Yabanci is one of the last big discoveries for lovers of Post-Punk and Gothic Rock. In 2013, the Swiss/Italian band released their first EP (review here), “Birth”, which brings back old school memories of Siouxsie and the Banshees or early Fields of the Nephilim. Their sound is raw and sharp, with great melodies and rhythmic sections. They release this month their first full-length album: “Grimorium”. It was time for an interview!
Guillaume Renard
Who is Yabanci? There is very Little information available about the band on the web…
Valerio: Officially Yabanci is a rockband formed in late 2011, debuted in 2013 with an EP called “Birth” and going to release “Grimorium”, full length including 3 remixes by Oskar Terramortis. Now, after several lineup changes and sound tuning we have all we need to share our music within goth scene.
Laura: the name of the band, Yabanci, means “strangers”. And so we are, coming from different geographical places and musical experiences. For instance, I live in Turin, Italy, while the headquarters of the band are in Switzerland.
Apart from obvious influences such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, what are the main influences of Yabanci?
Valerio: Wright bros from early FoTN are my milestones, In my opinion some tracks from Last Rites experience are amazing too. In my background you can find also LP such as 1stAnd Last and Always (Som) and Garlands (Costeau Twins), as well as some Virgin Prunes and Mephisto Walz themes.
Laura: regarding me, there is a fil rouge connecting Velvet Underground and industrial music. Actually, though Siouxsie is of course part of my musical background, my “vocal templates” are Nico and… Nick Cave!
The Birth EP sounds very raw, and has a very old school Post-Punk sound. Will we find the same sound on the album Grimorium?
Valerio: Grimorium has been completely remixed. Guitars and voice are still louder than drums, we wanted it to keep the mood and be harsh, direct, nervous, rude. We also asked our label-friend Mario Marinoni to take care of mastering.
What are the main subjects in Yabanci’s songs? Are the lyrics available on the internet?
“Yabanci songs speak about natural philosophy, alchemy, religion, fading issues human kind is leaving behind.”
Valerio: Inspirations come from several books and resources related to occult themes. All lyrics will be available on Grimorium booklet and will help people playing Grimorium to walk toward our inspiration core.
Will you be playing live shows in 2014?
Valerio: as we have changed and included new players and sounds, we're building up a new set with drum machine and live synth. It will include songs from Grimorium as well as new tracks from a brand new concept we're composing with Emiliana (synth and programming) and Lupo (bass) that will take us to next EP. Our plan is to back playing live in late 2014.
Laura: in hard times like these, maybe it’s better “pochi, maledetti e subito” (few, damned and on the spot), as we say in Italy when someone owes us money :)
What other bands of the new millennium do you prefer?
Valerio: running Swiss Dark Nights label I have the chance to listen to and work with several new bands and solo-project from postpunk to darkwave to synth and darkambient. There are many amazing bands outside there, and we just have to discover and support them.
Laura: A Place to Bury Strangers
