- Due to ongoing preferences, the musical group persists in performing at intimate venues.
The indie-rock band Leoniden from Kiel will unveil their new album "Sophisticated Sad Songs" on August 23rd. Singer Jakob Amr and guitarist Lennart Eicke engage in an interview with news agency spot on news, discussing depressing songs, heartache, and German lyrics. They additionally discuss the influence of their passionate performances, their liking for pilfered items at concerts, and whether they harbor international aspirations.
In what sense is your album titled "Sophisticated Sad Songs"?
Jakob Amr: "Sophisticated" translates to "elegant" in German, although it's a bit more nuanced. It signifies that we've been composing complex sad songs since the band's inception. While the title may conjure up images of clouds of mist and a person in a suit serenading passionately with a deep, resonant voice, what we actually create is essentially that: we've always invested considerable time and effort into crafting our songs and focusing on melancholic themes. We aim to challenge the image of us as a party band. Yes, there's a party, but it's a more sorrowful one.
Lennart Eicke: By now, everyone should be aware of what "sad songs" entail. If one takes a seat at the piano and lets out their emotional turmoil, like Tom Odell might do, then there's no doubt about the meaning. We simply interpret those emotions differently.
Can feelings be more deeply felt or expressed in one's mother tongue, or was the possibility of singing in German ever considered?
Lennart: It's humorous that we're often classified as German pop acts. Musically, there's little resemblance to us and traditional German pop music. We draw inspiration from bands like Radiohead and Nirvana. Though many German bands are encouraged to record in German, in today's globally interconnected world, I find this practice unnecessary. The world is more interconnected than it was 20 or 30 years ago, and songs are primarily consumed through platforms like Spotify and YouTube, which are primarily in English. To limit oneself to singing in German simply doesn't make sense.
Jakob: Nowadays, it's become a running joke that our next album will be released in German. I appreciate the German language, but it can sometimes be overly lyrical and cerebral, which may not best suit our melancholic themes.
The song "A Million Heartbreak Songs" tackles the idea that even once a thousand heartbreak songs have ended, another one will inevitably follow. What's the secret to overcoming heartbreak?
Jakob: If one adheres to the advice provided in the first line of the song, distraction is the antidote. While this is the worst advice one can receive, as it rarely feels good and you will never truly feel better, sometimes acknowledging your feelings and allowing yourself to feel bad can be helpful. Alternatively, when someone reaches out and encourages you to engage in enjoyable activities and let go, it can also be beneficial. Heartbreak is akin to illness, such as the flu, some people choose self-help, while others turn to more aggressive treatments. Ultimately, time, however unpleasant, will heal the wounds.
Rosie, the band's bassist, joined in 2021. Has the band's dynamic shifted as a result?
The indie-rock band Leoniden from Kiel will release their new album "Sophisticated Sad Songs" on August 23rd. Singer Jakob Amr and guitarist Lennart Eicke engage in an interview with news agency spot on news, discussing depressing songs, heartache, and German lyrics. They additionally discuss the influence of their passionate performances, their liking for pilfered items at concerts, and whether they harbor international aspirations.
Lennart: Her arrival has provided a significant boost. Firstly, Rosie is an exceptional musician, and her contributions to the band have been invaluable. When she initially joined as a temporary guest, it quickly became clear that she was a great fit. Her presence reinvigorated our energy, which had been hindered by the pandemic and the woes of cancelled or rescheduled concerts. It was disheartening for us as a band that relishes playing live shows. Yet, the absence of concerts led to a change. We've had to adapt and rediscover our shared passion for music. With Marike's addition to the band, we've left our comfort zone and written a more diverse album.
How do you reconcile with the perception of others: Is a woman in a male-dominated band still somewhat extraordinary?
Jakob: Regrettably, yes. The advantage is that Marike does not conform to the image of the quiet bassist lurking in the background behind the other band members. Instead, she is a dynamic vocalist, just like the rest of us. We never recruited a woman to cater to a political quota or fill a gap in the band; rather, it was a matter of pure human chemistry. Marike's incredible skill would have been irrelevant if we had not gotten along with her on a personal level.
Lennart: From our perspective, having a woman in a male-dominated band was never an issue. Over time, we've had a diverse crew, including women, so it didn't feel like an uprising on the inside.
