Hi Elizabeth and welcome to the Grande Rock webzine. Congrats on “Cold Waves Divide Us”. It’s an incredible atmospheric and sentimental album on the whole. First of all, tell us how and when you decided to add a new member to the band. What did Michael Hamilton bring to the band? How has his addition to the band influenced the sound and composition of “Cold Waves Divide Us”?
E: Michael joined the band back in 2019, we were looking for a bass player to play with us on our festival shows and Michael was already a fan of the band and the genre. When we started writing new material Michael became involved in that too. I think it helped influence the bigger sound we have captured on “Cold Waves Divide Us”.
How did you approach songwriting for this album?
E: We pretty much started writing the album during the COVID lockdown. Because we were all in separate locations we had to send projects back and forth to each other, which was a new experience for us, but in a positive way meant we could each spend some time individually on the song and put our own stamp on it.
How do you feel Midas Fall’s sound has evolved or changed with this new album compared to your previous work?
E: Every time we make a new album we evolve and improve as musicians and sound engineers, and all that knowledge helps us move to another level. “Evaporate” was a more delicate and atmospheric album that was recorded in a bedroom with just two people. Whereas “Cold Waves” was a bigger production project that managed to capture a heavier sound (more what we sound like live).
Can you walk us through the creative journey of “Cold Waves Divide Us”? What inspired the themes and sounds of this album?
E: The track listing of “Cold Waves” is actually in chronological order of when they were written, so it tells a story of where we are at in our lives and our heads over a period of three years. As with all our music, they come from a very personal place. I usually only write when I feel overwhelmed emotionally as a form of therapy, so each song just captures a moment.
What were some of the challenges you faced while recording this album, and how did you overcome them?
E: I think initially we had to overcome the issues presented by lockdown in the UK and not being able to meet and write and record in person. It really prolonged the making of this album. However, we invested in better equipment and software to help the process. For example, we programmed a lot of the drums digitally and used amp modelers for recording guitars and bass. This meant we didn’t have to use a studio.
The title “Cold Waves Divide Us” is quite evocative. What’s the story behind choosing this title?
E: “Cold Waves Divide Us” is the title of one of the tracks on the album. It is really just a metaphor for fundamental differences between two people that makes a relationship doomed to fail. I felt it tied in nicely with the artwork and general theme of the album.
The visual aspect of an album can be as impactful as the music itself. Who was behind the album’s artwork, and what does it represent?
E: All the artwork for the album was done by our ex-drummer, Steven Pedro Pellatt, who lives in England. He works as a graphic designer and knows our music so well, he was the perfect choice to represent the music through art.
Were there any particular musical influences or artists that you drew inspiration from while crafting this album?
E: We all have quite different tastes in music in the band, but with enough overlap to really make it work. I listen to a lot of neo-classical and was definitely inspired by the type of strings Olafur Arnalds uses in his music. We also liked to draw inspiration from big synth and guitar led post rock bands like 65daysofstatic and the moody gothicness of Chelsea Wolfe.
What emotions do you hope listeners will experience or connect with when they listen to “Cold Waves Divide Us”?
E: Hopefully the songs will invoke the same emotional response in listeners as I feel when I perform them live. That of, longing, sorrow, hope and nostalgia. I think our music touches on all those emotions.
The production is great. Who is responsible for the mixing, the engineering and the mastering? Are you completely satisfied with the final result?
E: I did the recording, mixing and mastering for the album. I studied sound engineering at university and have a studio set up in the attic of my house so am very self-reliant. When it comes to mixing there has to be a point where I call it a day. Otherwise, I become obsessive about making slight tweaks in the mixes and drive myself insane. I know when to leave things alone the older I get.
Do you feel that this album represents your growth as a band?
E: I think so in some ways. It represents our increased ability at capturing a bigger and heavier sound on record. As for the compositions themselves, especially with our last album “Evaporate” and “Cold Waves”, I feel we are able to show a lot more restraint when it comes to layering instruments and parts in the songs. In the past, I think we often wrote too much and then had to remove parts or try and find space for them in the mix, whereas on our newer material we are more aware of allowing space in the music.
What can fans expect from your live shows in support of this new album?
