Dear Misses interview

At the beginning of Reverb Dream, I had started going through the Bandcamp websites of record labels and one memory of that time was listening to most of the discography from the Muotathal-based label, Monobuster Records. It was around that time I came across Dear Misses’s ambitious Wild West-influenced concept album, Life and Death of Frankie Trombone, and found it to be quite an enjoyable listen.

Coincidentally, the band released the follow-up album, Cool Down Under, moving in a completely different direction and its fuzzy, psychedelic feel grew on me instantly. The songs Child’s Eye and Terra Australis (the latter appearing on the Spring 2025 playlist) are my stand-out tracks on a very solid album. I wanted to know more about Cool Down Under as well as the history of the band and the reasons behind the band’s change in sound.

I would like to thank Cornel, the band’s drummer, for taking the time to reply to my questions for the interview and to provide the story behind each song on the album.

History of Dear Misses

Who is in the band? (Are you also in other bands?)

Dear Misses currently consists of Fabian (guitars and vocals), Jonas (guitars and vocals), Belinda (vocals and percussion) Remo (bass), and Cornel (drums and percussion). Over the years, we’ve had a few lineup changes, but our core has always been built around a shared love for blues, psychedelia, and the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Some of us have played in other bands and projects, but Dear Misses is our main creative outlet. Jonas is still active in the Muotathal Hard Rock outfit Dreadful. Cornel and Remo are part of the Instrumental Lounge Music Trio Jazz. Jazz Jazz!

Tell us about the history of the band

The band was formed in the early 2010s after a series of informal jam sessions and small shows. We quickly realized that we had something special and recorded our debut album No. 5 Small Town Tunes during Christmas Holidays 2016 to 2017. That was followed by the digital EP Green is the New Mustard, which already showed some of the psychedelic influences that would later shape our sound. In mid-2017 we played our first real live shows as Dear Misses.

Between 2018 and 2020, we worked on the double album Monster’s Mother, which was a major milestone for us. It was during this time that Belinda Villforth joined as a singer and percussionist and Thomas Uttinger became our bassist. After that, we took a stylistic detour into country, folk, and Americana with Life and Death of Frankie Trombone in 2022-2023.

And now, with Cool Down Under, we’ve introduced a fresh sound, a new bassist (Remo Betschart), and a different visual style.

The idea and story behind Life and Death of Frankie Trombone

The album started as a loose collection of songs but soon developed into a concept piece. Frankie Trombone is a fictional character—a wandering wild west outlaw. His story follows a rise-and-fall arc, touching his heartbreak, loneliness, inner turmoil, social ostracism, failure and eventual death. Despite the lyrical heaviness, the songs carry a light, summery vibe. We drew inspiration from Gram Parsons’ vision of Cosmic American Music and blended country and folk with rockabilly, psychedelic, blues and even trip hop. Deeply impressed by the maestro, “Ennio Morricone”, elements of the Italo-Western soundtrack are also present in the songs.

Typically for us, the album was recorded, mixed and mastered completely in analog.

For the album cover, we pose in custom-made nudie suits decorated with glitter stones and psychedelic sujects in front of a star-studded desert sky, shortly before a new day dawns in the life of Frankie Trombone.

Cool Down Under

How did you decide to change direction from your previous albums?

The change wasn’t a sudden decision—it happened naturally. Back in 2020 to 2021 we spent a lot of time in our practice space. We just collected songs ideas and sketches. Some of them were more in the vein of Life and Death Of Frankie Trombone, some more for Cool Down Under and some other ideas were left in our archives.

The band just felt more like first finishing the more countryish songs and the story of Frankie Trombone. After that, we dived into the weird world of Cool Down Under.

Was there something musical (or non-musical) which influenced this new direction?

The two albums were recorded almost seamlessly back-to-back, so I would rule out changing musical influences as a factor. Each band member brings their own backpack filled with musical preferences and skills. This makes us so versatile, and everyone knows when and how to contribute.

For Cool Down Under, we decided to leave the acoustic guitars in their cases and bring back the gritty, distorted guitar sound. The pedal steel guitar was replaced by an analog synthesizer. As a drummer, I was also challenged more in terms of dynamics and tempo.

Lyrically, we covered a wide spectrum once again—but more on that later in the interview.

Although Cool Down Under is not a concept album, would you say that there is an underlying theme which holds the album together?

Cool Down Under might seem less like a concept album than it actually is. As seen on the album cover, we incorporate current events—such as climate change—and blend this reality with fiction. It’s about escaping reality into a dream world...

According to the description, it took two years to write and record the album - do you think that this had an impact on the end result? How are the writing and recording sessions in general?

