Interviews

SOROR DOLOROSA is one of those bands that, with their sound, compositions, and lyrics, could serve as a bridge between the dark romanticism of '80s music and the modern, melancholic post-punk scene. Their music effortlessly balances elements of new wave, new romanticism, and gothic rock.

The French band, known for expressing the most romantic and atmospheric aspects of post-punk and gothic rock, began their journey in the early 2000s in Toulouse. Their intriguing name, inspired by the novel "Bruges-la-Morte" by Flemish author Georges Rodenbach, immediately grabs attention. Now, 23 years later and with four full-length albums to their credit, Soror Dolorosa are coming to Athens for a unique performance!

Their recent album, "Mond," has received rave reviews and appears on nearly every "best of 2024" list. And rightly so—"Mond" takes the band's sound to a whole new level.

On this occasion, we had the chance to speak with Andy Julia, the man behind the expressive and emotional vocals of SOROR DOLOROSA.

ES: Hi. Before getting into details on "Mond" and the upcoming live show in Greece would you like to introduce yourselves in our readers?

We re a post punk cold wave band from France making music since 2002. We 've released 1ep and 4 album so far and have played live all around Europe since 2011. We were long time perceived as an 80’s revival, but at the time, it was not question of any 80 revival. In the begining of the 2000’s, people were more speaking about metal, industrial and goth electro than new wave revival. Maybe we 're just making music the same way the bands were making in the 80´s counting sincere stories, writing epic melodies and playing with all our heart and soul without asking questions.

ES: "Mond" comes after a 7-year hiatus since "Apollo". What was the driving force behind creating this album, and how has the band's journey influenced its sound?

"MOND" is our 4th album. After a long walk through the "Apollo" desert, it appeared that the quintessential reason why we’re doing music is to make a homage to the majestic night and the mystical moon. We wanted to make an album out of the earth gravity and also play with drum machine instead of an acoustic drum. When we met our new guitar player Jean Baptiste MARQUET, we began to compose with a big energy and new perspectives. During this long way, we met James Kent (PERTURBATOR) and decided to work together on the mix and give a more modern shape to our sound, creating a very personal dusty patina.

ES: How does "Mond" differ from "Apollo"? Are there any specific tracks that represent this evolution most deeply?

I think "Tear It Up" shows directly the sound and mood difference between "Mond" and "Apollo" starting from the first second. If I would compare, it's like a jumb in a fresh bath under the moon, after a lond journey, wandering into an infinite desert. It is also a song 100% composed by Jean-Baptiste Marquet. Jean Baptiste joined the band in 2018 and first discovered us through Apollo. While he found "Apollo" interesting, when we began creating together, we quickly left behind the desert’s dusty melancholy and launched straight to the moon.

ES: How did the collaboration with James Kent of Perturbator on mixing and mastering shape the sound of "Mond"? He is known for his work in synthwave and dark electronic music. Did his unique approach surprised you, on some point, in the production process?

We are all big fans of synthwave and Perturbator, being a special twist. I have been introduced to James in some good parties and we quickly turned friends. It s Neige from Alcest that advised us to collaborate with him because he felt something obvious in our sound approach. He was totally right. Tte production of "Mond" have been made by us, engineered at home by Jean Baptiste. After long term working session, we made rought mixed and showed up with the result to James who directly enjoyed it. He said: "Guys, i love it. Let go on the mix, i know what i ll do on that!" James added some arrangements and that's how the final shape of "Mond" took life on a 7 years time capsule.

ES: Can you share any stories or challenges you faced during the creation of "Mond" that stand out as essential or interesting moments?

Creating "Mond" was a real adventure for us—a milestone marking a new era. It felt almost like starting over, but with the experience of our previous releases as a foundation for building something new. We composed around 18 tracks and ultimately kept half of them for the sake of balance and cohesion. We experienced a creative frenzy that was refreshing and exhilarating, especially after the internal struggles within the band and the external challenges of the pandemic and lockdowns. The album’s title emerged during those days spent detached from the world and the mundane routines of daily life. One standout moment was a big party with James at my place in Paris, on the night we decided to collaborate on the album. It was one of those moments where life feels effortless, as if anything is possible—even reaching the moon in an instant.

ES: Can you tell us more about the creative process behind Mond? Were there any specific challenges or breakthroughs during its creation?

We produced the album at home, which meant we had unlimited time to perfect the recordings and arrangements. This has its pros and cons. If there’s discord within the band, it can lead to disaster. However, if everything flows smoothly, it’s the perfect opportunity to refine your style, explore new directions, and elevate your work.

For us, the latter was true during the creation of "Mond." We had this magical feeling of ascending to new heights and taking a significant step forward.

ES: "Mond"'s themes are inspired by poets like Edgar Allan Poe and James Baker. How do poetry and especially these two poets influence the lyrics and atmosphere of Mond?

I love Poe since I discovered him, 20 years ago, or something. When I stumbled upon this quote about beauty, it gave life to "Sugar Moon", which is one of my favorite tracks of the album.

"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears."

I think this sentence illustrates perfectly the romantic feeling of absolution you have while watching the full moon shining over nature, with no boundaries and no limits, lighting the deepest spheres of our consciousness.

ES: Your sound blends post-punk, new wave, and gothic rock. What drew you into these genres back in the first years and how do you see your music evolving within these genres, especially with the contemporary resurgence of darkwave and post-punk revival?

We 're children of the 80s, and from 70s I must say. This era in music is huge, and you can never know and consider everything that had been made. I think it was maybe the best balance in between society evolution and new technologies that made musicians create such kind of magic. There is a revival nowadays it s true, and i think its a really good thing. If we 're a part of this movement, we re really happy with it; but to be honest, it has  not any influence on what we 're doing. Soror Dolorosa is a project that have been born in some other spheres than social consideration and that 's where the band must die also.

ES: Your upcoming show in Greece is highly anticipated. What makes this performance special for you, and how do you approach translating "Mond"'s studio essence to the stage? What can your Greek fans expect from your performance?

Playing in Greece is a dream for us. We are fully conscious that Greece gave birth to all we are culturally. I had the chance to come to your beautiful country 10 years ago with my other band-mate, Geoffroy, from Dernière Volonté. We shot a cover of an album here. Athens is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and we will make our best to deiver a show at the level of the consideration we have of the city and it's lucky souls living here.

ES: After "Mond" and this live show, what is next for Soror Dolorosa? Can fans expect more frequent releases, tours, or perhaps any additional unique collaboration?

As mentioned earlier, we still have a lot of unreleased material. After this period of live shows, the prospect of new music isn’t far off. Stay tuned!

ES: Thank you very much for this chat. Is there anything more that you would like to add?

Thanks for having us and looking forward to meet you at Temple on Friday evening. An unforgettable night in the heart center of our beauty world!

Info:

https://www.facebook.com/sorordolorosaofficial

https://sorordolorosa.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.instagram.com/sorordolorosa