Lately, I’ve been listening a lot to the debut EP, we talked about everything but this, from ecyce, which was released in November 2025. “The least known supergroup from Zurich”, as they joking refer to themselves, consists of members who have been very active over the past few years in the music scene - either in solo projects or as part of bands.

ecyce’s music mixes shoegaze with a driving rhythm section and screamed vocals to spice up the distorted guitars even more. The overall sound across the four songs elicits a certain nostalgia, reminding me of some songs from my teenage years, whilst maintaining their own unique approach to shoegaze. Their song, kindling, which was also on the Winter 2025 Playlist, was also featured in the final 15 songs for this year’s m4m Demotape Clinic.

I was curious about the origins of the EP, especially being able to record it despite the members being in so many projects and what the band had in store for the future.

I would like to thank Dada, the band’s vocalist, and the band for their replies to the interview.

History

Who's in the band and on which instrument? Which other projects are you in?

Dada: So, we’ve got: Aurelia Kapfer on backing vocals and on guitar, Elio Monn also on Guitar – there’s not really a clear separation between Lead and Rhythm – they play what makes sense and what sounds better on their respective rigs. Then, Josip Tijan is on Bass and backing vocals with Yancey Aguilar on Drums. Finally, I – Darius Talaat (aka. Dada pronounced “Dahdah”) – am doing the main vocals.

Aurelia is the creative mind behind Blanche Biau, Thymian is Josip’s Solo Project, Yancey makes Music under the name Sun Dera, Elio has another band called Elio Monn & the Hydrophobics and Josip and I were part of Superdark although that project is on an indefinite hiatus right now.

How did you meet?/Where did the idea come from to form the band?

Dada: So, Josip and I have known each other since teenage years and have been making music together for most of that time. I used to play Bass for Thymian live and at some point we played a show together with Aurelia, which is how that connection formed. Josip and I met Yancey via the m4music Demotape Clinic in, I believe 2021, when we both were finalists (us with Superdark, him with Sun Dera). As far as I know, Elio and Josip also have known each other for ages and have been in a stoner rock band for a couple of years.

Anyways, during Covid me and Reli had one of those weird online friendships, where even though we barely knew each other we started sending memes around on a pretty regular basis, while also just talking about some random stuff here and there. Anyways, once the pandemic stopped we ran into each other a lot at shows and at some point (I think it was when we saw DIIV at Dynamo), we kinda talked about doing a shoegaze inspired project together. Kinda simultaneously, I jammed a couple times with Elio, Elio jammed with Josip and it went into a similar direction (basically heavier rock from the early 2000s, so Emo, Shoegaze, Hardcore, etc.) and we decided to try and jam together with everybody. Once that was decided, we just needed a drummer and since I knew Yancey was into that music as well, I asked him and he was like “I can’t on that date” and then immediately cancelled his other plans to come and jam... and yeah, it was a great vibe so we continued!

How are you able to find time with all the members involved in their own projects?

Dada: I mean, it’s definitely a hustle. We have to get together regularly and just scan the calendar to find time for rehearsals and recording time. What helps is that most of us are working part time and all of us are just really invested in being musicians, which helps a lot I guess. I can feel that music is a priority for everybody in this band, which is also super motivating.

Did you already have an idea of the style you wanted to create?

Dada: So, as mentioned above, we had a rough idea in which direction it would go and Josip and Elio brought a lot of great demos into the rehearsals, which leaned into heavy shoegaze, which everybody enjoyed. I was pretty adamant on doing vocals which were more inspired by hardcore and other punk influences, but I think it gelled quite well. We obviously changed some stuff around during rehearsal, leaving space for everybody to kinda leave their “mark” on it, but that was the initial sound.

For our upcoming record, we’ve started incorporating some more elements from Punk, Post-Punk, Emo and Psychedelia to add a bit more variety to the songs. However, that is still work in progress!

Where does the band name come from? How do you pronounce it?

Dada: Well, Elio once played a concert with a bunch of kids at a small neighbourhood festival and they called themselves “Elio’s Crazy Youth Culture Ensemble” and we took the acronym from that. Or somebody once said “Everybody Calls Yancey Crazy, Esse” and that worked too. It’s pronounced “Enrique”. Or something? I don’t know.

How did you write and compose the songs? Does each person bring their idea or do they grow organically?

Dada: The main workhorses so far have been Josip and Elio, that brought... I’d say 90% of the ideas? Usually, they bring a demo and then we work off of that and see what adjustments we feel would improve the song – if any. At the same time, I come up with lyrics and a vocal idea, always with input from the rest of the gang.

(Photo copyrights: Danny Kötter)

However, I’ve also contributed a demo so far, it looks like Yancey and Elio have been brewing up something and we’ve also had several tunes that kinda developed from jams. I like that the song writing process is a bit fluid, it keeps it fresh.

The other members also sing in their other projects, do they help contribute to the lyrics? Are they happy to step back from the singing duties?

Dada: The actual lyrics are mainly written by me, however, if I feel stuck on something I definitely ask for feedback from everybody else. And yeah, absolutely no issue on that. Actually, I’m trying to push for more vocals from them, to add an extra layer and we’re getting there hehe.

we talked about everything but this

How did you approach the recording of the EP? How were you feeling before starting the sessions?

