1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days
[Nico] Cløudy Skies is waiting for the album release of course ! First gift of 2023 ;)
We have 2 more songs to reveal. The 1st one (Nebulous Reflections) before the official release and the 2nd one just after ... a video this time.
Next, we will start to rehearse to be ready for gigs and shape the sound we want to deliver on stage. This is a major criteria for us... to give the audience a great sound experience ! Lionel and I are already composing for the 2nd Album...What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
2. You have a new album coming out in early 2023, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical styles that you went for on the recording?
[Nico] Metal is a very interesting style of music in the way that you can transform it... you can alter it a bit and "voilà" it becomes something else ! When we started Cløudy Skies we always said that we didn't want to be "closed" to any experimentation. In fact it is impossible ^^, as we love so many styles ... So we began with classic Metal/Post-Metal/Hardcore/Grunge/Doom/Black roots and added a little of rock, a little of indie, a little of pop, a little of post-rock, a little of Shoegaze etc. We also tried to suggest with our music the lyrics themes we developed in our songs such as dreams, sweet melancholia, sadness and contemplative moments. In fact, in our previous bands it was all about riffs, you know what I mean ;) "Hey Nico, give me that riff ..." We never took time to give time and more space for music. Our vision was also to make sounds and project listeners into a special "mood" and/or "place". So we let room for music adding lots of effects (vibrato, delays and reverbs) and lots of synths to enhance that immersive sensation. We also used a lot more clean vocals and clean guitars than before and the result is really interesting. Cløudy Skies style was born ... Dreamgaze Atmospheric Post-Metal.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
[Nico] We gave a special place to lyrics. I mean lyrics that bring something to listeners, that you can hear, that you can remember, that can touch you. We explore both the realist and surrealist side of life. We talk a lot about dreams, life, hope, expectations, meaning of life, time, love and death . Our album "CHANGES" has to be seen as a life lived through dreams. No one really knows where dreams lead. A good example is Dale Cooper's replica in Twin Peaks TV Show "I have no idea where this will lead us. But I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange".
We can reveal it now but CHANGES is actually just 7 letters of the alphabet : C.H.A.N.G.E.S. , or A.N.C.E.G.S.H. the 7 tracks of our album ;)
01. A nother Dream
02. N ebulous Reflections
03. C urrents
04. E choes Of The Ocean
05. G leams And Ghosts
06. S tars Still Shine
07. H aze On The Way
4. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
[Nico] We worked with our friend and talented freelance photographer Gilles Niez. He takes fantastic pictures and "makes" Collodion photography (wet plate photography technic from the 19th century). We were looking for a good photo to evoke both our band name and our album's name and when we saw this one on his catalog, we both thought : "this one matches perfectly". If you look at the picture, the sky is cloudy and seems to be about to change. And the bird which is flying in the cloudy sky brings that sensation of change... we had the cloudy skies and the change .
>> https://www.instagram.com/crystallized_pictures/?hl=en
>> https://crystallizedpictures.com/
5. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
[Nico] To be honest we don't want to replace drums with machines (samples) so we do need to recruit a real drummer. Hence we obviously will be 3. And if the live formula needs another musician we won't hesitate to expand to meet the best sound on stage.
For the moment Lionel and I are the main team for the composing part. It is very easy to work together... and he is my best friend ;)
6. The new album is going to be released on 'Argonauta Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
[Nico] We have known Argonautas' boss, Gero, since 2016 when we released our first album with previous band Eyes Front North. Even if at that time we had good references (We produced our album at Deafheaven' studio), finding a label was very difficult. The moment we got in touch, Gero gave all his trust and support and helped us to release it. We were very happy. So years later, Lionel and I didn't hesitate long when we thought about releasing Cløudy Skies 1st album... "let's call Gero". It was like knocking at an old friend's door... you're more than welcome to enter and to celebrate together again ;)
7. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of atmospheric and post-metal?
[Nico] We had a really nice album review by #ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine . It was really cool to have this feedback before the release.
It looks like the 1st track we launched on Youtube and Spotify was well received. I wish people commented more to have some details...
We are in a hurry "you" discover the whole LP... it contains many unexpected moments ;)
8. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
[Nico] We are mainly focused on Cløudy Skies but Lionel did some vocals for our friends in "Nature Morte" (Blackgaze, PostBlack, Shoegaze - Paris)
You really should consider listening to them : They are soooo good ! (https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ESf7j2mFj9wwmRPHjqm8d) .
9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
[Nico] Same direction with more room for music of course and more analog synths... maybe more progressive. A "Cløudy I wish you were here Skies" :D
10. What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
[Nico] here are the bands I have been listening the most this year :
Deafheaven, Tame Impala, Shiner, Entombed, Swallow the Sun, Tenhi, Bohren Und Der Klub of Gore, Nature Morte, Alexandra Savior, Nothing, Deserta, True Widow, Russian Circles, Chelsea Wolfe, YOB, Israel Nash, Twin Peaks OST, Lana Del Rey, Marissa Nadler, Alice In Chains, Drab Majesty, Soft Kill, Cult Of Luna, Neil Young, Kurt Vile, The War On Drugs, Dungen, Weyes Blood, Kadavar (The Isolation Tapes), Eldovar, All Them Witches, Fuzz, Slowdive, Michael Stearns, Holy Sons... to name a few. Did I told you I was open-minded ??? :D LOL
11. What are some of your non musical interests?
[Nico] Listening to music on my vintage analog equipment is my favorite pleasure !!!
Watching movies and TV shows at night is my guilty pleasure (Brand New Cherry Flavor and The Watchers were my last good surprises on Netflix... for movies I like classics).
Reading but I am a bit lazy these days. Though when I am not, I read American authors of the 50's-00's. I am reading the Collected Letters from Neil Cassady.
My wife is really into photography, so we often go to exhibitions and I am more and more interested and attracted to that art... capturing the moment and to suggest something is a real art !
Walking when I need to reconnect to nature ... I like walking in the fields with my headphones, it is one of my best moments...
Sleeping because you can dream ;)
12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
[Nico] Thank you for the interview. I hope it gives readers a look at our small universe.
keep on listening to music, going to shows, meeting people and of course dreaming...
All the best
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