Interview mit Pierre von I Heart Sharks

Hi, first off I want to know how you’ve met each other, since you’re all from different countries?

Pierre: Simon and I moved to Berlin in 2007 and spent a very long time partying together in Berghain. We used to shout melodies and lyrics over the monotonous techno at stupid o’clock on Sunday mornings and go home and jot down ideas. I think you can hear the huge influence the Berlin scene had on our music in our first album, “Summer”.

Do you see it as an advantage that your band has impacts from three different cultures?

Absolutely. People often look for what they have in common with each other, but I love hearing about things that make us different. It translates into our music – you can hear the German, NDW-like electronic elements, and the British pop sensibility and grit, both of which are completely authentic.

Well, I’ve to admit that i was quite confused when I first heard your band name? Could you tell us about that?

It’s something a lot of people ask about, and they will keep asking forever. One day we’ll have a great story.

A lot of people actually love the song „Neuzeit“, which has some German text passages. Who did come up with that idea?

I thought it would be funny, because I didn’t speak German very well back then. Retrospectively, though, it’s actually incredibly fitting to Berlin; all of the people moving here from all around the world, shaping it into a modern city and forward into a brighter future. Some cities stagnate, but in Berlin nothing is static.

Let’s talk about your new stuff! You’re going to release your sophomore album „Anthem“ on March 28th. Are you excited?

Of course. We spent 2 years making it and went through a lot of grief to get it released how we wanted it to be released. Every second is accounted for. Every song is an anthem for a kind of feeling.

You’ve been recording in old broadcast studios of the GDR (DDR) and in an old factory in Manchester. That sounds quite adventurous, could you tell us more about it?

We spent about a year and a half flying back and forth between Manchester and Berlin. Joe’s place in Manchester is in an old textile mill right near the Manchester City football stadium, so you could hear the roar of the crowd on match day, which really lent an epic backdrop to make you want to write bigger songs. Berlin was fun, too. Breton were in the room upstairs so it was cool running into them every so often, and as it was summer sometimes we’d hang out with friends by the river whilst Martin and Joe worked hard on recording drums in the dark abyss of the studio.

Your new album sounds a bit bigger a more anthemic than „Summer“. Does it have anything to do with Joseph Cross, who helped you to produce the album?

Joe definitely showed us a lot in process of making the record. A lot of bands that are popular right now are very minimalistic in their approach to making music, almost as if they’re terrified that if they put in a certain sound that, God forbid, they would be uncool. That’s incredibly dull and unadventurous. But thanks to them, our album will sound even bigger. And despite its size, the album doesn’t take itself too seriously. Real stories are filled with humour as well as tragedy. For every tear there should be a smile.

If you had to describe „Anthems“ in a few words, what would they be?

Better than ice cream.

Pierre, you’ve been blogging about the Berlin Fashion Week recently. Does fashion play a bid role in your and the band’s life?

It does and it doesn’t. We aren’t influenced by trends in music that we find to be just hype, and the same goes for clothes.

What you’ve been listening to lately?

A lot of Prince and Passion Pit, Niki & The Dove and The National, M83 and The Maccabees.

And a very last question which we ask every band! What would you call e perfect Friday night?

A sprite, a Jim Jarmusch movie and a partner in crime.

Thanks a lot for the interview; it’s been a real pleasure!

Hier gibt’s die neue Single „To Be Young“ von I Heart Sharks:

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Yannick