Interview with Binary Sunset
Binary Sunset definitely had a big influence on my summer playlist in 2024 and there were many, many occasions where I went through their discography (three EPs and one album). There’s something about the good mood which their music instantly brings through the guitar interplay, the upbeat rhythms, driving bass and catchy vocal hooks that remain in my head long after the song had finished. There is also the linguistic aspect which is an extra appeal to me - the members of the band, who are based in the Lucerne region, don’t really speak French but the lyrics are written in the language.
Before I went on my summer holidays last year, we did a quick and fun article together, where the band answered questions related to each track of their album, les grandes vacances (English: summer holidays). And also not the only time with the blog, I bumped into Felix Mechelke, the band’s bass player, the day after sending the questions for the article. He was performing at the Winterthur Music Festival with Lola Boum, whose singer also appeared on the album in the song, pas de fleurs (English: no flowers).
Their record release show at Konzerthaus Schüür in their hometown was also a fantastic evening. The band played every song from their discography before finishing with one of my favourite tracks, mouette sale (English: dirty seagull). I also have the stupid memory of one of the band members coming up to me and saying, “oh, you’re the guy with the…” then types away at an imaginary keyboard in the air. It’s stupid but it stuck with me and makes me chuckle.
The band is back with a new mini EP, fin d’été (English: the end of the summer), their first new songs since their debut album. Consisting of two tracks, ça tourne (English: rolling!) and laisse tomber (English: let it go), it will be released on 10th October on Oh, Sister Records with a concert on 11th October at Chrüterhuus in Lucerne. Always wanting to do an interview with the band to find out more about the history of Binary Sunset, how they write their songs, especially with the lyrics in French as well as other topics, the release presented the perfect opportunity to interview them.
I would like to thank Binary Sunset for their replies to my questions!
Introduction:
Introduce yourselves. Who is on which instrument? Are you/were you in any other projects?
There’s Hürli, he plays the drums. He had an “open minded stoner grunge” band but it’s fucking DEAD. Some say he maybe needs a better band.
There’s Römi, he plays guitar and basically learned to play guitar in this band.
There’s Dimi, he really wants to start a shoegaze band, anyone? Mostly because he’s got new sick pedals.
And there’s Felix, he plays bass and sings. Some say he screams.
Where did the idea of Binary Sunset come from? The style of the project. Vocals in French. What influences (musical and non-musical) do you have for the project?
(Felix) Dimi was a bedroom producer with 30 second song ideas. I told him to start a band because some ideas were pretty nice. So we started to jam with different friends and made rough recordings. On a surf trip to France later that year, we had the idea to start a surf band with those rough recordings but under the condition that we’d sing in French. It came from a joke but turned out to be pretty important for our band.
How did you choose the band name? Was it intentional to have a band name that makes it hard to find the band (eg on YouTube)? Were any names in French considered?
(Felix) Naa, its just my favorite “scene” from Star Wars Episode IV and I told Dimi that I'd only join his band as a bass player if we call the band binary sunset. No one really cared about it so we stuck with the name.
Do you have any special methods to songwriting? How would a song start?
9 out of 10 times, either Dimi or Römi bring a melody idea or a chord progression in the rehearsal. Then we try to build a song around it. We have some patterns we try to repeat or break. You hear phrases like “we already did that in our song xy” pretty often when we write. Right now we are in a house in southern Switzerland for a couple of days and are writing new songs. Perhaps we need to be a bit more creative with our methods so that we don't repeat ourselves.
A funny side note is that the song ideas were mostly recorded on mobile phones and sounded terrible and out of tune. During rehearsals, it is sometimes extremely difficult to hear what was actually played.
How is it to play such upbeat, summer-based songs during cold winters in Switzerland?
Never really thought about it. Summer is not very long and we mostly spend it outside, so the time we have to write music is in cold winters anyways. It is probably the desire for summer that motivates us.
Tell us about how the lyrics are written? Have you noticed your French skills improving since starting the band? Any tips for bands that want to sing in languages they don't speak fluently?
To be honest, it's all pretty haphazard. We try to find a story for a song, or sometimes for several songs. Then we go to translation websites and write the lyrics with their help. We often have to adapt individual words so that they fit the syllables or so that a few lines rhyme. If you showed the lyrics to someone who really speaks French, I don't know if they would understand everything.
