This post was originally published on this site
It’s easy to expect some sort of profound meaning behind art, it makes it all the more mystifying and exciting for the observer. As EYES’ new record Spinner opens up and OP1 begins, you could find yourself wondering why there’s some sort of anime opening theme playing with works like Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam’s OP being cited as an inspiration for the record it doesn’t feel all that odd. It feels like stepping into frontman Victor Kaas’ psyche, OP1 is a deceitful entrance way before the following chaos which ensues.
Spinner is partly a coalition of Kaas’ love for anime and manga, and the reflection that he has found it to have with his own life. Partly hefty riffs and bursting drum beats. The often frantic atmosphere leaves you on a nail biting edge.
The making of Spinner was different for EYES than what they were typically used to “with the other records we’re used to jamming a lot and doing all the music together. But this time we didn’t have the time for everybody to be together for the process,” guitarist Rasmus Furbo explains. Instead, they took more of a collage style approach than the usual linear method “We recorded, riffs and kind of jammed into the computer, moved all the parts around. It’s kind of a different process in that way.”
The concept for Spinner was a much more personal experience, owed to Kaas. Furbo explains “He had this whole idea about building around 80’s anime characters. It’s an idea that he’s had for a couple of years already. So, it was kind of just like stewing in the back of his head.” Whilst his band mates might not 100% understand it, there’s a method to Kaas’ creative madness.
The golden opportunity lies in the connection between his favourite media that he’s consumed and his own formative years. Particularly pulling from the works of Inio Asano like Dead Dead Demon’s De De De De Destruction and Goodnight Pun Pun. It’s their range that Kaas loves so much, and what he identifies with, he says “I think a lot of coming of age stories kind of end when they reach early adulthood – but I think early adulthood is an often overlooked period of human development, and it’s also very much part of what I looked at for the album.” He makes a good point in saying “our frontal lobes aren’t even fully developed until we’re about 25, with the rest of the brain still developing till we’re 30.”
Goodnight Pun Pun is full of moral dilemmas and narratives that make you question things about yourself and others based on the questionable decisions of the main character. The scariest thing about it is how full of grey the series is as a whole, but there’s definitely parallels between what Kaas has put into Spinner and this manga. Apart from the fact that he admits “I think Inio is among the greatest Mangaka to ever live,” there’s signs and odes throughout the album, The Captain for example comes from the idea of “neglect, essentially” and there’s this sense of abandonment when Kaas continues “being labelled as the kind of person who will always make it in the end and don’t need any help because they’re tough and smart.” But it results in being left to “fend for themselves.”
It’s hard to look inside ourselves and face the little things, the insecurities, the hates, eventually they stack up to outweigh the big things. But, with an introspective record like Spinner, it’s more like purging yourself of all of these things. It’s a release. So, there’s more to be taken from Spinner than the chaos that ensues, or than the sombre topics. There’s the relief that comes along with it, for EYES that includes the spoils of a spectacular release like this.
They’ve all but taken over Denmark, if you were to look at their Spotify page at face value and listen to their music, you might think they’re quite over rated. But, after three records released they’re still yet to have embarked on a UK tour. “We’re very lucky to be in a time where there’s a lot of bands and a lot of different hardcore, punk rock, whatever. The whole scene I feel like is a pretty good time right now.” Now it feels like time to stretch their legs further than Denmark. “We’re playing at ArcTanGent and 2000trees, it’s going to be our first time in the UK.”
There’s a lot of confidence in themselves as a band, Rasmus says “I’ve never thought of ourselves as underrated in any way, because most of our time as a band has been in Denmark. We’ve been lucky to play all the things we wanted to in Denmark, like the major festivals and smaller festivals and have our own release party that’s been sold out. You know, doing all the stuff that we really wanted as a Danish band. So in that sense, I’ve never thought of ourselves as underrated. Maybe in Denmark, we’re overrated?”
With this upcoming Summer of shows and visits to the UK, alongside the phenomenal and demanding release in Spinner, EYES are going to earn people’s attention whether it’s in the blistering heat on stage at a festival, or if you get sucked in to the warping rabbit hole that is Victor Kaas’ emotive lyricism – we’re sure more people are going to catch on to the EYES hype soon enough.
Spinner is out now via Prosthetic Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS121 here:
For more information on EYES like their official page on Facebook.
The post EYES: Danish Front Runner appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
