Interview with Pia Isa: Exploring "Dissolve"

Pia Isa's latest album, Dissolve, delves into themes of disintegration and reconstruction, both on a personal level and in the broader context of global issues. The album is a testament to Isa's ability to channel complex emotions and experiences into her music. In this interview, Isa shares her journey, the evolution of her sound, and the collaborative efforts that shaped Dissolve.

Your new album Dissolve explores themes of falling apart and reassembling, not just on a personal level but also in the broader context of the world. Can you share more about the personal and global influences that inspired these themes? How did these experiences shape the emotional landscape of the album?

"The songs were written at a time in my life where I experienced a lot of major changes and it kinda felt like everything seemed to fall apart or dissolve. In addition to that, the ongoing climate crisis which is just out of control, war breaking out in Europe, and fascism increasing all around also made me feel like things were falling apart on a bigger scale. I was also becoming more aware of the stressful way of life, on so many levels, so many of us are living and how more and more people seem to break down when they can’t handle it any longer. The words and melodies that came out of me at the time were definitely affected by a need to deal with all of this. Writing music and lyrics is very often venting for me and a way to figure things out and look for answers. I thought a lot about falling apart and what is left when you, or things, do, and how you can put things back together in a new way. Most if not all of the songs on the album are dealing with this in one way or another."

How does Dissolve differ from your debut solo album Distorted Chants and your EP Burning Time? In my perception, it seems a lot darker and more sorrowful than your previous efforts. Can you elaborate on this evolution in your sound and themes?

"I am not sure I feel the same way, but the songs are definitely carrying sadness surrounding loss, pain, confusion, and frustration. But I always want to and try to add hope and light in there. Or some kind of solution I guess, abstract as the solution might be. For me personally, just being able to think that 'Ok, I am falling apart. It is scary. But the pieces of me are still here. I can put them back together' is helpful and hopeful. I do think that adding my old dark sounding nylon guitar in the mix with the heavy and distorted guitars definitely gave the sound a darker feeling. I wanted the heaviness and darkness to represent the dissolvement and the brighter sounding guitars and vocal harmonies to represent hope, light, and dreams."

You collaborated again with Gary Arce, known for his work with Yawning Man and Fatso Jetson among others, and Ole Teigen of Superlynx and Dødheimsgard fame on this album. How did their contributions shape the sound of Dissolve?

"Like on the first album, me and Ole worked on the sound together and developed it further on this one. After working layer by layer with my guitar recordings, bass, and vocals, he played and recorded the drums without much instruction from me but knowing I wanted them heavy and simple. He had a good understanding of the sound I was after and was able to bring out the heaviness and fullness of the sound. I sent Gary the raw mixes and listening to the recordings he sent back felt like he had added exactly what was missing on the album. It really felt like the last piece of the puzzle, and everything came together so well. He has such a unique style and creates these amazingly beautiful melodies and harmonies like no one else. His playing and his sounds just lift each song and the entire album in such a beautiful way."

The title track "Dissolve" captures a mix of heavy sadness and hopefulness, ending with the line "Rethinking everything." Can you walk us through your creative process for this song and explain what message you hope listeners take away from it?

"Dissolve was the first song I wrote for the album, and it was one of those songs that just came out fast. It was like it opened a creative faucet or something for the rest of the songs to follow which they did pretty intensely. Like with most of my songs, I just sit and play and mess with ideas and when a song is starting to form, I record it super roughly on my phone or laptop. And then I start making a demo where I might record a few layers of guitar and work more on vocals, arrangements, and the kind of sound I want for the actual recording. Musically I wanted the song to catch a heavy sad feeling but also a lot of hopefulness. And I guess I hope listeners take a very universal but very true message from it, which is to not give up even though things are falling apart. It is going to be ok. If you fall apart, you still have the pieces and you can put them back together with time. It can be scary as hell and it won’t be the same, but you will get out on the other side of it and there is actually a good chance that things will be even better than they were before. Change can also bring opportunities and make you see things differently."

Your solo music blends heavy drones with dreamy, hopeful elements, whereas Superlynx explores a more psychedelic and stoner rock sound. How do you navigate these contrasting styles when creating songs for your different projects, and how do they influence each other?

