Hard-Fi freuen sich auf die Schweiz

It took you four years to record „Killer Sounds“. Why the gap?
Well, first of all, we toured for about a year with our last album and then we felt like we needed a break. And then there was a lot of waiting. We made our first albums ourselves and we really wanted to change a little bit for this one. We wanted to work with some great people like Alan Moulder and Stuart Price. They’re the best people around and if you want to work with them, you have to wait for a long time because they’re quite busy. That’s the main reason why it took so long to record this one. And we also did some travelling. We went to the United States and visited all those important blues places. I really fell in love with New Orleans.

So it wasn’t hard to come up with new songs?
No, not at all. From eleven songs that are on the record, seven were written about three years ago. But as I said, we had to wait until we could finally go into the studio and record them.

I really liked the first album and also the third one but I wasn’t overwhelmed by the second one.
The second album, „Once Upon a Time in the West“ was different to the first one. There was a different dynamic in the songs. My mother had died while we were touring with „Stars of CCTV“ and the songs got darker. And with the whole touring we got pretty exhausted. The hard work made us moody. The first album and also the third one are much more direct whereas the second one was more creative.

Were you under pressure while recording „Killer Sounds“?
Not really. There was maybe a little pressure from ourselves and from the label because they really wanted to put it out. Everyone said, hurry up, this is going to be the record of the year. To be honest, there had been a lot of pressure after the first record because „Stars of CCTV“ did so much better than everyone had expected and everyone was expecting even more with the second album. But now, we try to focus on the music and enjoy making it because that’s what’s all about in the end, isn’t it?

In what way did travelling influence the sound?
Well, there’s a mariachi brass section and we have different rhythms. We used blues samples from the 50’s and the blues harp. I think our trips to the Southern United States influenced us a lot.

The title „Killer Sounds“ is perfect for positive reviews but you can also use „Filler Sounds“ for negative reviews.
It’s an odd thing with reviews. Most people write about a record without even listening to it. They have an opinion and a perception of the band and they write stuff based on this. In the UK, we had a review that criticised some lyrics that were totally made up and they were not from one of our songs. I think that’s pretty unfair. But in the end, you have to do your own thing. And for the title, „Killer Sounds“ doesn’t mean that it’s a record with only great tunes. We decided to name it that after we saw an article about an artist from Columbia who turns old guns into guitars. We really liked the symbolism and the idea of turning something destructive into something creative.

Are there any bands that you especially like at the moment?
We like a lot of old music but also bands like Kasabian, Friendly Fires, Primal Scream or New Order.

Any bands that you don’t like?
Normally, I just try to ignore the music I don’t like. I’m not slagging bands off.

What do you think about The Stone Roses getting back together?
Half of me is pretty excited because I was too young when they were around and now I get to see them again. But I’m also cautions.

What are your plans for the future?
We’re embarking on a European tour in a few days and we really look forward to visiting Switzerland as well. We try to give our best and hope that everyone’s having a good time. It’s gonna be a fun and exciting rock’n’roll show with 100% high energy. After Europe, we’re going to Japan and play some festivals in the summer. And then we would like to start working on the new record. We don’t want it to take another four years.

students.ch verlost Tickets für die beiden Shows und Exemplare des neuen Albums "Killer Sounds" (siehe rechts unter Gewinnspiele).

Live zu erleben am 7. November 2011 im Mascotte Zürich (19.30 Uhr) und am 11. November 2011 im Bierhübeli Bern (20.15 Uhr).

Hier geht's zum CD-Review.