Instant Boner: 'The record is a purge from self-destruction.'

Following the arrival of their album titled 'High Place Phenomenon', the band open up exclusively to Fuzzy Hound!

Today we welcome Instant Boner to Fuzzy Hound! You've just released your first record, titled 'High Place Phenomenon'. What are your feelings about the album right now? Your thoughts? Are you happy with this release? Did it achieve its purpose?

'First off, thanks for having us! The record is a product of a lot of experimentation. We let ourselves go free, it came out of us effortlessly, and we're really happy with the result! The goal of the record was for all the band members to express themselves musically and lyrically, and that was achieved and then some!'

Tell us a bit about this work and what sparked it. When did you write the songs and by what criteria did you pick them for the album?

'The songs went through a lot of changes before we even got into the studio to record, because we started writing them before we changed singers. When Marianthi arrived we scrapped everything we had and wrote it all from scratch. What's different from our previous releases is that these songs came out of jamming. So what sparked the record was simply the appetite for music! The only criterion for picking a song is that we enjoy playing it!'

Is the title 'High Place Phenomenon' a condition that a lot of people feel? How did you choose this particular title?

'All people have a tendency toward self-destruction, and even more so in today's society, which more or less pushes a huge number of people toward "the edge," whether that's literal or an everyday emotional dilemma. For us, this record is a purge from feelings of that kind.'

You have a very distinctive musical style. You combine stoner/hard rock with lots of other elements. Tell us more about that.

'The reason we mix so many musical genres into our sound is that we're a band of 6 people with different musical backgrounds (like blues, jazz, funk, hard rock, prog), and when we jam in the studio everyone throws in their own ideas. Everyone's stubborn enough to push their own influences into every song, and that's how we get the result you hear on High Place Phenomenon!’

You've made something fairly groundbreaking. Were you influenced by the broader music scene in Greece? What's your take on the contemporary Greek music scene more generally?

'For sure, of course we're influenced by local bands. The Greek music scene is bursting with life and talent, and we'd love to share the stage with a lot of bands.'

Tell me a bit about your influences. Which artists or bands do you feel shaped your path?

'Blues is the roots, everything else is the fruits!'

In terms of subject matter, have you chosen specific stories for your songs?

'Even though we really love concept albums, our songs usually deal with things that are on our minds at the time we write them. Even though each song describes a standalone story, they all revolve around a common theme.'

Do you follow any specific method when composing? Is there a set path you follow?

'We usually start with a riff or a general idea, and after a lot of jamming and ideas we land on something everyone likes, and then we move forward! The initial idea comes from one of the two guitarists, but every song always ends up shaped by everyone's input! For example, the song Mid Air started out as a fast, 3-minute stoner track, and after jamming it turned into what you hear on the record.'

The pandemic situation affected a lot of artists. How did you handle it?

'The first half of the pandemic hit us right in the middle of recording High Place Phenomenon. We figured that by the time we finished recording, the whole thing would be over, but unfortunately even today we still haven't done a release show for the record. After it came out, since we couldn't play live, we focused on new songs.'

Things have clearly improved by now. Is there any live performance in the works? Also, are you cooking up a follow-up to 'High Place Phenomenon'? Any plans for the future?

'Our goal is to present the record at the first opportunity, but unfortunately things aren't improved enough for us to announce anything for sure. Every day we hear about some new measure. As for the follow-up, we're always working on new songs!'

Guys, thank you so much for being here, and we wish you all the best in everything you do! Feel free to close out our chat however you like!

'Tough times for music (and not only music). We hope all this ends soon! Thanks so much! Take care!'