Machukha Interview

 

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

B: The first thing that stands out about this band is Natalya’s vocals - when I first heard her scream, I believed her that she was really screaming. I am astounded by how much emotion she is capable of pouring into her vocals, how powerful and raw they are. And the fact that she is singing in Ukrainian adds another dimension to it. 

You have a new album coming out in early June, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

B: We all have very different backgrounds, but we all have an appreciation for honest music. Music that comes from the guts. It could be the harshest black metal, or something very thin and vulnerable. We tried to create something that takes the listener through different stages of processing emotions, so we used different tools to support each moment. 

Ilya: I would describe our sound as a fusion of hardcore punk, neocrust and post black/blackgaze spiced with dark, oppressive atmosphere.

I generally don't prefer mixing genres, but our record is technically one song, one big story and it wouldn't be able to express everything in scope of one specific genre. In my opinion we managed this very well, mostly thanks to combining our different backgrounds and experiences.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with  the music?

Natalya: Writing lyrics for me always hurts like hell. I touch on really tough topics like fighting off depression, dealing with loneliness, feeling stuck, enduring intense pain, and surviving sexual abuse and physical violence. Last but not least, lyrics address the horrific and traumatic experiences brought on by Russia's full-scale invasion and war against Ukraine. Despite this, the main message remains - we must never give up by not letting the pain take over the control, instead we must learn to accept it and embrace it with love, care and compasion.  

I know that the band's name means 'step-mother' in Ukrainian, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

Natalya: For anyone having a step-mother implies loss, pain, grief, ect. Loss of one’s mother. Quite an important and impactful person in one’s life no matter matter what quality of relationship with their mother a person might have. We see Machukha as someone who is going to be there for you - the listener - to assure you that it’s ok to feel the way you’re feeling. Our humble intention is to try providing some kind of comfort using music as an instrument. Well, we know from our own experiences that music is capable of saving lives.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

B: This is a photo taken by Yozy Zhang during our music video shooting. The person who made the SFX make-up is Una Ryu and the person on the album cover is the performance artist The Ljilja, who portrayed the main character in our music videos. This particular moment summarizes the core message of this album. Resilience and renewal. Tearing the old skin from your chest, revealing the fresh, pink skin underneath. Another little fun fact is that Natalya handmade the costume that The Ljilja is wearing - the headpiece is an Ukrainian traditional piece of clothing called Namitka. 

What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

B: Our first show was opening up for Hide, which is an incredibly sincere and powerful duo from Chicago. We had just finished recording ‘Mochari’ a couple of days earlier, so it was magical timing. Recently, we also opened up for Cult Leader, and I was listening to them a lot when we were writing this album, so I was thrilled (and very nervous) to see that they stuck around to watch our set. 

Ilya: At the moment I'd highlight our second show.

We played it two days after the first at the same venue. It felt like we barely left the party, just went for a walk between shows. And it was very emotional and more free and uplifting after the amazing reaction of the audience after the first one.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

B: We are playing two festivals this summer, Core Festival in Scotland and Complexity Fest in the Netherlands. There are so many great acts playing these festivals, so we feel very honored and encouraged that we have been invited to play alongside them. 

The new album is coming out  on 'Consouling Sounds', how did you get in contact with this label?

B: By being bold and just writing them an email! We put in a lot of effort into the artwork and music videos surrounding this release, so we hoped that this would spark curiosity. 

On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of post black metal?

B: It’s been very positive so far, and to be honest, we have gotten more reactions than we dared to anticipate. 

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

B: We are very aware that we have just begun to explore our range of sound and artistic expression. I would like to take more risks, and be more curious about different means of creating sound. 

What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Ilya: I consider myself as hardcore punk kid. I grew up listening to Black Flag, Circle Jerks to Propagandhi, Rise Against, Strike Anywhere. Crust, neocrust, D-beat hardcore are my love. Tragedy, Fall Of Efrafa, Wolfbrigade, Madame Germen, Ictus etc. Against Me means a lot to me.

Last two weeks mostly listen to DC revolution summer bands such as Rites Of Spring, Fugazi, Embrace, Dag Nasty along with for the 10th time relistening to earlier releases of Downfall Of Gaia.

B: classical music was a fundamental early influence. Playing the piano as a kiddo saved me. With Rachmaninoff I became conscious of how magical it is that somebody can compose a piece of music and there is some depressed kid, almost hundreds years later, who plays this and feels heard, feels seen. Feels better. These days, I am listening to Arvo Pärt obsessively, particularly “Tabula Rasa”.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Ilya: I have one simple message that I try to address to people and audience:

I would love for people to start to unite, love, respect, listen to each other, read more books, use critical thinking more, stop killing, exploiting and eating animals.

And as one of my favorite authors Kurt Vonnegut said: "God damn, you've got to be kind"

Thanks for having us!

Stay safe.

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