First of all, hello and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. I am looking forward to seeing the band in Seattle.
You concluded your deal with Relapse Records and the new album is more of a DIY release. Do you prefer to work with a label or is DIY the way to go?
DIY was our only real option. After our contract with Relapse ended, we reached out to a few different labels that we would have been into working with, but received little to no interest. The idea of waiting another year in hopes that something would come up was not an option. We really wanted to get this album out asap, so we decided to just release it independently. The long term goal of the band has always been to be completely independent, but I wasn't really planning on it being so soon. I'm definitely not closing the door on us ever working with another label, if the fit is right, but as it stands now we're pretty much the only ones that want to be releasing Fuck The Facts albums. Luckily we have a lot of great support from people that enjoy what we do and they help keep the fire burning. I think if this DIY release didn't have the positive support that it does, it would be a tougher pill to swallow.
Fuck the Facts has a definite grind and death metal base, but your sound also progresses and encompasses new elements as well. Is this a conscious decision or more of an organic process as you all grow and mature through music and life?
Obviously we're all getting older and some of our influences are changing, but we have a pretty good idea of what makes an FTF album now, so it's a very smooth process. After ten years of writing music together, I'd have to say that it comes together pretty naturally, I'd love to say that's there's some deep magical thing that happens, but really it's just a group of friends getting together to make music they enjoy, just like every other band. If anything, for this album we took to recording much more relaxed and less clinical than we did the previous album 'Die Miserable'. It might be something that people like more or less about the album, but for us, it just felt right for this record. Keep in mind that this album was written and recorded almost 3 years ago now. So even since then, we've changed. It'll be interesting to see what we decide to do with any new material that we write, because I feel like we're often trying to find a balance between things being very tight and well played, but also organic and natural sounding. It's a tricky thing and it's easy to get carried away, especially when you're recording with a computer. We have a saying that often comes up when we're recording; "Nice and Shitty", and I think it sums up well what we're looking for when we record an album.
I'm sure you're pleased with all the songs on the new release but are there maybe one or two that you are especially proud of?
'Solitude' is my favourite song on the album. We have different ways of writing and coming up with new material, and one of those ways is just Vil (drummer) and myself jamming. We'll just write stuff on the spot together. Personally, that's my favorite way to write music, as I'm not much into sitting at home alone with my guitar to write riffs. I prefer to have someone else there to bounce ideas off of. I think 'Solitude' is one of the best songs we've ever written this way.
Fuck the Facts have released quite a few EPs. How do you decide whether a release should be an EP or a full album? Is it simply a matter of how many songs are ready to record at a certain point in time?
Yeah, pretty much. We released EPs because we just never had time to properly prepare an album, and we wanted new releases for the tours we were doing. It was fun, but I think we're getting to a point where we rather do another album than more EPs.
Grind bands seem to have a greater longevity than bands that play other styles of metal. To what do you attribute your longevity?
It's not our job. We can manage to do this for fun and them come home and go to work. This band works out really well as a fun hobby. You get to make music, travel around the world and if you're smart about it, you can still come home to a nice cozy life.
You started your own label, Noise Salvation. Was this the natural progression to allow you to have more control of what you do? Do you have any plans or goals for expansion of the label?
We never had a problem with control, even when we were on Relapse. They never told us what we could or couldn't do. Hell, they let us name an album "Disgorge Mexico. I think that's pretty trusting. We've released a bunch of DIY releases over the years, so we just decided to give it a name. It feels good, and gives everything a bit of a fresh start. I doubt we'll ever expand from just releasing FTF albums, and a few related projects, but who knows. I like the idea of it growing to be something bigger than just the band, but right now I don't have the time to even think about doing something like that.
- Odin
