Wax Heart Sodality Fill The Darkenin Heart Questionnaire

What do you consider to be the darkest piece of music you’ve ever heard?
Brando by Scott Walker & Sunn O))). It’s so unsettling, yet beautifully sung. You find yourself being lured into the dense soundscape whilst being told that “A beating would do me a world of good” by one of the most influential artists in modern music history. The visual accompaniment by Gisèle Vienne just intensifies things further.

How would you characterize your own music?
Dramatic, raw, and intense. We tried to keep things light and engaging but the vocals and the post-punk elements within our sound bring the inevitable darkness.

What are your musical aspirations?
Perform to lots of people. Perform to people who probably wouldn’t normally associate themselves with the music we make, then entertain them. Then repeat.

What are your main musical inspirations?
Musically, definitely post-punk of the eighties as well as the noughties/2010’s and the current post-punk revival. Also stoner, goth garage and psych rock and as well as electronic genres such as new wave, dark wave and techno.

Lyrically, we’re inspired by the everyday, in particular, the unspoken undercurrents that seem to drive the direction of society and lead us to wear social masks and operate under the safety of digital avatars.

What are your main goals in life?
Contentment without stagnation. A comforting happiness that makes you feel secure whether alone or with others.

What motivates you to create?
Collaboration. Wax Heart Sodality were born by a need to come together and manifest ideas. Life is hard; getting together to make and perform music offers temporary sanctuary from the daily grind and a freedom to operate outside of various social constraints.

Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?
Definitely night owls. Although the idea of the early morning with its freshness, potential and invigorating stillness is an enticing prospect… if only we could wake up for it.

Besides music, what other art forms would you like to explore?
Comedy. Laughter, like music, is an effective and palatable way to communicate ideas.

Which is the very first record that had a big impact on you?
We all have our own first inspirational record as individuals. As a collective though, we’d have to say that Walt Disco’s debut album, Unlearning, was the most influential on our music. It got us thinking about our song structure and delivery and encouraged us to smooth off some of the rough edges in our sound, as well as embracing the more eighties elements within it. It’s a great record brimming with vibrancy and filled some wonderfully crafted, passionately delivered songs. We got to support them on the York leg of one of their UK tours. They’re a really nice band.

What is the best decade for music?
They’ve all got good stuff in them. The late seventies/early eighties seemed exciting… In terms of, the creativity, the genre diversity, the social mobility and the evolution in the industry and music technology. Britain, like in the sixties, seemed very much at the centre of the musical world again during that time.

In terms of our own experiences, the garage/psych scene in the early 2010s was very exciting. The internet had killed the industry and music, albeit for a brief period whilst systems were regaining control, seemed to have a boundary-less feel to it.

What do your future plans include?
Performing and releasing music. Making people feel glad that they invested their valuable time and hard-earned money on coming to see us.
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