We chat with Oliver from dark French rock band, Melt
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
Hi. We are Melt, french dark rock band, we exist as a band since 2015, but Charlotte (guitarist singer) and I, Olivier (guitarist) know each other since 2007 and we’ve always been working on music together. I can’t tell you much more about the actual line-up because there are changes, evolution… but Charlotte and I are the irremovable core of Melt. Jus plays the bass and Romeo the drums but this little rascal tends to disappear these times, I wonder if we still have a drummer…About our music I’d say it’s a light at the end of a tunnel, a lightning that would be like a ladder to the sky. The trials of life, the strength it takes to go through.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
I will tell you about the album, it’s our 2nd and it’s called The secret teaching of sorrow, as you can imagine if there is the word ‘secret ‘ in it it means that I can’t tell you much, but I think this very title tells all. It’s a kind of concept album, not that there is a common theme running through the album but every songs are connected, creating a strong atmosphere. Some reviews said about Melt that there is a cinematic feel and I totally agree. The secret teaching of sorrow is about grief, a loss that makes you understand that you have no choice in life: you have to carry bravely and with dignity your feelings, and devote yourself to your soul, whatever the cost.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
Breaking Bad! I was looking an episode of this depressing show and there was a sequence with a suite of note, I began singing something on this suite and it finally gave the song Hellion, which is our 1st single for ‘The secret teaching of sorrow’. I think that what inspired this album was my will to make something very dramatic, powerful but also delicate, like a person who would consulate you, but also shake you.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS?
Cinematic, strong, atmospheric, soft, raw, dramatic.
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
Discovering Iron Maiden made me buy a guitar when I was a teenager, and Sixteen Horsepower helped me go through a difficult period of my life. Nirvana was the click for Charlotte.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER ARTIST?
I like our last music video we made for our single Hellion, the music video for ‘Haw’ by Sixteen Horsepower is also very beautiful and inspired.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
Mainly walking into nature, in forest, exploring old abandoned path. And reading John Steinbeck, for now.
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
We are taking a pause with gigs, but in our beginning i was terribly nervous, i was shaking and i had to make huge efforts to stay calm… i just endured that for month until i was at ease. The best thing to do is not give a fuck about how you play, it helps relaxing, but i’s an easy thing to say cos when you begin playing live you want to play well your songs. After several gigs you’re more at ease with the playing, you know the songs by heart and then you don’t care about playing one or two wrong notes sometimes. Especially at the end of a show when you’re exhausted and half dead.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
We’ve been lucky: Charlotte and I were looking for a drummer, we place a ad on a website and then came Romeo, excellent drummer and atypical human being. The guy was insanely serious, at our first meeting he already knew every drum parts of our demo… We made our first gigs (and all the others) with him and one evening Jux came to see us at a concert, he was intrigued by the flyer that said ‘alternative rock’, because that’s a genre rarely played by bands in our area. At this time we had problem with our bassist, so i proposed Jux to replace him, and that was done, Melt had found his line-up for the next 5 years.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER, OR DO YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER?
I write the guitars and most of the bass line, sometimes Jux (bassist) writes them, or we do it together, and Charlotte writes her lyrics and her singing line. Again, Charlotte and i are the core.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Being away from people, cities… from civilization in general, in the quiet of nature, feeling my inner calm. And guitar, piano… the instruments makes a lot to inspire you.
WHAT IS NEXT?
Tough question… Melt has been taking a break for concerts since summer 2019, we had to work on the 2nd album, and we had to take a break anyway, but now Charlotte and I think that it is time to rehearse again to build a new set-list and play live again, in 2021 i think. If it doesn’t work (concerts are a difficult topic for us) i will make a sort of side project, a folk band that will play instrumental version of Melts songs. And i also have to work on the demos of the songs of the 3rd album.
PLEASE TELL US ANY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS SO WE CAN SHARE.
You can say ‘Hi’, like and share on our FB, it’s always a pleasure for us to see new people:
fb.me/wearemelt
You can listen and download our albums and demo on our bandcamp:
https://melt4.bandcamp.com/
The album is also on MrDoom YouTube channel, comments are also very welcome:
AND there’s also an instagram, but I don’t know what it’s for, it doesn’t make coffee…:
https://www.instagram.com/melt.darkrock/
AND prehistoric stuff like a website:
https://suicidalnightingale.wixsite.com/wearemelt
AND finally, our label for the next 3 years, here you will be redirected to the platform of your choice to stream and download blablabla:
https://orcd.co/thesecretteachingofsorrow
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