Interview with Beurre
(Photo copyright: Léa Martinez)
Just as a precaution, this band isn’t for the faint of heart.
I first came across Beurre during my interview with Kevin Galland in which he told me about the recording experience of their debut album, Oxt to Anyone. It is an intense listen, filled with an overwhelming mix of raw emotions. There’s something about the band’s sound that has a strong effect on me. It is also worth noting that there are no guitars in the band with Chadi Messmer on bass, Elischa Heller on vocals and synthesisers and Luc Hess on drums (having replaced Philip Meienhofer shortly after the release of Oxt to Anyone) allowing the instruments and vocals to take on different roles. My stand-out tracks from the debut album are definitely Ways, which features on the Spring 2025 playlist, and Mausi, the two longest songs on the album clocking in at almost 10 and 13 minutes respectively.
During the early summer, I followed the band even more, the videos of their live concerts on Instagram put them very high up on the list of bands I hope to see live soon and they were also nominated for the m4m Demotape Clinic making it into the final shortlist of 13 songs with their single, Uniform, which is slightly over one and a half minutes long. They were finally beaten by Eckhart which I guess meant there was some appetite for noise from the jury.
The band would go on to announce that they would be releasing their follow-up album, Resonate and Amplify, this Friday (5th September) with a live set today at Bad Bonn Kilbi (4th September) to celebrate its release. I’ve already had a sneak preview of the album, I made sure that I listened to it without any distractions and I am certainly enjoying the evolution of their sound a lot, it’s a very strong album. They’ve picked up where they left off, refined their approach (whilst experimenting) and most songs are over five to six minutes long to give them more of a lasting impact. The debut single, Cleanse, is definitely a perfect introduction to the new direction, and its video is also fantastic.
I would like to thank Beurre for the interview and to find out more about the band.
(Photo copyright: Léa Martinez)
History
Where did the idea come from to create Beurre?
Elischa : Chadi? Hehe
Chadi and I were playing in another band Tanche, where we had a very open approach to what kind of sound we wanted to play. In this process and the conversations we had back then, we noticed that we both would love to play in a band, whose only purpose would be to be superheavy and intense. Reduce to the max, and just be heavy.
I personally don’t have a broad background of listening to metal, I just like music that is uncompromising and has an ecstatic perspective on performing.
I think this idea grew for some time until Chadi took the initiative to make this happen. We met for some days somewhere in Jura with our first drummer Philip. At daytime we jammed, and at night we would smoke cigarettes and listen to music for many many hours. For me it was very liberating to ditch the guitars while I’m singing, to have more focus on my body and on my voice and on effects, and just explore this new realm of intensity. I think the main point was to play very loud and feel what emotionality this would bring us. It’s somewhere between an immensely childish joy and a powerful transformative potential that allows me to bring up and deal with emotions that are normally hidden deep inside me. We had a lot of fun. So we still do it.
(Photo copyright: Léa Martinez)
Was it always intentional to have a band without a guitar?
Chadi : Yes, it was very much intentional. We wanted to strip the sound down to its bare minimum and avoid filling too much of the spectrum with harmonic instruments. By leaving out the guitar, we created more space in the music and gave each instrument a sharper, more defined role. We also liked the idea of keeping the number of members as small as possible, not to restrict ourselves, but to focus on the essentials and explore creativity within clear constraints. On top of that, we wanted to move away from the traditional sonic (but not only) aesthetics usually associated with this kind of music, and to carve out a different path that felt more personal and distinctive to us.
Do you have a specific way of composing songs?
Chadi : We usually work through creative residencies. Most of the time, I’ll bring in a few riffs or ideas as a starting point, and from there we explore them together, playing, discussing, and reshaping until something convincing emerges. We like to work in immersive blocks of three or four days, where we can fully dive into the music without distractions. That concentrated time gives us the space to really make the material our own, to internalize it, and to shape it into something that feels personal and unique to us.
