Taxidermy’s “Impending,” the first taste of their “Let Go” EP, explodes with crushing heaviness, pushing saturation to its limits and featuring adventurous, experimental rock songwriting. Read our discussion with the artist below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Energetic, tense, overwhelming.
Tell us a few things about Impending and your upcoming EP, “Let Go”. What is the main idea behind it and in what ways do you feel the song pushes Taxidermy’s sound forward?
We think of “Let Go” as a second chapter to “Coin”, our EP of last year, and most of the songs were actually written and recorded around the same time, so you could say, the idea is the same, we just wanted to dive deeper. I feel, that we accomplished that in the post production of the songs, and by expanding the instrumentation, especially the introduction of violins and violas has taken our sound in a new direction.
I think, the main idea, as always actually, was to dive into a feeling of desperation and existential boundedness. First of all this anxiety is something, we in the band individually have experienced, and therefore it is a natural thematic frame of reference, but in general I think, it is healthy to not look away from the more uneasy aspects of life. Our music don’t do that anyway, and I hope, whether people share this frame of mind or not, that they are struck by it. That’s the main thing for us.
Your sound is often feel disorienting and chaotic. What draws you to these unsettling musical textures, and what do you hope listeners take away from them?
I guess, that’s just how, we interpret the world. We have always been drawn to intense music, whether it’s noisy, complex or in any other way unsettling, and we have always connected with it. I think these unsettling textures help us intensifying our expression, and in the end that intensifies the emotional discharge, we often aim for. Back when we started, it wasn’t really a question for us whether to cross boundaries and follow this tradition of music or not. It was a direction we naturally, without thinking, went in.
Do you see yourselves as part of a broader movement in modern experimental rock? Artists and people that have influenced you?
Well, I have experienced a rising, broader interest in experimental rock in general. Whether that’s because of the internet or why that is, I don’t know. I also see more and more interesting new acts popping up here and there, pushing the boundaries of rock music, which is cool, so in a way I feel connected to these bands, and in some sense connected to a very broad, unspecific movement, not limited to specific areas. But we are not part of a scene in a more classical sense, even though there are a lot of good bands coming out of Copenhagen these days!
Your favorite, most claustrophobic, surreal album ever written?
Trout mask replica by Captain Beefheart! It’s fascinating. It’s really bad and really good. Hauntingly beautiful and horrific.
If the music of Taxidermy was a film, which film would that be?
Well, the answer could be Ingmar Bergman’s “Seventh Seal”. I love that movie! Every time I see it, I’m filled with inspiration. The direct imagery and existentialistic symbolism and the way it slowly overwhelms you with claustrophobic dread aligns well with, what we are trying to do.
If I should make a more direct comparison, then maybe something more hectic like First Blood? Our songs have a tendency to escalate, plus you could make the argument, that we have a lot of car chases in our music.
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
In any state of mind actually. Of course the songs are intense and the lyrics too, and writing them we were trying to channel that mindset, one can have at specific bleak moments, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through depression to connect with our music. To me, a lot of the songs are fun to listen to, and I’d encourage people to listen to it for fun as well.
What is the story behind your name?
There’s no story. We just really like the word.
Thank you!
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