Malämmar

Today, I have a huge post-music sensation for you: After mentioning their current album "Mazza", which I deeply adore and keep on listening to from day one on, Malämmar agreed to an interview!

I talked to founder Xavi Forné (you may also know him as the person behind Error! Design) about their music, the current situation and Malämmar's plans for the future.

Anne: Hi! Thanks very much for agreeing to this interview! I am very excited about getting to know you guys. How are you doing today? How are things going during these heavy times?

"We need to play gigs again"

Xavi: Hi Anne! Thank you very much for supporting us; this means a lot! It seems things are better than 2020, and it looks like tours and shows are planning again (for all bands). We have our fingers crossed cause we need to play and enjoy live gigs.

Anne: You just released your album "Mazza" some weeks ago. Congrats on that! I can't stop listening to it! Are you happy with the outcome of your work?

Xavi: When we released the first single, "Azufre", we didn't expect how much people would support it. We are getting a lot of good vibes through this new album; we're very excited!

"We followed the steps of our last record"

Anne: What story is the album about? Did you follow a concept when you were recording it?

Xavi: "Mazza" is about a party and an afterparty. Yes, simple like that (laughs)!

Anne: How does it distinguish from the records you made before?

Xavi: On this record, we follow the steps from our first album, "Vendetta", but clearly, you can see we're playing more music influences. We have total freedom to play whatever we want. This album is faster and more energetic, but we can't forget how we love doom and Black Sabbath. Each song has something new, and we end the record with "Màgia Roja", totally different from the rest of the album.

Anne: As a big fan of DUNK!records, DUNK!festival, and everything surrounding it, I am pretty curious about your cooperation with them. How is it like working together with the DUNK!family? Do you enjoy it?

"We love DUNK!fest"

Xavi: I'm working at DUNK!fest since 2015, designing all posters and album artworks from their lives. When we recorded our first album as Malämmar, DUNK!records were the first option for us – and they like it and help us instantly. We love DUNK!records, and we love DUNK!fest. We played twice at the forest stage and for us is the bests shows we ever did.

Anne: What makes this record label so unique? Everyone is so kind and open and sympathetic. Is it the incredible music that lives through it?

Xavi: I think the most important thing with that label (or festival) is all crew are family and friends. I believe this is the secret, how you can run something so unique and beautiful. Also, they're all lovely people. And have a wonderful and amazing place. Another thing is the people who go to the festival. It's insane that all of them are lovely and peaceful people. I experienced lots of respect at the festival. I can't explain it with words, but DUNK!fest is different from others festivals: Everyone loves and respects each other. And this is also what the DUNK!crew keeps sharing with everyone.

"We have a lot of influences"

Anne: Did you always want to make post-rock? Or are your roots somewhere else?

Xavi: It seems that you must tag it as "post-rock" when you're making instrumental music. We started the band with a fixed intention: play slow, doom and dark. But we have a lot of influences or past bands. I played in Syberia (instrumental) and Carontte (post-metal). Victor plays/ed in Gambardella (instrumental Jazz) and Rebuig (sludge). And Guillem plays/ed in Santacreu (post-metal) and The Eyes (Heavy). So when we mix all of them, it sounds like Malämmar, I think. By the way: We all have different tastes in music. I, for example, love hardcore punk music, neo-folk, black metal, and soundtracks. It's the same with the rest of us. We all listen to a lot of music types, but we enjoy playing our own style.

Anne: What drives you on when you are making new music? Is there anything in particular that you would say gives you the motivation and endurance to get things going?

"We start our songs with a guitar riff"

Xavi: Normally, I have a few ideas as guitar riffs, and then we create the song together at our rehearsal room. We like to work with a simple riff and work over and over together to get something real.

Anne: You've played a pretty decent gig at the forest stage at the DUNK!festival in 2019. The vibe there was magic. Did you experience this at any other gigs you played?

Xavi: Nope, this was totally amazing, and we'll never forget. I played at the main stage in 2014 with my old band, and I must say that the forest stage is another level. You're playing close to the crowd, and for us, that is the most important. We remember ourselves throwing beer cans to the audience before the show started. It was insane! Now that DUNK!fest changes the location to a big venue, it will be pretty different, but I am sure it will also be fantastic.

"Barcelona's music scene is fantastic"

Anne: You are from Barcelona. Do you enjoy living there as a musician? How would you describe the music scene over there overall? You also have a tremendous post-music festival great called AMFest, which I need to visit once the pandemic is over. Which I hope happens to be soon! Are you a part of it?

Xavi: As a big city, Barcelona has many musical offers every day (not now, of course). The typical "problem" in this city is choosing what show you enjoy at night cause you always have lots of them. Also, there is a big music scene, and as far as I know, there are many instrumental bands like our friends from Böira.

I played the very first show of AMFest in a small venue with my old band. And I think after that; then I joyned all editions. Victor worked inside the festival as a stage engineer. Guillem and I just enjoyed drinking a lot of beer (laughs)! It's a beautiful festival with a friendship crew (Aloud Music). This festival could be near to the ideology of the DUNK – just without the forest. We would love to play there sometime!

"We want to tour Europe in 2022"

Anne: What does Malämmar mean? And what does the name stand for?

Xavi: Malämmar is a made-up word build from two Catalan (works for Spanish too) words: "Mala" (bad) and "Mar" (sea). It is the feeling we want to transport with our music: When you're in a boat in the middle of the ocean with lots of waves.

Anne: What's up next for Malämmar? Are you already planning any gigs or going back to the studio as soon as "Mazza" is out?

Xavi: We released "Mazza" released on April 30th, and now we can only think about playing the songs live. It's weird to play in front of a seated crowd. But it seems it's the only way to play now. We're planning our first show after lockdown this September/October. And we hope we can tour Europe in 2022. A new record is so far away from our minds, but we have the intention to record something like a single 7", as we did after "Vendetta". We will see when this pandemic will permit us to play and to go back to normal.

Live pictures: © Sergi Vila Promo pictures: © Sergio Albert