JPH managed to get both of them in the same room together prior to their gig with The Monochrome Set amd playing at the Madrid Popfest where we talk about addictions to reverb, Madrid Popfest bribes, a DIY ethos, passionate record labels and hanging onto a sense of reality.
Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Josh Leonard and Fred Konstantin.
Your releases all have a sort
of clouded / misted aesthetic to them which is obviously an intentional
stylistic choice. Is this symbolic of anything?
Fred:
We are addicted to reverb – I think we have
the dreamer’s disease.
You signed for the label Kleine
Untergrund Schallplatten and count janglepop luminaries such as Pale Lights,
Jetstream Pony and The Luxembourg Signal as labelmates. You must have had other
labels after your signature, so what is it that attracted you to this Augsburg,
Germany label?
Josh:
We didn’t try to release on any other labels,
and I’m sure no other labels even knew we existed.
Fred:
My other band Endlich Blute was the first ever
release on KUS, so I sent the songs to Ronny to see if he liked them. Speaking
from a Distance was the seventh release - Jetstream Pony, Pale Lights and The
Luxembourg Signal all joined the label after we did.
Josh:
We really like KUS because Ronny gives us
control over how our records sound and look, and he’s so genuinely passionate
about the music he releases.
You are appearing at the Madrid
Popfest in a few weeks with the likes of BMX Bandits, Terry Vs Tori, St. Christopher,
Eggstone and The Tuts. What do you think the organisers see in The BV’s that
makes them feel like you belong in such exalted company.
Fred:
It’s all thanks to our dude Casio von
Doesburg, who probably bribed the organisers to let us play.
Josh:
There’s no other way we’d ever have been
allowed to.
Tell us about the best and
worst gigs you have ever performed?
Josh:
We’ve only played seven gigs, and they were
all good. I did break strings in Cologne and Hamburg though.
Fred:
And once we played without our bassist because
he was at a wedding and it was a bit strange.
We’re lending you the famous
janglepophub time machine which can transport you to any musical decade and guarantee
you musical success - which decade would you choose to be successful in and
what would represent success to you both?
Fred:
Success for us means being able to continue to
make music without people telling us what to do or how to do it.
Josh:
If we could do that in any decade, that would
be great.
The promo for the vinyl for
this EP states that Fred is creating unique handmade artwork for all 200
copies. Print-u-Cheap on the high street could have done this for you...why go
the extra mile?
Fred: It was part of my final project for university. So I wanted to make the
most of the opportunity and create something really special for the record.
It’s also part of the ethics of us as a band – we try to do as much as possible
ourselves (recording, artwork, videos, merch, press, etc.)
How important do you feel
physical artifact releases to the music industry in the 2010’s?
Josh:
Because you can download most albums for free
online (including ours, we checked!) or stream them, I think physical releases
are important to bands, especially small/independent bands, as people will pay
for them. But at the same time we have to be aware that not everyone can afford
to pay for physical copies of records, so it’s important to offer digital
editions too.
What are your plans for the
next 12 months from a band perspective?
Fred:
Release a second album, tour a bit more, try
to maintain some sense of reality in an increasingly unreal world by adding
lots of reverb to very simple guitar parts.
What were the last three albums
you both downloaded or purchased?
Fred:
Alvvays – Antisocialites, Corridor – Le Voyage
Eternel, John Maus – Screen Memories
Josh:
Spinning Coin – Permo, Kool AD – Aztec Yoga,
Holiday Ghosts – Holiday Ghosts
Who are your musical
influences?
Josh:
Silver Jews, Magnetic Fields, Kool AD, The
Verlaines
Fred:
e.g. Neu!, Slowdive, Brian Jondestown
Massacre, a/b Repeat
Gentlemen thanks so much for
talking to janglepophub and good luck in Madrid and with this release. Is there
any parting message from you both for our readership?
Fred:
~/?|\}]{[:;>.<,!^&()_-~`
Josh:
Cheers
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