Sunday, January 9, 2022

Bank Myna Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?


Hi John, hi everyone! Since the recording, we have been 100% involved in the live set. Spoiler alert: we’ll play with a drummer instead of a beat-box to give more power and loudness to the music. More news soon! 


 


2.In 2022 you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?


The first EP always feels like a collection of songs more than something really thought of as a concept. And indeed, we feel like our first EP lacked some coherence. It was just like a flower that had not really had the chance to bloom, in a way. But we’ve really “grown up musically” since then, and that’s somehow good news because it was 6 years ago! We’ve also reached a kind of alchemy, playing together as a band for several years. 


There was also a turning point in 2019, when our drummer left Paris and the band. We had no rhythmic basis anymore and we probably really tried to turn this constraint into something challenging. We started writing ambient-drone music and really pushed the experimental aspect, with the use of an old clock but also a “noise box” Daniel created with strings, spirals and contact microphones connected to guitar pedals. We feel like we’ve pushed the experimental/creative card to the max of our means. What we’ve obtained is something much darker than before, much less conventional, somehow still accessible… We really feel like this record finally sounds like us.


 


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?


It is overall a very introspective album. We wanted to conceive it as a dive into someone’s sleeping subconscious. It is quite dreamlike, one could say. It is like being drowned into your own thoughts or stuck in a mystical or ritualistic journey where your consciousness is altered. The lyrics of the different tracks echo each other and you can really read it like a story with a beginning and an end, throughout the album. However, we did not go really deep lyrically speaking. We wanted it to sound like messy thoughts. It does not always make a lot of sense, it’s not always clear-cut. We think words, vocals and instruments walk hand in hand in this record. At least, that was our main goal.


 


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bank Myna'?


We were looking for a name related to nature, open spaces and travel because we all migrated to Paris and none of us were born there. We thought a migratory bird could be a good fit so we looked for bird names that we liked. We chose bank myna bird (even if it doesn’t migrate…) because at the time it was the lesser evil of the ideas we had. So there is no exciting story behind it but it grew on us. We’re now quite happy with it: it’s us! 


 


5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?


We opened for Big/Brave in 2018 and were absolutely thrilled by it. We got to know their drummer called Louis-Alexandre. He turned out to be a great graphic designer and we had been following his work ever since. We were really eager to work with him on this! We asked him for a monochrome visual because that’s how we feel the album “looks” like. Other than that, we sent him the tracks and gave him complete freedom. We really love how he translated this into an artwork! It really shows the “bumpy journey towards the subconscious feel” we wanted to get. 


 


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?


We remember our show in Dijon (east of France) at Café de l’Univers. The place looked really shady and we were quite unsure we were going to perform at all because we had only had a phone confirmation for the show. When we got there on the time previously agreed on, the place was closed with, apparently no-one inside. We rang the bell and some funny looking man opened the first floor window half asleep and wearing a dressing gown. That wasn’t the most welcoming hello! We set up our gear in the basement later on, not sure anyone would show up. Not that many people did but we performed anyway and it was the warmest, loudest audience ever!! It turned out to be a really good night.


The other show we want to mention is the Post in Paris festival in 2019. It was not long after our drummer left the band. We only had 2 months to write new songs (complete madness knowing we needed several years to complete our first EP!!), with new gear, new instruments (a glockenspiel, a clock, a sampler…) for a great festival. We were so anxious before starting to perform. It was a complete leap into the unknown! But we took our courage in both hands with a great urge to write a new page to our story. 


To be frank, we really couldn’t describe our current live set as we haven’t played in almost two years but over time, we’ve tried to build something really immersive and to really translate our alchemy to the audience. We are not sure we have really reached our full potential in that matter but we’re working on it for the next shows.


 


7.The new album is going to be released through a variety of many different labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the record labels you are working with on the new release?


The first one that was on board was Araki Records. Simon contacted us a long time ago to let us know that he was interested in hearing our new material. He jumped at the chance when he saw on our social networks that we were about to start recording.


When he had a first pre-mix, we sent it to other labels we thought could be interested. Stellar Frequencies, Cold Dark Matter Records, Duality Records and A la dérive records all agreed to work with us with a lot of enthusiasm. Today we are so glad that these five labels trusted us enough to help us release this LP. All of them offer really great support whether it be financial, of course, but also with bookings, promo, distribution. It’s so great to be surrounded with people who are really involved and take our music to heart. 


 


8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of drone and post rock?


It’s maybe early to have an idea as for the time being we have only released 1 song, so far we are quite happy of the feedback we received.


As you say, it’s pretty hard to tell because we’ve only recently started promoting our soon to be released record. We feel like the press and webzines have been quite enthusiastic Aurora (Vi ska sova), got released in December. We’ve had a number of broadcasts on radios all over the world, from California to Australia, a number of really fine reviews too, just like yours! We have never had this kind of exposure before. It’s quite heartwarming to know that our music resonates with some people.


 


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?


Maybe for the first time, the three of us have a common artistic direction we want to follow. It will be a continuation of what we have done with VOLAVERUNT but with drums so it’ll most probably sound heavier and louder. 


We also really dig the experimental side of our music that we feel we can also explore more deeply. 


 


10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


To name a few, we are obsessed with Oiseaux-Tempête (and the like - Foudre!, Saaad, Mondkopf), Anna von Hausswolff, Swans. Year of no light also released an insane record last year.


We also listen compulsively to our friends’ records: Echo says echo, Nordkapp, Frise Lumière, Alpha du Centaure… looking forward to Orbel’s next release as well.


 


11.What are some of your non musical interests?


Maud: I love photography. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed Daido Moriyama and Shomei Tomatsu’s works that were exhibited at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. There’s a dichotomy between shadow & light that I find really similar to music and especially post-rock music. I’m overall really into visual arts. Whenever I’m fed up with music, I switch to photography / drawing (spoiler alert: I am not close to being good at it but I really enjoy it!) and recently I got really into linocutting, hoping to make Bank Myna’s DIY merch!


 


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 


Thank you for your support. It might sound really unoriginal but it’s sincere. We really hope some people will get into our record and feel just as much heart and effort we poured into it!



 Linktr.ee/bankmyna

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