"I guess I have just always been attracted to heavy, patient, dreamy music and I guess that comes through in my own writing and playing and what I bring to each project. I think the biggest difference in how these two projects sound is that my solo project is just me creating and making decisions and it sounds 100% like me, but in Superlynx I have been one of three people with quite different musical influences writing and developing the songs. For the last album, we jammed out all the songs together as opposed to writing in a more traditional way. Superlynx is more a mix of different styles and of three people that have to agree or compromise. I don’t think much about what style a song is going to be when I write, I just write. And I guess I just know it when a song is a solo project song."

 In addition to your solo work, you are involved in Superlynx and the new project SoftSun. What can fans expect from these collaborations in the future?

"Next up for me is to focus on SoftSun, and we are going to release our first album on Ripple Music later this year. We made an album we really love and I am very excited about it. We also hope to play live around the release and possibly do a little bit of touring."

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Pia Isa - Dissolve

Norwegian doom drone artist Pia Isa, also known for her role in the band Superlynx, has returned with a new full-length album, "Dissolve." This album marks another significant step in her solo journey, following her debut album "Distorted Chants" in 2022 and the "Burning Time" EP earlier this year.

According to Pia Isa, "Dissolve" delves deep into themes of falling apart and reassembling, both on a personal and global scale. As a result, this album is darker and more melancholic than its predecessors, revealing her remarkable ability to blend heavy, droney riffs with sorrowful landscapes and forlorn melodies. It’s a rich tapestry of layered vocal harmonies, heavy distorted guitars, and dark tones, reminiscent of the more depressive side of Alice in Chains at times, while also recalling the atmospheric depth of bands like Windhand.

The collaboration with Gary Arce, known for his work with Yawning Man and Fatso Jetson, and Ole Teigen of Superlynx and Dødheimsgard, adds depth and texture to the album. Gary's guitar tones and Ole's drumming and sound work are integral to the album's atmospheric and emotional impact.

Overall, "Dissolve" is a powerful and emotionally charged album that showcases Pia Isa's growth as an artist. It is a must-listen for fans of dark drone rock and anyone looking for music that explores the complexities of the human experience with depth and sincerity.

Argonauta Records 

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Mammoth Volume Returns with New Album "Raised Up By Witches"

Swedish godfathers of progressive stoner rock, Mammoth Volume, are thrilled to announce the release of their new album Raised Up By Witches on August 23rd through Blues Funeral Recordings. As a tantalizing preview, the band presents the album’s first single, "Serpent In The Deep".

Known for their seamless blend of 70s progressive rock and modern stoner riffage, Mammoth Volume once again takes listeners on an absorbing journey filled with head-nodding grooves, wispy instrumentation, and quirky brilliance. Their ability to constantly defy expectations and surprise their audience is evident in this latest release.

The band reflects on the album's evolution: "Raised Up By Witches was meant as a themed album but became more of an open field. While still wanting to be respectful of previous fans of the band, we started to tell ourselves that Mammoth Volume is really whatever we record. So we put a thrash song on the album along with a 70’s style epic and some straight-up prog rock. In the end, it turned into something completely different than planned, which is what MV is all about."

Watch Mammoth Volume's new video for "Serpent In The Deep": 

This release marks the first glimpse into the exciting and unpredictable musical journey that Raised Up By Witches promises to be.

Interview with Blackjack Mountain

Packed with riffs more infectious than the influenza virus, Blackjack Mountain are Georgia-based trio playing a powerful and groovy blend of southern rock, stoner and bluesy hard rock. The band's debut album "Holding Time" was recently released on Swamp Records so it was the perfect opportunity to caught with the band to hear all about this new release. Read on...

Firstly, congratulations on your first album album Holding Time. It's a great album and is garnering some very positive reactions from both press and public, so I take it you're quite pleased with this album and its reception?  

Yes! We are very pleased with the recent attention the album has been getting. It’s something we worked hard on and were really excited to see so many people enjoy it!  

What can you tell us about Holding Time? How much of it is the result of individual songwriting and how of it is the result of you guys having some jam sessions in the rehearsal studio?   

