Explore PORTER's musical evolution with their latest album, 'Genosha.' Embracing a heavier direction, the band delves into societal challenges, offering a cohesive and urgent musical journey. Discover more.
1. Congratulations
on the release of "Taxfree Hollows," the first single from your
upcoming album "Genosha." How has the response been so far, and what
inspired the direction you took with this track?
Thank you
very much. Considering that we had to take a really long break before "Tax
Free Hollows", we can't complain about the very favourable feedback. It's
phenomenal how well the song has been received so far. And that's despite the
fact that we have a new singer and have also changed our musical direction
quite a bit in a heavier direction. Well, this new direction is probably due to
our musical preferences, which to a large extent lie in the heavier genres, as
well as the fact that the world is not necessarily becoming a more peaceful or
liberal place. In these times, as democrats and open-minded people, it is
important to speak out loudly against this and that is exactly what we are
doing.
2.
"Genosha" is described as having a more metal-heavy focus compared to
your previous work. What motivated this shift in musical style, and how do you
think it reflects the band's evolution?
This
heavier side of Porter has actually always existed. And for "Genosha"
we deliberately set out to create an album with a consistent thematic concept
that would be reflected not only in the lyrics but also in the sound and
songwriting. Unambiguous and unmistakable! Hence the endeavour to take the
production completely into our own hands, so that this idea is not
"watered down" from the outside, as we - like probably almost every
band - can definitely report from one or the other experience. However, the "vibe"
during the recordings and production was so captivating and motivating that we
can assume that we will continue in this direction in the future.
3. The
band's diverse musical preferences are evident in your unique blend of metal,
punk, indie, singer-songwriter, hardcore, and alternative influences. How do
you navigate such a broad spectrum of genres while maintaining a cohesive
sound?
To be
honest, we don't think we can do justice to all the genres mentioned. And we
don't want to. It's not as if we set out to cater to a specific musical genre.
At the end of the day, that just happens during the songwriting process. The
singer-songwriter influence on "Genosha", for example, is hard to
find, if at all. But we believe that in our spontaneous song ideas and the
subsequent elaboration in the rehearsal room, all the subconscious influences
from the preferences of the individual band members play a role in the musical
result. I would certainly play the guitar differently if I wasn't a fan of
Danzig, Pink Floyd and Neil Young at the same time. The same goes for Frank,
his ideas are influenced by everything from Jimi Hendrix to Katatonia. Markus
beats the drums with a clearly audible punk influence, and that goes for all of
us.
4.
"Behind The Banlieue" is the second single from "Genosha."
Can you share the story behind this track and how it fits into the overall
narrative of the upcoming album?
The whole
album is based on a premise in which a separate, fictional world is depicted,
but one that is very similar to our real world. Basically a small parallel
universe. However, here we have the opportunity to illuminate the story of
individual characters who all live in this world and have to struggle with the
adversities that prevail there.
At the
moment, we have to observe in a very real way that totalitarian and fascist
structures seem to be consolidating worldwide, even here in Germany. As a band,
we can't just bang out some fantasy lyrics, we want to set an example for
tolerance and democracy. That has always been the basic note in our lyrics, but
on "Genosha" it is now more concrete. Our core conceptual questions
are "what kind of world do we want to live in", "how much
freedom is enough to feel truly free" and "how much coercion leads to
a life determined by others". In "Behind The Banlieue" in
particular, we address the obvious unwillingness of an inert mass of society to
recognise that they are part of the world's problems and that they must finally
get off their arses if they want to continue to enjoy what they know as freedom
and democracy. Fortunately, this is currently happening in the microcosm of
Germany, which is manifested in massive and unprecedented protests against the
fascist AfD party - finally! However, it is important for social peace to take
marginalised groups along on the journey. The title "Behind The
Banlieue" alludes specifically to the Parisian suburbs, where there were
major social unrest a few years ago.
5. Your
sound is stylistically rooted in the energetic, guitar-led alternative rock of
the 90s. How do you infuse progressive elements into your music to bring it into
the present day while still honoring those influences?
Maybe it
plays a role that we all learnt to play our instruments properly in the 90s.
It's probably quite normal that something sticks and flows into our own songs.
The progressive elements were probably added gradually through the special
preferences of each of us. The basis is clearly the 90s. I mean, listen to the
new Foo Fighters songs, they also have both feet firmly planted in the 90s. And
yet they sound extremely fresh.
6.
"Genosha" marks a new start for PORTER. What challenges did you face
during the creation of this album, and how did you overcome them as a band?
The biggest
challenge for us as a band was probably the moment when our previous singer
Christian lost his voice. A real stroke of fate that slowed us down for a few
years and needed to be digested. In addition, we had started recording in 2018
but were unable to continue due to the circumstances described above. It wasn't
an easy time for us, but our guitarist Lars made extremely good use of the
time, set up a studio and continued to train as a sound engineer. So
"Genosha" also feels like a new start thanks to our new singer
Raimund. But not only. When you've been making music together as a band for a
long time, you simply sense when something special is happening. And that's
exactly the feeling we all have with "Genosha". For us, it's an
incredible milestone in our work to date.
7. The
band has been around for quite a while. How has your approach to songwriting
and collaboration evolved over the years, especially with the creation of „Genosha“?
The
approach hasn't really changed, but I think the respect for each other has.