Jakob: Everything, absolutely everything (laughs). But you learn from it: Lennart now has nearly indestructible guitar straps and his guitars are now round and light, not heavy and sharp anymore. There was a time when Lennart would bite Djamin's back. He'd put hot sauce on his back, which burned like hell and he had to visit the dermatologist. Nobody really won there (laughs).
Lennart: I've also been stitched up backstage, once my finger fell off and it bled everywhere. But that's what we're here for, to let it all out and not be too cautious. It's our space where we can let loose. That's why we go on stage.
You've played at various festivals again. What were the best experiences?
Lennart: This summer is marked by a big contrast program. We're playing the biggest festival slots we've ever had. It was amazing to play at Hurricane in front of 55,000 people. At the same time, we're playing smaller club shows on the way to the festivals, in front of 100 people, places we played five or six years ago and wouldn't usually play today. From these highly professional festivals to these DIY shows where we cram everything onto a two-by-two-meter stage, it's all exciting. That's what this band is about, seeking out these adventures. Other people might go to an amusement park, we play a concert in a much too small venue with 100% humidity (laughs).
The Langfinger band Leoniden has struck again, you like to take a "souvenir" from festivals that you then sell in your shop. How did this originally come about?
Lennart:
Jakob: We needed to blow off a little steam (laughs). The first time we took a small sign from a small shop in Bielefeld. We didn't want to make it a Robin Hood thing. We just wanted to take something.
Lennart: The idea came from when we were always on the road a few years ago and it was normal to pack a lot of food before we left because we didn't know how long we'd be in the car. We weren't used to seeing fridges packed everywhere. Then the idea came to sell stolen goods in our shop, apart from T-shirts and records, because we were always short on cash (laughs).
You've also chosen to play smaller shows aside from festivals and travel a lot for your live performances. Is mental health a topic for you too?
Jakob: I think we're handling breaks a bit more structured now. I don't know if it started with the forced break of Corona, but I feel like we've become a bit more reasonable. But when I talk to other artists, I realize we're still completely nuts. We're high performers, and you don't have to take a page from our book. If someone needs a break, we have full respect and allow it, but it happens rarely.
Lennart: It's definitely true that if we need a break, for example to write an album, we can take it now. We're not as driven by the need to tour because otherwise the whole financial structure would collapse. We can take much healthier time. On the other hand, mental health for us means it's good to be on tour. It's always stressful and intense, but it's what we want to do and where we feel at home, somewhere in the tour bus and on a stage. That can give you a lot of strength. And we've been able to improve our structures a lot. We don't drive around the country in our own Sprinter anymore.
You're going back on tour in the fall, including shows in the UK. How does that differ from shows here?
Lennart: The concerts are obviously much smaller. The audience is usually a mix of people who discovered us at support shows and a handful of Erasmus students who saw us in Hamburg or Munich and are excited to see us for 15 euros (laughs). You'd probably have to go really far, like Malaysia, to not find that.
By the way, is it a future goal to play more internationally?
Jakob: As we've shown this year, the adventures that get us excited are also right on our doorstep. You don't have to play a New Zealand tour, you can just go to Bonn again. But I love discovering the world through music. I'm not really a traveler, so if someone offered us a Japan tour next week, we'd pack our bags immediately. I'd be up for it, but I wouldn't put it on my bucket list, that would be presumptuous. Then I wouldn't appreciate the privilege I already have to live this life.
Lennart: The year has only 365 days and we're fully booked. It's important to us that we don't just play in Munich, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Berlin, but also in Fulda, Trier, or Tübingen. If it works out, we'd say yes immediately, but we also don't have the bandwidth to think about an Argentina tour right now.
Jakob: The reality is that bands that go abroad and come back happy, giving the impression they've made it, usually spent 100,000 euros to make it happen. Financially, we're not in that position yet (laughs). That's the reality for bands working in a DIY context and essentially doing everything themselves.
Lennart: Regarding the title "Sophisticated Sad Songs," it might suggest a somber and sophisticated ballad, but our songs are deeply layered with melancholic themes and require significant time and effort to create.
Jakob: As for singing in German, we find that the global music market primarily consumes music through platforms like Spotify and YouTube, which are predominantly in English. Limiting ourselves to German lyrics may not make sense in today's interconnected world.