E: We always try and make our live shows a little special. We write transitional pieces of music between the songs so our set just flows from one song to the other. I hope it makes it more of an immersive experience.
Aside from the festival dates you already announced, are you planning to tour Europe, UK or USA in the summer or fall?
E: The plan for the rest of the year is to finish of an EP, we have a lot of unfinished demos we would like to complete and then release. So hopefully we will have another European tour organized for early 2025 to coincide with that.
How would you describe your musical style to someone who has never heard your band before?
E: We once got labelled as “Misery Prog” in a magazine review. That made me laugh.
It’s time for our “Strange Questions”!!! How did you come up with the name Midas Fall initially?
E: This is quite ridiculous really. Rowan and I started the band in Edinburgh when we were students. When we had just started out, we called the band “Merkyn” as joke because it means “pubic wig”. But when we had our first show people told us it was too gross, so we just picked two words out the dictionary, hence Midas Fall.
What are those things that you do not like in the music industry nowadays?
E: Especially since the COVID lockdowns a lot of smaller venues in the UK have shut down. It seems like the industry is booming for large touring bands but becoming harder than ever for smaller ones. That, and the oversaturation of bands these days through streaming and social media. It makes it much harder to be seen in the crowd.
Are “social media” a “compulsory part” of music biz these days or bands, artists & labels can do without them as well?
E: It certainly feels it, although I really hate social media. Even when I think I’m on top of the socials and doing a good job it is still rubbish compared to the majority of bands. I don’t even understand Tik Tok or Twitter, so just stay clear of those.
What do you think about the “streaming issue” of our time? Do you prefer the streaming services more or not?
E: Liz (as a listener and enjoyer of music) really likes streaming. I’ve found lots of new bands through whatever algorithms they use and Spotify playlists. However, as a musician it totally sucks. It has basically meant bands can only really make money from live shows and associated merch sales. So, definitely pros and cons to streaming.
Fill in the phrase… “Post-Rock wouldn’t have evolved the way it did, if it hadn’t been for…”
E: I’m going to go with Mogwai. I always remember them being one of the first post rock bands from the 90’s and so many post rock bands since them taken on elements of their music.
Which are the Top 3 Post-Rock albums of all time according to you?
E: “Ágætis byrjun” by Sigur Ros, “The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place” by Explosions in the Sky and “Wild Light” by 65daysofstatic.
Which is the most underrated musician/band of all time?
E: Martin Grech, he released three amazing albums in the 2000’s and then seemed to disappear. This was around the same time I started singing so was a massive influence to my style.
Which is that band that you’d like to be part of (any time & era)?
E: Fleetwood Mac. I watched a documentary about the making of “Rumours” (one of my favourite albums) and they were pretty wild. I would have just liked to sit in the corner of the studio and watched the drama unfold.
Which do you consider to be the best male & female vocalist in rock/metal history?
E: While I’m thinking of Fleetwood Mac, I’m going to say Stevie Nicks. Just love that dark, raspy tone she has. And for a male, Jeff Buckley. His range was phenomenal.
If you had the opportunity to invite any musician, living or dead, to play on your album whom would you choose and why?
E: I’d love to write an album with Olafur Arnalds. His ambient and orchestral style just gives me goosebumps, especially when he does collaborations with vocalists. I want to be that vocalist, (haha).
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
E: I’d pick the future, that is more fascinating to me. I’d like to fast forward a few hundreds and see if humans have managed to destroy the planet yet.
What are your thoughts on A.I.? It appears to have taken over the world in every part of our life over the last couple of years, and this is just the beginning. What are your thoughts on the AI-generated music?
E: AI is a pretty terrifying prospect, of course it can and will be helpful in many industries etc, etc, but all I’m thinking about is The Terminator and when Skynet is going to take over.
As for AI generated music, there is so much rubbish music in the world with zero depth that people seem to love to listen to, so they probably wouldn’t recognize the difference if it was AI generated. For the people with a genuine love and connection to the emotion in a song, I don’t think an AI song would be fooling them or taking away the jobs of musicians.
That’s it for now El, thank you for talking with Grande Rock. Say anything you feel like saying before we close. Take care!
E: Thanks do much, really enjoyed answering these questions.
