2023-06-05 08:09:00
HALF DARLING is a band collective that has made musical originality its leitmotif and produces a sound that, due to its stylistic breadth, eludes any attempt at pigeonholing and in an exciting way. The nice thing about the music of this group is that, despite its experimental, diverse and sometimes weird and highly energetic character, it never loses itself in excessive complexity, but really remains audible throughout. HALF DARLING’s self-titled debut will be released on Konkord on June 9th. The songwriter of the band GREGOR MAHNERT and the singer LISA KORTSCHAK spoke to Michael Ternai.
How did it actually start with you? The press text states that the band existed before, but then they broke up and then got back together a year ago to record a record.
Gregory Mahnert: The breakup thing was actually meant as a joke, because I like to tell bizarre stories. I just tried to write a press release that was as weird as possible. This is how the story of this legendary collective came about.
In truth, like most bands, we just got together. It started with the fact that after the dissolution of another project of mine, in which Lisa and I had also played together, I started experimenting with a loop station for lack of other musical activities. A lot of material was collected over a longer period of time. I then looked for someone to help me out with beats. That’s how Werner came along [Thenmayer; Drums; Anm.]. That’s how it went on. The band pieced together piece by piece.
Lisa Kortschak: Then after Werner is Elise [Mory, Synths, Anm.] added. In the meantime, other people have also been tried. I joined a little later, also because it wasn’t clear for a long time whether the whole thing would be with vocals or without. In the meantime, other people have also been tried. And Oliver [Stotz, Bass/ Synth, Anm.] and Johanna [Forster, Guit, Anm.] then came a bit later.
Gregory Mahnert: Exactly, Werner and I briefly thought about doing the whole thing as a pure loop project. But that turned out to be too inflexible…
Lisa Kortschak: … and now we exist as a band collective with vocals.
“Our music covers a wide spectrum and doesn’t exclude anything.”
The composition of the band is definitely very interesting to read. If you look at the different musical contexts you all worked in: in punk and noise, in improvised music, in new music, in hip-hop, etc. How do you all find a common denominator?
Lisa Kortschak: Gregor actually specifies this denominator. He provides the song ideas and compositions and thus defines the tone. The rest of us accept these guidelines. But of course we make our contribution. I contribute the vocals and most of the lyrics. The others provide inputs and get involved in the arrangements and the like. Ultimately, Gregor sets the direction. And that fits. We’ll do it together.
In my case, I found the music just great. I also told the others that they absolutely had to do something with it. And I wasn’t part of the band then. I just said: “If you need someone to do the vocals, I’d love to be there.” I pushed myself quietly [lacht].
Gregory Mahnert: You have to say that most of us have known each other for a long time and are also friends. We also partly went through a common musical socialization. Our musical preferences therefore overlap on several points. I think this circumstance has also significantly shaped this common sound.
Lisa Kortschak: Our music covers a wider spectrum, but it is never arbitrary. I think that through our joint activities, things have also started to overlap and this has opened up new fields for us. I, for example, have never written as much as with Half Darling.
Die Single “Tricks And Truths” definitely sets your direction. Punky, straight forward ….
Gregory Mahnert: Yes, although the song is a bit out of the ordinary compared to the others on the album. Its sound is more pop than the rest. It wasn’t really planned that the song would become a single. It just turned out that way.
Your sound reminds me of my own music preferences, which I had as a teenager. Even though it’s experimental and has its own character, the 1990s can still be heard for me.
Gregory Mahnert: I would say that we have all had an avant-garde phase at some point. This is definitely a staple for us. And then it’s probably our age that makes us point to the 1990s [lacht].
Lisa Kortschak: I also have clear 1990s references in my ears, but I still think that the whole thing takes steps further or even goes somewhere else entirely. With us, the various components and particles from different directions come together in their own, somehow different way.
In any case, you also allow a great musical variety in your songs.
