SOURCE – I wanted to start things off by asking about the new album Sermon you have out. What were the actual changes that you tried to bring forth on this record?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – Well, the changes that we tried to implement between our mixtape(010717) and this full length album were mainly to make our music be as large as we feel it should be. Structurally and sound wise. We also wanted to both focus our songs and the lyrics to what we’ve always been about. More of us into each song and more of our past.
SOURCE – How do you feel so far about the worldwide response to this record? Have there been any surprises in terms of appeal, and how do you handle any criticism if it’s given?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – Well, we’ve been quite surprised with the response because we’re just a band from Iceland and with this being our first record, we didn’t quite expect this taking off the way it did. Any criticism is good criticism and we’ve learned a lot and taken a lot of things into consideration. We’d rather grow and learn than stagnate and ignore. It’s easy to turn a blind eye and just give up if things aren’t going your way but we’d rather keep trucking and take things as guidance rather than some teardown attack.
SOURCE – What are your memories surrounding the video shoot for Damages?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – It was a lot of big ideas and a lot of small ideas that were just floating around and a lot of “Alright, let’s do this right now” and it came out super well and it portrayed the lyrical content really strongly.
SOURCE – In a time where streaming and digital consumption of music is more the norm than owning physical releases, do you believe that great artwork is still crucially important for albums?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – In my opinion, it really does. Even if I’m just scrolling through Spotify or other streaming services, bad artwork makes me not want to listen to an album or often makes me go into an album with a preconceived notion of it being bad. The artwork is as crucial of a part as the songwriting in my opinion. I won’t go as far as saying “If the artwork sucks, I won’t listen” but in a way it almost has that effect. Even now, I can’t think of an album thats good but has shitty artwork because those aren’t the ones that stick.
SOURCE – Many bands have resorted for the online stream concert option during this current pandemic, is Une Misère planning something like that in the near future?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – Well, we did a live stream in March but there might be another one coming – you never know. We’re always open for some experimenting!
SOURCE – It is definitely a scary time. The music industry and other industries are hurting right now. How has life been for you in quarantine? What’s been keeping you busy?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – Life in quarantine has been quite the same for us as anyone in the world; only going out for essentials, learning new traits, picking up new hobbies, try to stay active. Here in Iceland, life is actually getting back to normal slowly so we can’t complain that much. We’ve also been writing new music. New riffs, new lyrics, new concepts. With the world reacting the way it did, creativity either sparks or shuts down. Thankfully, it created a spark with us. Expect new directions but also expect more of the things you love.
SOURCE – What are your thoughts on heavy metal in the current international landscape – where would you like to see things change (if anything) to make things stronger for the bands, the fans, and the community in general?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – Well, in my opinion the community is quite strong and people seem to be open minded to a lot of things. It would be nice if people hated less, I guess haha. No good can come of hating. Hate only creates more hate.
SOURCE – It was really nice talking to you, would you like to leave some words for our readers?
Jón Már Ásbjörnsson (Vocals) – Just stay strong and let new days bring you new possibilities.
Contact:
Une Misere
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