It’s definitely been a long time coming that’s for sure. A lot of jam sessions and not missing practices mixed with some good weed and alcohol. Haha. As far as the songwriting goes it’s a definitely a collective effort, everybody has there input on every song we write. Being lifelong friends our respect for each other and each other’s opinion goes into all of the song writing. We are a band! To us if everyone isn’t on board with what we are doing then we just start over until we are all on the same page. We are not a one man band and egos never play a factor into any of our writing. We feel as if everyone is just as important and significant as the other.  

Sun Crow | Interview with guitarist Ben

Combining the monolithic heaviness of doom metal and infectious groove of stoner rock, Sun Crow are a Seattle based band whose sound can be described as blend of the best elements of Black Sabbath, Monster Magnet and Soundgarden. The band have just released their stunning debut album "Quest for Oblivion" and we had the chance to guitarist Ben to discus their prior ventures, the new album and their main influences.  

I wanted to start with discussing the band's background. "Quest for Oblivion" is your first album and it shows a maturity and confidence rarely seen in a debut release, so I take it Sun Crow is not your first musical experience. Tell us a bit about your prior experiences and how Sun Crow started out? 

That's a compliment, thanks. Well we've been around a few lifetimes, you'd say we are all old mossbacks. Keith (drums) and I have played together for many, many years. We were in a band in Seattle back in the day called Rawhead. Very different kind of stuff, but with similar dark spirits. That's something we have always shared together. 

 There was a fire. Our friend Gary had a rehearsal facility and a recording studio that burned down, he lost everything. I had my gear there, it all went up too. Keith and I thought it would be fun to knock around and play Sabbath in a few local taverns once I got gear back together. We met up with Brian and Charles and got down together for some fun. 

 People kept asking what our real  band sounded like, beyond Sabbath covers. We took the cue and that became Sun Crow and resulted in Quest for Oblivion. Our friend Gary ended up recording and mixing the album, a real twist of fortune. 

Coming from Seattle, the birthplace of the grunge scene that introduce us to such amazing bands as Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Tad and Mudhoney among many others, I want to ask how much an influence grunge had on your musical upbringing and what bands you could say have been continuous influences for Sun Crow? 

Cosmic Marauder | Interview with Daniel Berndt

Some say first impressions are important and Dusseldorf-based stoner rock trio Cosmic Marauder were really determined to make a strong impact with their first studio effort, a five-track EP titled "Venus Ryder". Fusing heavy and fuzzy riffs and thunderous rhythms with psychedelic and hazy tones, the EP reveals a young group already in possession of a strong maturity and sharpened songwriting skills. We had a brief Q&A with vocalist and guitarist Daniel Berndt to know a bit more about their past and this new EP. 

 

Cosmic Marauder are relatively a new band in the music scene, so could you give us a brief history as to how and when the band got together?

Actually it was pure coincidence we came together. Drummer Dany and bass player Domi already played in several bands together before, mainly doing progressive kinds of rock. I also played in several metal projects and met Dany before so we decided to have a jam together and we matched perfectly, so Dany suggested to bring in Domi as a bass player. We all have some things in common and we like to listen to stoner rock and similar music. So we started to play more stoner rock music and it suited us so well that we decided to start this band.

What can you tell us about the new EP Venus Ryder? What went into it and made it the way it is?

In fact "Venus Ryder" is a compilation of the best first songs we wrote so far. We experimented so many musical directions and found out that these five songs form our band's signature sound.

One of the things I like in Venus Ryder is the contrast between psychedelic melodies and big, chunky riffs, is this balance something you consciously strive for and work towards?

The contrast between hard guitar riffs and melodies was indeed created on purpose. We want to create a unique sound that is easy to listen to, but that still pushes forward and stands apart when compared to other bands in this genre. We spent a lot of time to find the balance between these contrasts.

Miss Lava - Doom Machine

It's time to introduce you to Portugal's best kept secret in the stoner rock genre, Lisbon-based quartet Miss Lava. With a career spanning over ten years, Miss Lava now return with their fourth full-length album "Doom Machine" and if you're not familiar with the band yet I urge you to pick up previous albums "Red Supergiant" and "Blues For The Dangerous Miles". 

Shrouded in a deep emotional load divided between feelings of loss and joy. "Doom Machine" is their best effort to date and sees the four-piece perfectly balancing heavy, fuzzy and infectious riffs with psychedelic and shamanic ambiances.