History:
How did it feel to win the 3FACH Kick Ass Award in 2021 with your first single Ne t'inquiète pas?
It's been a while now, but it felt absolutely amazing. We just recorded a song without knowing where it would lead. We never expected the song to win an award straight away. The whole process was very exciting, as two of the four of us had no experience with recording. The fact that the song was 100% DIY and was an instant success probably contributed to us continuing with it.
Photo copyright: Sam Aebi, 3FACH
Did it give you more momentum to write and record with the band?
Yes, very much so. We won some money, which we then spent on a two-week holiday in Provence in France. We wrote a new EP there and spent our afternoons watching the Tour de France. In the evenings, we went swimming in the pool, and some of us caught middle ear infections. That was, of course, an inspiration for the lyrics.
Was the first EP, la vie lente, already written and recorded before winning the prize?
Both: It was written and recorded before we won the award.
You also released verres teintés and Trans-en-Provence (FR) in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Tell us about them
verres teintés was super annoying. We played a concert the night before the recording session and our drummer already noticed that he was getting sick and played with a mask on. Since it's always so difficult to find dates that work for everyone, we went ahead and recorded on Saturday and Sunday. The drummer went home at some point on Saturday evening and the three of us wrote vocal melodies and lyrics. We sent him the ideas via voice message and every time he said, "Hey guys, I'm not feeling it at all”. That was quite a downer. Nevertheless, that's how my favourite song, Paris-Brest, came about.
What are your memories of the first three EPs?
Four chaps with no studio experience and little live experience who simply recorded some DIY stuff that felt nice to play. We always wrote and recorded the vocals with the help of one or two bottles of Prosecco.
Were there things that you would have done differently?
There are things we still do exactly as we did on the first EPs, and I would like to do them differently. For example, we only start working on the vocals once the song has already been recorded. We really should reconsider that.
Trans-en-Provence would be your first release on Oh, Sister Records - how does it feel to work with the label?
Räphu is a great support and very positive. It's a lot of fun to work with him. It's also exciting to see what else is being released on his label.
Les grandes vacances
What made you decide to go for an album (instead of an EP) this time round?
We wanted to make a physical record that looks cool when you put it in your living room at home. We also believe that the concept of the ‘album’ still works, even if streaming services might give a different impression.
How did you approach the album differently in comparison to the previous recordings?
We chose a theme: summer. This really helped some of us understand what kind of music and lyrics we wanted to write.
What are your memories of writing and recording the album?
Sitting in a basement without daylight for six days in winter, freaking out over guitar sounds. It was incredibly exhausting and everyone was totally worn out after just three days. Römi was heartbroken and we were completely stuck on one song. Then we sent the song idea to Nurit and half an hour later we had her lyrics and melody in our email folder. The next day, Nurit came by and sang the song. It was pretty impressive.
How does it feel to have the record on vinyl (and to release it with Oh, Sister Records)?
It feels great. The album looks cool and we are all very happy with the product, the sound and the masters. It's also great that we have been able to sell almost all of the records.
How was the record release show at Schüür for you?
Pretty relaxed because we could finally leave the equipment on stage. Afterwards, we talked about toothbrushes and toilet flushes backstage. All in all, a successful evening.
Artwork: Cynthia Zwiker
Fin d'été
Tell us about your upcoming EP (date, physical or digital, description)
The EP consists of two completely contrasting songs and will be released in mid-October. Digital only. It is called fin d'été, which means ‘end of summer’.
Where did the idea come from to record the table tennis noise and whistle? It seems like you had a lot of fun with the songs?
The whistle is inspired by Brazilian samba carnival music.
How did it feel to write and record your first EP since Les Grandes Vacances?
It’s pretty DIY. Nothing much has changed: we still record in our rehearsal room.
With the name of the EP as 'end of the summer' and with the track name, Laisse tomber, which is your most personal song, is it a goodbye from Binary Sunset? Or just a change in direction?
No, Binary Sunset is staying. We are currently in the mountains working on our next project.
Laisse tomber is about two people who decide to go their separate ways. And to cope with the sadness of the situation, they start playing ping pong.
What could we expect from the future? And at your release show on Saturday 11th October at Chrüterhuus in Lucerne?
We have just discussed our goals for next year. There will be new songs, and we would like to bring more energy to the stage during our live performances.
Chrüterhuus gets loud, crowded, and an evening with our best friends in a great place.
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