The Birthday Massacre – Fascination

By starrymag | May 2, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I’d describe it as a combination of genres we love, adding elements of pop, metal, industrial and working to make them sound good together. We make the type of music we love listening to.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Bands we grew up listening to – the Cure, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna – stuff like that. Lots of 80s and 90s.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Dreams of You.”

 

A) Lyrically the album focuses a lot on the relationship with the self. Because most of it was written during lockdown, there’s a lot of feelings of isolation and abandonment. If you could sing to yourself in a mirror and look at yourself objectively, almost as if you are another person. Being in love with yourself, disliking yourself, trying to hold yourself together.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I’m not sure I can answer that, really. I’m always just happy to hear that people are able to connect with what we’ve created.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) We will have lyrics written down, ideas that come to mind while we aren’t actively songwriting, but we do not start to put them into song form until there are musical ideas and the song is coming together musically. The song will guide the way in terms of what we would like to say lyrically and invoke the mood.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I work very closely with Mike [Falcore] and Rainbow as the songs come together. Then, when it is time to mix the album and make those tweaks and changes, they will go into the studio with the producer and work with them. Dave Ogilvie has produced many of our records and we love working with him. We are heavily involved in each step.

 

Q) What are some of the themes you explore on your new album Fascination?

 

A) As I touched on above, thematically, a lot of this was written during lockdown. When you aren’t able to socialize or do very much and you’re spending a lot of time by yourself, you end up really sort of examining yourself closely – like whom you really fundamentally are. I’m a very social person so this was difficult for me. I was yearning to get back out and be around people. It was a hard time for a lot of people. It was strange to look at myself so closely, like all the faults and fears, without distraction. A lot of that comes onto Fascination.

 

Q) The album is made up of nine tracks. What songs challenged you the most creatively?

 

A) I wouldn’t really say there was a particularly challenging song that stands out. We’re lucky to work together. If one of us hits a block, someone else is usually there with an idea that will click in and make sense. Mike, Rainbow and I have a great relationship with one another, and we trust each other. We come together very well with each song. We’re lucky in that aspect.

 

Q) Which of the songs on the album hold a special significance to you and why?

 

A) I cherish all of them, but I find myself turning to “Cold Lights” a lot because I love the music. I find it incredibly atmospheric. Also, Rainbow did a great deal of vocals on this album as well and I love hearing him sing, so songs where he is featured are really special to me.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from checking out Fascination?

 

A) If something touches them, is relatable, inspires or makes them feel a certain way, that’s all we can really hope for. I hope people like it!

 

Q) You went out on a US-tour (finally) with Julien-K. Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) We just got back from that tour! Honestly, there is no particular city or venue that I could call a favorite. There are venues that we will remember so they are familiar to us and there is a comfort in that, but everything varies tour to tour. It depends on the crowd that particular show, and every show is different. There’s no way to really know if it’s going to be a great one until the show begins.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Collaborations can be difficult because of every band’s schedule, especially now with touring being an option again. I’m really not sure. Probably a band we like an admire. I wish we could have collaborated with Type O Negative. They’re one of my favorites.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Julien-K because they’re awesome and they’re great people and their music is amazing. It’s taking me back to tour, which was great because I got to listen to them and watch them every night.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Everyone is on social media, it seems like, so it’s an efficient way to interact and make announcements. It’s also nice to be able to share more personal stuff and find out what’s happening in our audience’s lives as well.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Just a massive thank you. We’d be nothing without the support and love we’ve gotten from everyone. We are grateful for all of it.

 

 

All Questions Answered By Chibi