1. Greetings people. Last year was quite variable for Amesoeurs. In the end everything settled up really nicely and the debut album is on the way. How do you feel after all those events?

Neige: Hi Aedd! I feel serene now because as you say, after finishing the composition of the album, everything went fine. We immediately entered the studio and the label planned to release it quickly. Concerning the album itself, after all this work and investment we can feel proud about it. I think it shows an interesting evolution after the MCD and it sounds how Amesoeurs always had to sound.

2. Lately you decided to quit after the release of the debut. Do you still intend to quit or you adjusted all the conflicts?

Neige: We resolved the conflicts but still intend to quit. I feel that I reached the goal I had in my head with this project and now want to dedicate my creativity to Alcest.

Fursy: Too many bands continue surfing on the wave of what they've done in the past and fail, or at least do less well. No need to repeat it again and again.

3. Now dedicate the questions to the music. Are you aware that your EP “Ruines humaines” was truly ground-breaking? You gave the many people reason to follow and uncover the “shoegaze” genre… Honestly I think that this must comfort you.

Neige: When I composed it, I didn't think about bringing anything new to the metal genre, I just wanted to give a musical expression to a particular concept. But in a way that's true, now it's curious (but flattering of course) to see these young bands appearing with the typical train station/urban aesthetics and playing "black metal/post-punk".

4. Song “Faiblesse Des Sens“ is usually considered as peak of the EP. On the other hand, similar song “Les ruches Malades” from split album with Valfunde, wasn..t accepted so warmly as the first mentioned. Do you expect that every future song similar to “Faiblesse…” is going to be so strongly related to it?

Neige: When you say "considered as the peak of the EP" it really depends on your tastes; there are people that appreciate the rock side of Amesoeurs more, so "Faiblesse..."; and some others that prefer a song like "Bonheur Amputé" for example. Why should "Faiblesse Des Sens" be representative of the typical Amesoeurs style? Of course I love that song but we didn't give special attention to it thinking "this will be the Amesoeurs' classic". Maybe "Les Ruches..." wasn't accepted so warmly because of its cave-like production and its stronger 80's feeling. By the way, "Les Ruches.." was the first song I made for Amesoeurs, long before the MCD.

Fursy: Amesoeurs is made like a prism reflecting different sides of our view about the urban world in which we live. There is no "main song", only tastes and approaches from certain kinds of listener, who is sensitive to certain kind of emotions.


5. According to the preview of the “Amesoeurs” debut on your myspace, I can easily recognize the improvement of the sound production. Sample suggests that the novelty should be more accessible. How much time you have dedicated to this aspect of the album?

Neige: More accessible? You shouldn’t trust the samples man, I guess you'll have a couple of big surprises when listening to the complete album! I can say that the different sides of Amesoeurs are more defined than on the MCD. There is not a single tune that sounds like another one, and I am sure that this exaggerated "kaleidoscopic" aspect will be the main raison why certain listeners will really dislike the album, even if this is the main characteristic that can define Amesoeurs' music.

Fursy: If you take each song apart, maybe you will find it is easy-listening, but all songs together that is something else. The album gathers all the songs that have been composed so far. It's quite difficult to say precisely how long it took.

6. If I would ask you to describe the full-length, would you say that we can expect traditional Amesoeurs sounding or some kind of progression?

Neige: There is a strong evolution in my opinion, in the sense that we really pushed the Amesoeurs concept to its extremities, musically and conceptually. The album is less "nostalgic" than the MCD, so maybe some people will be disappointed. This album conveys more disillusion, renunciation and even if there are a few typical new wave songs, it generally sounds really cold. Few vocal parts, a lot of atmospheres, a feeling of discomfort.

Fursy: I won't repeat what my mate said but I share his ideas. People must imagine this album as a film; you introduce the concept, then explore it, then conclude. For each song I have a shot in mind. It is as if you were portraying different places or sensations, and compose one song for each of them. Our music deals with pictures. That's why we gave so much attention to the album artwork.

7. To be honest, the thing that gets me most on your music, is it..s strong atmosphere. I could compare it to the rainy morning while sitting in the half-empty bus and looking through the obscured window. Which things do you find inspiring for your music?

Neige: What I find inspiring is to wander in the world we've created and observe it in all its beauty and absurdity, its contradictions. Contemplating from afar a huge city at night, hearing the noises and feeling the vibrations, experiencing it in the most imaginative and dreamy way would be a good context in which to accompany our music.

Fursy: I am mostly disgusted by human behaviour rather than what they have created (which is sometimes beautiful). That's what I'm inspired by. But I also love for example being on a bridge above a river, and looking at the reflection this river creates, as if it was a misshaped mirror. Amesoeurs is as much about urban romanticism (in the artistic meaning: G.D. Friedrich, L. Spilliaert, W. Blake, etc) as its ugliness.

8. By the way, would you call yourself an emotionalists capable of drowning in the hopeless melancholy and measure its somehow depraved beauty?

Neige: Calling ourselves "emotionalists" would be very cheesy, we don't like such exaggerated sensitivity or lack of decency. When I compose I never think consciously about all this, I just play music that touches me first.


9. Sometimes it happens to me that I lay in the tall grass, watching the sunset. I consider this scenery perfect but somehow I feel sad. But this sadness is fulfilling. Do you sometimes feel similarly or do you have some similar specific state of mind? I..m asking because I get these feeling while listening to Amesoeurs.

Neige: Of course I think all of us can understand the sensation you are describing, this typical "euphoric sadness" that gives a sudden energy, enlarges our perception and allows us, for a moment, to feel more alive than ever, even if this pain is rumbling in every cell of our body. This is in contrast to the type of heavy melancholy that precisely breaks hope and motivation, a blurred grey filter that prevents us from seeing and feeling. Most of Amesoeurs’ lyrics are dealing with this second feeling.

10. Tell me at the end, what was the main idea that made you to start Amesoeurs? And which musical projects do you consider as influences?

Neige: A romanticized vision of the urban world that I always had in my mind. All this came out in a more concrete way, accompanied by the will to do a musical project, when I discovered new wave music. It triggered something in my mind. As for influences we have a lot and they can be easily perceived in our music: Joy Division (the main one, the source of everything !), Depeche Mode, The Cure, Sonic Youth, Katatonia, New Order, a few noise/industrial projects and obviously 90's black metal.

Fursy: In Amesoeurs, I always saw a way to explore my routine fantasy about modernity, cities and people from the cities. I would also like to reference bands like Portishead, Blonde Redhead (for its madness), Kayo Dot and Kill The Thrill, black metal of course and some bands from the post-rock scene.

11. Thank you for your time and answers. Last words are yours, as usually.

Neige : Thanks to you for this interview, the first one we are replying to for the album's release!

Fursy: It was a pleasure and I hope that you took pleasure in reading it.