During the recording of Cool Down Under, we were on tour with Life and Death of Frankie Trombone. We used the free moments to record the already finished songs and develop new ones. That’s why the recording process stretched over several years. However, to me, the album still feels like a cohesive piece. That’s mainly thanks to Jonas and Deezl—Jonas mixed the album, and Deezl did the mastering.

When it comes to songwriting, we have different approaches. Often, someone comes up with an idea and throws it into the rehearsal room. Sometimes, something develops from a jam session, and other times, Jonas and Fabian bring in fully written songs that we more or less just have to learn and arrange.

We record all our songs in our own studio. We always start with drums, along with at least one guitar or bass to lay the foundation. Layer by layer, we gradually add more elements.

Was there many differences in comparison to the previous albums?

Of course, you learn something with every album. The biggest difference compared to our previous albums was that Cool Down Under was recorded analog but then mixed digitally.

Description of each song

1% Suckers

A dynamic track with a hint of King Gizzard influence, featuring reverse drum beats in the intro. 1% Suckers is a high-energy song driven by fast-paced rhythms and catchy guitar riffs. Its dynamic arrangement underscores a sharp critique of capitalism and the societal issues it fuels. The title refers to the richest 1%—those who profit more from the labor of money than from money earned through actual work.

Mosquito Dance

Mosquito Dance is a groovy, disco-infused track built around a lo-fi guitar loop and a driving beat. The song was created during lockdown, playing around with an experimental guitar effect that set the mood. Layer by layer, the band added rhythm, synths, and vocals to create a hypnotic atmosphere. The lyrics capture the restless energy of sleepless nights, where tiny annoyances become overwhelming. The chorus evokes the image of mosquitoes dancing under the moonlight. Playful and pulsating, the track blends retro vibes with modern production.

Shine & Glitter

The guitar melody in the intro and verse is inspired by Take a Stroll by Major Nasty. The chorus creates tension with a repetitive riff layered over shifting chords. A dual guitar harmony in the middle section pays homage to The Allman Brothers Band. The lyrics ask: “Shine and glitter—is it worth all the misery we know?” The song holds up a mirror to our Western way of life. It questions whether luxury here justifies suffering elsewhere.

Mouse Cadaver

Mouse Cadaver draws listeners into a dark, surreal scene set in a creaky old house haunted by mice—based on real experiences in the band’s 200-year-old rehearsal space. This gritty garage/stoner track thrives on the tension between fuzzy guitar riffs and eerie, layered vocals. The main riff emerged during writing sessions for the album Monster’s Mother. The chorus is both heavy and infectious, combining distorted guitars with surprisingly melodic vocal lines. Its energy is so intense, it feels like it could wake the dead—or at least a few mouse cadavers. Gritty, strange, and oddly beautiful.

Superman is Outta Town

This track builds on an unconventional drum beat and a driving bassline, with a shift from 4/4 in the verse to 3/4 in the chorus giving it a progressive edge. Originally titled Pluto’s Ride, the song was renamed Superman is Outta Town, borrowing a line from AC/DC’s What’s Next to the Moon. Lyrically, it serves as a sequel to Use Your Brain and Monster’s Mother, continuing the theme of resistance against rising dark forces. With no superhero in sight, the song urges us to think for ourselves and stand up for what’s right. A sample of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s voice opens the track: “We’d rather die as free men than live as slaves.” Heavy and urgent, the song blends raw energy with a message that hits home.

Child’s Eye

Child’s Eye tells the story of life as seen through a child’s eyes—curious, playful, but far from sugar-coated. The song captures this journey with a mix of light-footed grooves, sudden outbursts, and musical stumbling blocks. It’s not all peace, joy, and pancakes: the world reveals its rough edges early on. The arrangement mirrors these contrasts with shifting moods and dynamics. Sometimes tender, sometimes turbulent, Child’s Eye paints an honest portrait of growing up. A soundtrack for innocence meeting reality.

Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy came to life in just two hours—born from a bedroom jam session with acoustic guitar and pans used as makeshift drums. Basic tracks were recorded in autumn 2022 by Jonas and Cornel and later rediscovered, then completed with synths, percussion, and backing vocals by Fabian and Belinda. The song explores egotism deeply rooted in today’s society, where personal comfort often outweighs empathy. It paints the image of people floating on pink clouds, untouched by the struggles of others. Only after recording the vocals did the unsettling double meaning of “cotton candy” emerge—a slang term for heroin—adding a layer of unintended ambiguity. Sweet on the surface, bitter underneath.

Turn Down The Heat

This song was born during the COVID era, when the band had plenty of time to jam and experiment. It’s essentially three songs in one: a raw, loud intro calls for humanity to “turn down the heat”; if we want to survive. The psychedelic middle section features Belinda reflecting on whether humankind is a keystone species—or a plague to Mother Earth. In the outro, fuzzy yet melancholic guitars return to soundtrack the slow-motion apocalypse. And yet, amid the chaos, a faint glimmer of hope remains. Heavy, sprawling, and urgent.

