God Is An Astronaut

We had the honour to interview Torsten from irish postrockers "God Is An Astronaut". Here´s what he had to say about the new album "Epitaph" and the recent tour. 



We understand that the new album was composed with some heavy hearts. How did you feel recording the new album? 
This is by far the darkest and most personal record we have ever written. Overall, I would describe our feelings as being in a constant state of mourning. The album is written in memory of our 7-year-old cousin whose life was tragically taken. The album is dedicated to him and is our way to say goodbye and for us to try and come to terms with this most tragic incomprehensible loss.


You tell stories without words. Is there a concept on this album or did the songs take on their own lives and shapes? 
The record was mainly written and recorded in the immediate aftermath. All of the songs are about the different aspects of the tragedy. It’s both dark, sombre and reflects on those moments we lived through and was our way of dealing with feelings of helplessness, despair and dread.



This year you will be back touring. What can the audience expect for this tour?
It’s a much darker melancholy set, we chose older songs that we felt suited the mood of “Epitaph”. For example, we chose “Frozen Twilight” to be in the set, it’s the first time we have ever played that song live. The dark winter mood really sits well with the new material. 

Obviously you have many different elements in your music. From calm passages to up-tempo rock-riffs. How do you balance these elements?
It’s more of a natural organic process then something that has been carefully thought out. Each song represents a feeling, an emotion, a snapshot in time that we needed to express. Once the initial spark of an idea has been created, the song seems to essentially write itself from there.

How would you compare the band with when you first started? 
I guess it’s like comparing myself today and who I was back then. We are more experienced, more capable on our instruments and superior in our recording techniques. When we began it was really an electronic project, Lloyd hadn’t yet joined the band. The writing still has a similar ethos as we did back then and we are still proud of each release.

When you choose the setlist for a tour, what goes through your mind? 
It’s important for the songs in the set to flow well into each other, tunings have to be taken into consideration too. We have to make tough decisions and drop some big tracks if they don’t suit the concept of this album/tour. We want to play as many songs as possible but I think 90 minutes is about our limit or we would have to have a larger production to keep everyone’s attention.

What are your hopes for 2018 in general?
We hope 2018 will be a good year for everyone and for us as a band to continue to reach wider audiences.

Thanks to Torsten and "God Is An Astronaut"! 

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