One of the most pleasant surprises in the extreme/experimental music sphere dropped at the very beginning of the year. Hailing from Copenhagen, Bye Bye Tsunami encapsulate our age’s chaotic and frenetic spirit in their self-titled EP, released through the ever-fascinating Nefarious Industries. As was perfectly pointed out by Antonio Poscic in the MetalMatters presentation of this work, Bye Bye Tsunami draw from a rich and enduring lineage. Their kinship with the likes of Zu is undeniable, and the bizarre worldview of pioneers like Ted Miltion stands out, but they aren’t confined in only this space.
Through the 22 minutes of their debut EP, the trio rushes through an exquisite array of sounds and genres. The noise rock of Lightning Bolt is right there, the structures punishing all, but so is a pop sensibility. It is stunning to see how easily they can change from the harsh and relentless to moments of introspective IDM influence or freestyle, mutated folk-infused flutes. And do not even get me started on this self-built instrument of chaos they have created, the entropic flaubosax!
So it is our pleasure to unveil today the video clip for the self-titled song, “Bye Bye Tsunami”, detailing the life and times of a banana. Lorenzo Collocci kindly provided some insight to guide us through the maze that is this song.
What makes Bye Bye Tsunami stand out?
This was one of the first compositions of the band and the only one including more elaborate lyrics expressing and reinforcing the aesthetic of the group. The song is inspired by the legendary underground Italian band ZU. The heavy bass line at the beginning of the piece is a clear reference to “Ostia”, from the album Carboniferous, while the strophe (the voice part) has a strong influence from the epic 1990s band Primus. The rhythmic section of the song was composed electronically, to later be transcribed and interpreted by mechanical semi-automaton cyborg Søren Høy, also referred to as “SØRENATOR”.
Where did you draw inspiration for the lyrics?
Nathan L. wrote down a delirious dialogue between himself and the other/self, also present inside, coexisting at different levels of our daily life, generating constant incomprehension and anxiety. Exposing scratchy contradictions and moral questions obsessing him in his nihilistic lifestyle, raising relevant questions about his role as an artist/consumer and the oppressing expectations and judgment exercised by the contemporary society of control. ‘I am here from the beginning of time, always behind, keeping you safe.’ This duality is pushed to the extreme, giving voice to a disgusting creature, silently crawling in the darkest shadows of the subconscious. ‘Don’t you know I’m a tumor growing inside your interior?’ That leads him to degenerately auto absolve himself and justify his most repressed and individual desires.
Most of the EP is instrumental, so who is the voice behind “Bye Bye Tsunami?”
For the voice, we contacted Danish emerging artist Praytell, and we were impressed by his edgy productions and unique vocal style. It secretes all the despair and sense of the futility of the modern beings, and as we listened to the first take he made on the song, we were excited and disturbed. It was unusual, and therefore we knew it was exactly what we wanted.
What can you tell us about the video and the adventures of one banana?
The video clip was filmed only one evening by L. and bassist UldisV, and it was supposed to include animation and massive editing, but we were so fascinated by the first spontaneous result that we decided to keep it like that. Either you get and love it, or not, and you will never. The banana appearing in the video on the part of the protagonist, despite it may look like a common banana, is an experienced fruit that took an active part in the artistic direction of the production.