Gregory Mahnert: The variety in the sound is probably due to the fact that e-guitars and the e-guitar bias in rock are not my thing at all. When I started getting more involved with electric guitars, I tried to make them sound as little like electric guitars as possible. The 1990s staple is therefore enriched musically much more with what we otherwise consumed during this time: a lot of hip-hop, some weird free jazz stuff…
Lisa Kortschak: … Riot Grrrl stuff too, of course. I’ve been on a smoke break for a year. When I started with the band, I smoked and at first I ran out of breath regularly. There was a desire for text-heaviness and “give him,” which I definitely took to heart. But at the beginning I really had to struggle with my air balance. Since I’ve left out the chick, it’s going much better.
Gregory Mahnert: Sometimes when I was writing I struggled with the fact that individual elements, individual musical particles kept coming back. They repeat themselves in different songs. At first I saw it as a songwriting problem, but then I noticed that it can actually be a very funny stylistic device, that despite all the stylistic diversity, individual elements keep repeating themselves and define something like a signature sound or a kind of bracket form.
You perform live with a changing line-up.
Gregory Mahnert: Exactly. This is partly due to the fact that everyone involved is quite busy with other projects. The money to survive has to be earned somehow. And it also took a short while for the band collective to be configured as it is now. Then there are also baby breaks, tours with other bands… With the collective we have found a flexible way of being a band and being economical with our availability.
Is this constant change at concerts also the reason why there is no real photo of your band? I’ve only seen one where the band is out of focus.
Gregory Mahnert: Not really. The band photo probably has a little something to do with it, but there is also a desire behind it not to fully reveal the matter. As a band, we want to step behind our music and make it stand out.
Lisa Kortschak: I think the main thing is to question self-portrayal or self-portrayal instruments. What does an image represent? We haven’t really thought it through the way I’m putting it now, but this thought is also included. We found it interesting to create an image that is out of focus. You see the band, but at the same time you don’t. This is how we disappear into self-portrayal.
Gregory Mahnert: I also have to honestly say that this whole display or self-portrayal thing is generally rather uncomfortable for me. I’m really not a friend of that.
“The lyrics are associative text collages, not political manifestos.”
Is this attitude of refusal or criticism also part of the content of the texts?
Lisa Kortschak: In any case. But without putting us over it or taking us out of it in any way. The lyrics are associative text collages, not political manifestos. But the spirit is: Attack on existing orders by means of displacements and irritations, anger is good and Half Darling loves the contradiction.
Gregory Mahnert: I think the content of the album was so clear that the question didn’t even arise. We all come from an environment that is shaped by the subculture and the DIY idea. That’s absolute common sense for us, so we’ve actually never talked about it.
As what do you understand Half Darling? Is it one of many projects for you or is it something special?
Gregory Mahnert: I feel Half Darling as a happy crossroads of musical collaborations and friendships, it’s a collective that also has ties to other projects. Of course, the band means a lot of work, also to keep everything together somehow. But especially at concerts I notice that this effort is really worth it, because this band is really fun on stage.
Lisa Kortschak: Half Darling is definitely my favorite band project so far. It’s cool to get a lot of positive feedback on the band. We make fun of ourselves and the people. Because we’re quite DIY – we make from management [lacht], from videos to booking everything myself – it’s a lot of work, but it pays off and I’m happy to be part of this band. A project that I take lightly and importantly at the same time. I have no intention of getting rich with it [lacht], but I have a claim that what we’re doing with the thing is as good as it gets. That this record, the way we recorded it, is a product I can stand by. In the best-case scenario, even in ten years. And it looks good for that.
Thank you very much for the conversation.
Michael Ternai
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Half Darling live
07.06. Venster99, Vienna, album release concert
09.06 Schl8hof, Wels
10.06 Kurdirektion, Bad Ischl
16.06 Cafe Wolf, Graz
17.06 Container 25, Wolfsberg
13.07 Open Air, Ottensheim
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Links:
Half Darling
Half Darling (Facebook)
Konkord
1686204606
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