The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

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)

Streamez de la musique Porter - the Band | Écoutez des chansons, des albums, des playlists gratuitement sur SoundCloud


 

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