Dada: Once, we had decided on which songs to record, we sat down, fixed a date and then just practiced that stuff while ignoring new material for the time being. Josip was also going on a big trip in April, so we knew we had to get this done before he left, which was good motivation. For the actual process:

First, Josip, Elio and Yancey (Aurelia was not available on the first day IIRC) laid down the rhythm part of each of the four songs with me just doing throw away vocals as sort of a guideline – important here: no click track. Playing on a grid completely kills any energy in a rock recording is a firm belief of mine. Later, Aurelia and me overdubbed our parts and in the end we added some extra layers and reamped certain parts.

I think the vibe before was very good – somewhat stressed because we knew we had a deadline. But it was this exciting kind of stress, when everybody is hyped to do what needs to be done.

Where and with whom did you record it?

Dada: Elio has a pretty nice recording space outside of Zurich, with lots of good gear already there, so we only really had to bring amps, instruments and pedalboards. Elio and Josip are also pretty good sound engineers themselves, so it was a no brainer to record there.

Who did the mixing and mastering or was it all done yourselves?

Dada: Mixes were done “in house” by Elio and then the Masters were done by Corey Coffman in the US.

What are your memories of the recording sessions?

Dada: Good vibes and me trying to properly pronounce Pljeskavica, continuously getting it wrong and Josip losing faith in my intelligence.

What are your feelings about the end result?

Dada: Personally, super happy. It was a lot of fun to create and I really like how the mixes and master turned out. Also Aurelia did a stellar job on the artwork in my opinion.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

Dada: Honestly: nah? Process felt good, there were no real issues at all. I think now we just have to do this a couple times until we strike gold. I strongly believe that the best work is created when you just make stuff that feels good and learn from the experience. “Mastery through practice” or something like that... hey, maybe that’s my new motto!

Tell us about the tapes you got made for the EP.

Dada: So we knew that we wanted to have some sort of physical storage medium for the music a) because we think it’s dope and b) because merch is great! However, Vinyls were too expensive at that point and we didn’t wanna invest that much yet. Reli did the artwork, I Josip adapted that to the correct format and extended the artwork onto the cassette.

Live/future

How was the record release concert at the TapTab in Schaffhausen with Zuckerbecker?

Dada: Actually, the record release show was in Xtra Music Café in Zurich with deleterolf as support... that was also our first gig! Was a lot of fun and the fact that all of us are somewhat seasoned live musicians, also gave me a lot of confidence. The show was a full success and we sold out the venue. Also sold a bunch of merch, so we’re now making money instead of spending which is always nice! Highlight: Seeing some random people in the crowd that I didn’t know involuntarily headbopping. Lowlight: Me forgetting the tambourine for that one single song. That means I forgot about 50% of my gear.

The show in Taptab was a bit later in December. While the turnout was lower, the people that showed up were really into it. Zuckerbecker was also really great and their version of Punk personally warmed my heart. And yeah, Taptab is just such a great location with probably my favourite backstage I’ve been in. Just so cozy!

How was the feedback to the concerts? And to the EP?

Dada: I mean, obviously at the release show there were lots of our friends and they were all hyped. That is sometimes a bit tough to gauge in the sense “Are you saying this because you genuinely liked the music or because you’re my friend and you feel obliged to do so?”. Anyways, there were a bunch of people that seemed to just kinda rock up because they liked the music so that is already a big win for a debut gig in my opinion.

In general: I feel some people are REALLY into what we’re doing, while most people don’t care. Which is in my opinion a pretty good start as a band, because it means that we’re genuinely connecting with some people. But yeah, obviously we still have a lot of work to do to make people aware of us. But since we all know this from other projects: this takes time and effort. I’m looking forward to this!

What were the other songs which were performed live (that aren't on the EP)?

Dada: The songs were: Anybody Out There, Sheena, Cherry Pie, Make Me Make You, Float, Float, Float, Who’s That Man? and Sunny Eyes, not in this order.

We’re currently working on these songs and a lot more for an upcoming album... Let’s see which make the cut!

What can we expect in the near future?

Dada: Hey, we’ve been booked for a bunch of shows in Switzerland, so check our socials to see where you can catch us!

Have you started planning the follow-up to the debut EP?

Dada: Yeah, as I mentioned above, we’ve just started properly workshopping the other songs, we’ve played at the release show. After we’ve worked through these, we’ll start to look at the other new ideas and then select our favourites to put on an album. We’ve scheduled some recording sessions in April and May, but we gotta see how fast we advance. I personally hope that we get this done in this year and can release early next year, but we’re not in a rush.

What are your thoughts about the music scene in Zurich and in Switzerland?

Dada: I really like how it developed compared to when I was younger. Maybe, I was just ignorant back then, but I do feel that now an actual scene starts to build in Zurich and also in the entirety of Switzerland. I also like how there are great acts popping up left and right with a seemingly increased interest from abroad as well – of course, still a lot to do, but it’s a lot of fun to me. Some of my personal favourites are Fomies, Batbait, Walter Frosch, Mord Fuzztang, Giant Moa but there are so many more, that I can’t name them all!

Anything else you would like to add?

Dada: Thanks a lot for featuring us man! I really appreciate it!

Links:

Related articles:

Interview with ecyce

History

we talked about everything but this

Live/future

Interview with Fomies