Oxt to Anyone
Where did you record the album?
Chadi: We recorded it at the Humus Records HQ in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
How was the experience to record the album with Kevin Galland?
Chadi : It was great for me, very natural and easy because Kevin is a close friend. I also played in a band with him for several years (Closet Disco Queen & The Flying Raclettes), so working together felt very familiar. That level of trust and understanding made the whole recording process smooth and enjoyable.
What are your memories of the recording sessions?
Chadi : It was winter and really cold. Elischa and Phlip stayed at my apartment, which had no heating at the time, so we were all bundled up. We lived on pizza and just focused on the music. It felt raw but also very bonding.
Tell us about the videos for Uniform and Tied
Chadi : They’re very DIY, super low-budget (0.-) videos that I made by recording my computer screen while moving manually different 3D figures in Blender. They’re rough and brutal, which matches the energy of the music. Uniform was a special case though, as it was a collaboration with filmmaker Camille de Pietro.
Shortly after the album release, Luc Hess joined the band on drums. How did he integrate into the band? Was it a natural choice?
Chadi : When Phlip told us he wanted to leave the band, there were only two or three weeks left before the tour for our first album. I didn’t even hesitate for a second, I immediately called Luc to ask if he could jump in at the last minute. By some miracle, all 13–14 shows we had booked that semester fit perfectly with his schedule. There was never a moment of doubt, he was the obvious choice.
You also released a jigsaw puzzle of the band's logo - what was the story behind it? How many did you make?
Chadi : I honestly can’t remember who first had the idea, but since our logo is basically unreadable, we thought it would be funny to turn it into an impossible puzzle. At the beginning we only made two or three, just as a joke, and they sold out immediately. In the end we put out around twenty. To our knowledge, only two people working together ever managed to finish one, which probably says more about their patience than about our sense of humour.
Resonate and Amplify
Where did you record the album this time round?
Chadi : exact same place! Humus HQ - La Chaux-de-Fonds
How did it feel to collaborate with Kevin again for the second album?
Chadi : Like the first time, extremely familiar.
What did you do differently in comparison to Oxt to Anyone? What did you learn from recording the debut album to bring to Resonate and Amplify?
Elischa: First of all, this was the first time we sat down together to write songs with the ‘new’ formation with Luc on drums. So the dynamic was of course a different one, and secondly, now we already had a background of playing shows together, we were much more aware of what we want exactly from our music, which aspects are resonating in which way. We made three short residencies to write the songs and see where we’re going.
But in terms of recording, it was pretty much the same. This music must be played live, everyone simultaneously, like it’s on stage, this is the only way it works. Of course, there are some overdubs here and there, some corrections, but the main part of these songs is, we play it loud, and we lean into it, 200%. I think this hasn’t changed at all.
Were you able to test the songs out live before recording them?
Luc : We wrote/arranged Superposition during our only few days of rehearsal before starting the touring cycle, so we’ve played this one live every single time since i’ve joined the band. We also added Lord Grief at some point but fairly later, maybe for the 4-5 last shows.
Bliss sees a softer side of the band, whereas Lord Grief has a couple of drum grooves at the beginning, did you see Resonate and Amplify as a possibility to experiment further with your sound?
Luc : Chadi and Elischa have a perception and way of creating heavy music like I’ve never experienced before, everything in their song writing approach feels new and exciting to me. It seems like everything is allowed as long as it’s uncompromising and raw. It seems anything could go either way with these two.
As much as we’re excited about brutal and violent sounds, I personally think that writing a song like Bliss (I’m specially talking about the intro here) opened another new realm of experimentation for sure.
How would you describe the evolution in your sound between the two albums?
Chadi : On the first album, many of the tracks were quite brutal and incisive, with complex, fast-moving structures that shifted constantly. It had this raw energy and sharpness to it.
