UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS (EN)

– Hello and first of all, thanks for taking the time. How is everything going right now with UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS? What are you currently up to?
All good, we’re getting ready for the upcoming tour!

– You will soon release your new album. Now that it’s finished, what are your feelings on it?
I really like it, but I’ve listened to it so much over the past 6 months that it’s difficult to have any kind of perspective on it at this point!

– Specially after the rlease of your previous «Mind Control» you quickly gained a lot of fame, it’s like since then there has been some kind of hype around the band, but I see it specially comes from the fans, from the mouth to mouth, and not that much from the press. Am I wrong? Did you expect such an impact that early in your career?
Yeah, it’s the fans that have made the band what it is. They’ve spread the word based on their enjoyment of the music. To me, that’s the most honest and organic way to gain success and it shows that it’s more than ‘hype’. The definition of hype is ‘extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion’. I don’t think anyone could say that Uncle Acid have ever partaken in ‘extravagant publicity’ or that any press outlet has given us ‘intensive publicity’, but some people simply don’t like that we’ve done things our own way and been successful at it. Instead it has to be ‘hype’ this or ‘gimmick’ that or some other bollocks. Thankfully, it doesn’t matter…

– Before starting to dwell into your upcoming «The Night Creeper» I would like to know what could you say have been some of the most influential artists for UNCLE ACID, as I think we can find a lot of elements in your music, from obviously BLACK SABBATH to Doom Metal or even some Pop.

The Beatles, Alice Cooper, The Kinks, WASP, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Slade, Iron Maiden, The Stooges…I could go on forever. I listen to all kinds of things and I’m sure it all seeps through to the music in some way.

 
–  Due to this, do you think the band fits a certain subgenre?
No and I don’t see why it should. There seems to be this need for people to break everything down to the most obscure  subgenres that they can think of. I don’t see the point.

– For instance on «The Night Creeper» there’s a song that I think has a certain BEATLES vibe, «Memory Lane». Would you mind to elaborate a little bit on this particular tune and explain us how was it born?
It’s so poppy that I was thought that maybe I’d gone too far. To me it has more of a Kinks or early Stones vibe, but its sickly melodic. I wasn’t 100% sure on the song until it was finally finished and then I realised that it fit the album perfectly and was too good to leave off.

– There’s a nice contrast between the overall dark and distorted, fuzzy, sound, with almost Pop melodies. Is this something you consciously strive for? I guess some contrast might be necessary, or at last makes things mor interesting.
I’ve always wanted to have a good balance of light and dark. To me it makes things more interesting.

– In fact I think you are gettting darker with each new album. Is this just a natural evolution? Or somehow your life experiences are reflected on what you are creating with UNCLE ACID?
It wasn’t planned this way, it just happened! It’s just a natural progression.

– I also think «The Night Creepr» is a really elaborated opus, with dynamic compositions. Maybe isn’t as immediate as your previous recordings, but it’s more savage and it feels lik it is more well-thought. Has the songwriting been different at all?
No it was the same as always, apart from the track Night Creeper which our old bass player Dean Millar brought in. I loved the music, so I added a few parts to it and came up with the lyrics.

 
– Due to the aforementioned everything seems to fit perfectly together. It really feels like everything on «The Night Creeper» works as a whole. Is it actually like that?
Yeah, its probably the most complete album we’ve done in terms of the concept. Theres a story from start to finish, but it doesn’t really matter. You can enjoy the album without having any knowledge of the story, or you can read the lyrics and try and figure it out. It works either way

 
– That’s why I would like you to elaborate a little bit on the link between the cover, lyrics and sound.

It’s all intended to give the listener a certain uneasy feeling which relates to the concept. Everything should tie in together. The cover is bold and simple and gives obvious clues as to who the Night Creeper may be. I think about sound in a visual way. If I think about how a Giallo film looks, with the vivid colours, murky shadows and heavy film grain, I want the audio equivalent of that. I don’t want a modern, hi definition digital blockbuster. So when I approach the sound of an album, I approach it in a more lo fi way. I don’t want each instrument to be crystal clear and clean, I want there to be rawness and a certain amount of smog and graininess. You’re listening to something that has a murky, murderous storyline, so why not have the sound represent that too?

– And finally, what are your near-future plans? You will be touring the States in September. Any plans for Europe?
Yeah, we’re touring all through Europe in October and November…including shows in Barcelona and Madrid. We’ve never headlined a show in Spain before, so make sure you come see us!

Tania Giménez
tania@queensofsteel.com