There have been one or two crises in the band's history through no fault of our
own, but also successful projects in the past that, despite our long history
together, have made us realise even more what we have in common and how
incredibly good it feels that we are still doing all this together.
8. The
video for "Taxfree Hollows" was released on your YouTube channel. How
important is visual storytelling to your music, and what role does it play in
enhancing the overall PORTER experience?
We always
find it exciting when you add several layers of experience to the music itself.
We've already done this with the songs on "Genosha" by offering
listeners the opportunity to engage with the content beyond the listening
experience of the pure song. And it's this content that somewhat defines the
script for the videos. I'm deliberately using the plural here because we intend
to give each song a video along the way. And of course a video offers you the
opportunity to reach completely different people with the music that the song
alone might not reach. We're not Metallica, the world doesn't wait for us and
so we're very happy to utilise the opportunities that the internet gives us on
all levels. Furthermore, the story makes even more sense to us. Together with
the artwork of the individual singles, "Genosha" becomes a real,
small, multimedia work of art.
9. Can
you tell us more about the concept or theme that ties "Genosha"
together as an album? Are there recurring motifs or messages that listeners
should be on the lookout for?
The
listener doesn't "have" to look out for anything, of course. But if
they want to and delve a little deeper into the lyrics, they will discover the
world of "Genosha". As already mentioned, this fictional world is
about the current, undeniable social trends of our real world, the desire for
change of some, who see climate change or authoritarian leaders as urgent
problems to be tackled, and the numbness of others, whether out of fear,
laziness or necessity. It is about the paralysing lack of interest in an
obviously unavoidable change towards a more thoughtful coexistence. Do you
surrender to your fate or do you take it into your own hands?
10. As a
band from Germany, how has your cultural background influenced your music, and
do you find that your international audience interprets your music differently?
Basically
an obvious question, but probably completely irrelevant for us. German music,
which is internationally recognised as such, is usually something extreme or
eccentric. I don't think we're German at all. It's also exciting in this
context that the international feedback so far has been much greater and more
positive than here in Germany. In Germany, it's always difficult when you use
English lyrics in your music. What people like about English-language but
German music usually has such trivial lyrics that it hurts. But maybe it's also
because of the music genre in which we are categorised. It's just not the
hottest shit. If you make rap or German radio pop, it's a completely different
story. Metal, especially the more extreme stuff, also works quite well.
Alternative rock is always kind of caught between two stools, but hey, we're
actually quite happy to sit there.
11.
"Genosha" is on the home straight. What can fans expect in terms of
musical surprises or new elements that may not have been present in your previous
albums?
That is
clearly the urgent stringency with which we have pulled this album through.
"Genosha" is more cohesive in its songs and sound than anything we've
done before. And that's because we've channelled the different influences
mentioned above more clearly and because everything is under our direction. No
more compromises!
12. How
does the creative process unfold within the band? Are there specific rituals or
routines that you follow when crafting new music?
I think the
pure approach, i.e. writing new songs, has hardly changed over the years. One
of the guitarists, usually Lars, or our singer comes up with a rough idea,
which can be a riff or a well-structured song, and then plays it for us in the
rehearsal room. Very old school. We love working together in the rehearsal
room. Then we jam around the loose framework and see how everything slowly
comes together and becomes more and more dense. A bit like slowly reducing a
good sauce. Our drummer Markus writes the lyrics and always has a pile of them
ready. One thing leads to another and the porter song is finished. The only
difference with "Genosha" was, as I said briefly, that this time we
had a lyrical concept and a musical vision.
13. With
the ever-changing landscape of the music industry, how do you navigate the
balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to the
demands of the industry?
Fortunately,
we don't feel part of the music industry at all. We're "lucky" that
we're no longer 20 and don't do the whole thing to earn money. As a result, we
are also completely free artistically and can do anything we want and leave out
anything that doesn't suit us. So we don't have to conform at all and that
feels good. It used to be different in the past.
14. The
band is active on social media, expressing gratitude for every like and follow.
How does the connection with your fans influence your creative process, and
what role do they play in shaping the direction of your music?
Again, I
would argue that this doesn't influence the creative process at all. But of
course we are genuinely happy if there is even one person out there who cares
about what we do, maybe even a little more. I've already said that we don't do
it to earn money, but to be able to live out our vision of art. So that's the
real reward, the reaction and affection from fans and those who might become
fans with "Genosha". And while in the past it was only possible to
secure this at concerts, the huge portfolio of social media channels now offers
much more room for manoeuvre. We really enjoy that too!
15. Looking ahead, what are your plans for the future, both in terms of promoting "Genosha" and exploring new musical avenues?
Well, we
will still have a lot to do this year with the singles and the accompanying
videos for "Genosha". There's still a lot to come. And then, of
course, the clear focus will be on finally, finally presenting the songs with
love. As there are now six of us for the first time in our history, there will
also be a lot to do musically. That's why we're planning to spend a lot of time
together in our new rehearsal room in the near future - and as we thankfully
have WLAN there, you'll all be there too. But as we know each other, new songs
will be written during these rehearsals. Once again, we won't let so much time
pass between albums.
PORTER Alternative Rock (porter-band.de)
porter (@porterdortmund) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
Behind The Banlieue | PORTER (DE) (bandcamp.com)
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