With the second album, we allowed ourselves to slow down a little and to expand on a different approach, one that leans more towards repetition, trance-like patterns, and a sort of mantra feeling. It’s something that was already hinted at in tracks like Mausi or Ways on the first record, but this time we really took the time to explore and develop it more deeply. The result feels both more spacious and more immersive, while still carrying the intensity of the earlier work.
(photo copyrights: Clément Grin)
Tell us about the video to Cleanse. What are your thoughts about it?
Chadi : The video feels like a meditation on suffocation, isolation, and ultimately transformation. The lace mask, fragile yet oppressive, becomes a metaphor for the invisible structures that confine us, delicate, almost beautiful on the surface, but suffocating when worn too long. The solitary figure wandering through the empty landscape embodies that tension between fragility and despair, the sense of being trapped in silence.
And then comes the fire. At first destructive, it quickly takes on another dimension: a ritual of purification, a way of turning suffering into something luminous. Fire consumes, but it also clears space for renewal. That moment resonates deeply with the spirit of Cleanse: the idea that pain is not only something we endure, but something we can actively transform. The song speaks about learning to let go, about connection as a practice, and about the duty we have, as passing souls, to turn weight into light.
For me, Camille de Pietro’s imagery captures this perfectly: disturbing, raw, yet charged with the possibility of transcendence.
As well as releasing the record on Humus Records, how does it feel to be releasing the album with Jaune Orange Records?
Chadi : It feels really meaningful, because our collaboration with Jaune Orange started quite naturally. They first approached us to handle booking in Belgium, and after a few shows together, it quickly became clear that we shared the same energy and vision. Releasing the album with them makes perfect sense: it strengthens our connection with the Belgian scene and allows us to reach a wider audience there.
Any special merchandise lined-up for the new record?
Chadi : Yes! We’ll have different vinyl editions (black, yellow, orange, and splatter), two new t-shirt designs, the puzzles of course... and butter dishes.
Live at Tartine de Miettes, July 2024 (Photo copyright: Patrick Principe)
Live/so far/the future
What do you have planned for the release show at Bad Bonn on 4th September?
Luc : We’re freshly out of a 4 days residency so we’ll play a brand new set with a major focus on our new material obviously. We’ve worked hand in hand with our adorable and endlessly capable tech crew Léa Martinez (lights) and Chris Noth (sound). They were on site with us working relentlessly on making us look and sound amazing!
What other tour dates have you got lined up for the release?
Luc : We’ve got about 10 shows lined up until the end of the year, spread across Switzerland, France and Belgium. Two Swiss shows already confirmed for early 2026 and hopefully more to come.
From what I saw, there is a live line-up with additional members, who else is part of the Beurre line-up for concerts and on which instruments? Would that also be the case for the upcoming tour?
Luc : Yes, that is correct. I am in the middle of a touring cycle with my other band Coilguns so I will not be able to play some of these shows and need someone to fill in for me. Luckily our friend and talented musician Félix Fivaz (Cinq, Muthoni Drummer Queen,...) will be hitting the shells while I’m away. We spent a whole day getting him “stage ready” during the last residency. He came very well prepared and showed us he is definitely up to the task.
For those who have not yet seen Beurre in concert, how would you describe your live show?
Luc : I’d say that music-wise it’s dense and very LOUD! Our songs are somewhat dark and super heavy, combined with the lights it can get very intense. Then as performers, I think we tend to send a rather good vibe and we’re not shy to smile (to each other or not) on stage.
But the point is definitely not to communicate anger or aggressivity.
What are your feelings/emotions directly after performing live?
Luc : I’m pretty ecstatic and pumped with adrenaline, very satisfying feeling. It’s sometimes mixed with exhaustion, but this varies a lot depending of the day I had before of my general level of fatigue.
How did it feel to be in the final shortlist for the m4m Demotape Clinic with the song, Uniform? Did you expect to be in the final 13?
Luc : Nope! Therefore it felt VERY unexpected.
Chadi: Very unexpected... and to be honest, it just felt awkward. Competitions and music don’t really go together for us.
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