Supermoon: ‘Our style came about completely effortlessly.’

The atmospheric rock band, on the occasion of the presentation of their latest, self-titled record (about which we've shared our impressions in this article of ours), talk to us in a wide-ranging interview.

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

Thanks for having us! The record was recently released by Made Of Stone Recordings on vinyl and we want to thank them a lot for believing in all this. It's already been out digitally since the last days of 2020 and along the way, up to now, it's also been released independently on cd and cassette by Southcave Records. I've listened to the record countless times and I can tell you I still love it a lot! Sure, some things could have been done differently and better -more professionally, if you like- but broadly speaking the purpose was achieved, both in terms of the album's atmosphere and in terms of people's response.

Tell us a bit about this work and what prompted it. When did you compose the tracks and what criteria did you use to select them for the album? Also, you chose not to give the album a separate title. How did that come about?

The album (and subsequently the band) came about as an idea in 2019, when 2-3 tracks -written without any particular purpose- came together and it became clear that the whole thing could stand as a unified body of work -at least to my ears. More and more tracks gradually started being created, along with some older ideas -with the aim of now creating a unified album- and after selecting from these, "Supermoon" was born. The criterion for the selection was simply no fillers! A single journey without stops. Tracks went in and out, went back in and so on, some changed and became parts of other tracks etc. There were also alternative titles for the record, but since I couldn't decide, I chose to leave it as is (laughs). Also I like self-titled debuts, they're like introduction records, so for a start I think "Supermoon" is enough, this is who we are - this is what we do.

Tell us a bit about how you compose? Is there some method? Do you follow a specific way of composing?

There's no specific way of composing, no. As for structure, there was the idea of using a method based on progressive psytrance music, but even that ended up being used in only a few tracks. The only fixed criterion was that the result be atmospheric.

Next big topic, the style of your music. You've chosen a very particular, atmospheric style. How did that choice come about? Is it a matter of musical identification?

Of course, we are what we listen to! Of course we don't only listen to atmospheric stuff, but at that particular point that's what came out. It's also a matter of psychology and circumstances. Many factors are involved. In the course of creating a unified whole-album, the particular style can become an end in itself, but in our case it happened effortlessly.

You've made something very distinctive. Were you influenced by the broader music scene in Greece? What's your view more broadly on the contemporary music scene in Greece?

There are definitely influences from the Greek scene too, from rock to traditional-folk sounds. Personally I listen to a lot more music from England/USA, but you can't help but be influenced by a music scene as rich in range and quality as the Greek one. At the first big concert I went to in my life, I saw Nightstalker as the opening act, whom I didn't know at the time. When you're 14 years old and starting out playing music, something like that can change your life, believe me!

Tell me a bit about your influences. Which artists or bands do you think the album owes its existence to?

A live show by Rotting Christ at Bloodstock I think was the thing that woke up a spark inside me that I'd lost for a while. I hadn't listened to them for a long time and their new stuff showed me a door that I'd probably seen before, but had never opened. In general I like music that takes you on a journey and pulls you out of reality for a bit, whether through its atmosphere, or through its themes, or both -even better!

So besides Christ, I'd definitely also tell you classic rock sounds, bands from the '70s mainly like Rush, Rainbow, Uriah Heep, King Crimson, Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Pink Floyd and other magical stuff like that (and I could go on writing forever -laughs). Also, Candlemass, Psychotic Waltz, Metallica, AFI, Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Nightstalker, Naxatras, Νοστράδαμος, Θανάσης Παπακωνσταντίνου and definitely psy/ambient music and artists like Alwoods, Suduaya, Profondita, Shpongle, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Hilight Tribe, Infected Mushroom etc. Magical stuff too! Also traditional music, mainly Celtic, Native American, Greek, Indian, and above all nature, which is a journey-inspiration all on its own.

From a lyrical standpoint you've chosen some very dark subject matter. First off, how did that come about? Are there stories behind the songs and lyrics? How did they come to be? For example, what's the inspiration behind tracks like 'Moon Rabbit'?

I'd say it's on the edge of darkness, from a point where the light can be seen. The main theme of the album is a journey: man's effort to find the way from darkness to light. Sometimes with the help of external factors, but always with his own inner strength, and that goes for all the tracks. There are also hidden stories, like in Dome for example, which describes the journey I mentioned earlier through experiences at music festivals, but it's better if these stories stay hidden (laughs).

The Moon Rabbit is a very special case for me and that's why it's depicted on the album cover too. The lyrics are excerpts from the poem "The Old Dust” by Li Bai, which deals with a Chinese myth according to which a rabbit lives on the moon and holds the secret of eternal life there. I was captivated by the myth when I read it, then I discovered this poem too, and that's kind of how the song came about.

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

The strange thing with us is that the band was formed after the album's release and in the middle of the second lockdown. Of course that had a negative effect too, since we couldn't rehearse, for instance. Having played music for years and done live shows, I know that this kind of standstill can prove disastrous, especially for a small band. In general we tried to keep our cool, we worked a lot from home and turned our dreams into plans — for forming the band, for the live arrangement of the songs, for writing new material, etc. Personally, I also listened to a lot of music, discovered new bands and supported them as much as I could, because that's the only way a band can keep existing these days, for better or worse.

Things have clearly improved by now. Is there any live performance on the schedule? Also, do you have a follow-up to ‘Supermoon’ in the works? Plans for the future?

The situation is indeed better, but the future is still pretty murky when it comes to gigs and in general. Hopefully it'll improve even more, and I'm sure something will come up. Anyway, we did manage to play our first two live shows over the summer, one in Kavala at Mammoth Fest and one the next day at the Τεχνόπολη/Athens, opening for Naxatras. And once again a big thank you to Made Of Stone for trusting us! We want there to be a follow-up to the album, and there will be, there are ideas and a few new tracks already, but still at a pretty early stage. Still, we want to enjoy our first record with live shows and events before the next one comes along, and unfortunately, because of the pandemic, that hasn't happened yet.

Guys, thank you so much for being here and we wish you every success in whatever you do! Feel free to wrap up our conversation however you like!

Thank you, Δημήτρη, and good luck with your new venture, Fuzzy Hound! We hope more and more people who love music get actively involved with it, whether by forming bands, working in print or online media, or even making t-shirts, pins - anything at all! Also, our hearts go out to the people who experienced the fires up close, and a big apology to nature.