating music videos and visuals to accompany it. We have been experimenting with CG animated visuals as well as shooting footage of ourselves in the real world, sometimes the two may even crossover in upcoming projects which we’re looking forward to showing you!
- If you’re to give an elevator pitch to the world about why they should listen to Bone Cult…what would you say?
[N1]: We want to create music that you’ve never heard before, in an alternate reality of our own creation… so come and join us there!
- Guys, we had a blast talking to you…we’re fans and we can’t wait to hear what you come up with in the very near future, we won’t wait long for the next release…we can’t wait! Cheers!