Lemon Juice

The hypnotic bass riff, spanning three octaves, together with the drum beat, lingered in our minds for a long time. The missing bridge and chorus parts were written in Bologna on an acoustic guitar. It’s one of two songs recorded by our new bass player Remo. The music was handed over to Belinda for the vocals, and she completed the song with her characteristic lyrics — somehow simple, yet complex and psychedelic. The melody of the fuzzy guitar intro is believed to have been picked up at a Motorpsycho concert, but that part was never found on their records. Maybe it was just a stoned illusion, so a unique version was created instead.

Terra Australis

The song was created as a jam based on a monotonous yet catchy guitar rhythm. With a melodic lead guitar and a rustic drumbeat, it developed into a piece that evokes an archaic image of a continent not yet discovered by the white man. Originally titled Terra Incognita, the name was later changed to Terra Australis. The reference to Australia fit better, especially due to the already familiar cover featuring a kangaroo. The track captures a raw, primal atmosphere that reflects its mysterious inspiration.

The music video from Mouse Cadaver

What are your memories of shooting the video?

I remember that the script for the video clip almost wrote itself, as the lyrics were perfect for being turned into a visual story. Fabian especially did a great job as a writer, bringing Belinda’s words to life. We had coordinated closely with Pirmin Henseler beforehand, and overall, we had already thought a lot of things through. That allowed us to film everything efficiently on the shooting day. It also gave us the freedom to make many decisions spontaneously. After all, it wasn’t our first music video.

What I also remember clearly is that a strong föhn storm swept through the Innerschwyz region that day. We shot the band scenes in the attic of our rehearsal space. It was eerie, and I was afraid that tiles might come loose from the roof.

How did it feel to collaborate with Pirmin Henseler again?

Working with Pirmin always feels very natural and organic. He’s a very open-minded and, above all, reliable person. He’s always ready to listen to our ideas, thinks along with us, and actively contributes his own input. Our collaboration on the mini western Frankie’s Last Mexican Showdown already worked incredibly well. We all work hand in hand, which makes the whole process very enjoyable for everyone. And of course, fun is something that should never be missing in all that hard work.

What are your thoughts about the Mouse Cadaver video?

Even though we already had a rough idea of what the Mouse Cadaver music video would look like, the final result absolutely blew us away. The footage Pirmin captured is of outstanding quality. The energy and dynamics of the song were carried over perfectly into the video. To me, the final product is a perfect mix of professional and trashy—with a playful wink.

Looking back at the album/The future

What are your memories looking back at the writing and recording of the album today?

Since the first sketches date back to the 2019 Monster’s Mother era, a lot of time has passed—and as you can imagine, many memories are tied to those years. I fondly remember the countless hours we spent in our rehearsal space during the COVID lockdowns, making music together or simply listening to music as a band. Despite all the restrictions, it was an incredibly creative time for us. We kept going, doing whatever was possible at the time.

Since we decided to first release and tour our country-western concept album Life and Death of Frankie Trombone, the recording process stretched out over several years. But in the end, the album came together like a puzzle—turning into a diverse and colorful piece of work. As my drum tracks are usually recorded at the very beginning of the process, it’s always exciting for me to hear how the songs evolve as more layers are added later on.

Would you have done anything differently?

Of course, there are always little things you’d do differently in hindsight, but for the most part, I’m incredibly proud of the album Cool Down Under. To me, the final product feels wonderfully cohesive—the sound, the visuals with the music videos, the album and single covers, the orange vinyl, and so on. We were also able to draw on the experience from our previous releases, which made the rollout much better planned and far less stressful. The most significant point of internal criticism within the band was that the recordings stretched over a long period of time, which made it challenging to bring all the audio tracks onto the same page during the mixing process.

What do you have planned for the near future?

Since the album release party, we’ve taken things a bit slower with live shows and have already written a few new songs. In June, we’re playing three festival gigs: at Halt auf Verlangen in Engelberg, Bertha in Liestal, and Rock am Wind in L’Abbaye. In mid-August, we’ll likely play our final festival show of the season at the Bridge Festival in Emmental. After that, we’ll be performing at our home base, the Gaswerk in Seewen, together with the talented guys from Sons of Sobchak. We’re hoping to add one or two more shows in the fall.

You can find all the dates on our website: www.dearmisses.com

Do you see Dear Misses continuing in this new musical direction for the next album/songs?

Anyone who knows us knows they can always expect the unexpected from us. We still have plenty of ideas we want to bring to life, and no matter what we take on, there’s always a hint of blues and psychedelia in the mix.

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