Interview with Heimberg: ‘Dark Is What We Like!’
Heimberg is a French Post-Punk trio hailing from Strasbourg, consisting of Anthony, Quentin, and Alex. Over the past few years, they have honed their craft, culminating in the release of their debut EPs “Isolation” (2022) and “Blind Eye” (2024), which were brought together as a full album late last year by the renowned French label Icy Cold Records. This body of work embodies the essence of pure Post-Punk and Dark-Wave, immersing listeners in a shadowy, tormented atmosphere that often veers into moments of melancholic beauty. The enchanting synth lines woven throughout their compositions amplify the darkness, creating an intoxicating soundscape that left me deeply moved. This outstanding debut sets a solid foundation for their future endeavors. I asked a few questions to the band about their journey and artistic vision. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Can you share some background about yourselves and the journey that led to the formation of Heimberg? Also, what’s the significance behind the name Heimberg?
Alex: Quentin and I became roommates in 2021. We started playing music together and were part of a local band. Anthony moved to Strasbourg sometime later and was looking for a band to join. We met and started jamming together. After some time, we decided to start our own band and be serious about it. We all have different musical backgrounds, but we have a lot in common! We started as beginners and are now growing and learning together musically.
The name Heimberg comes from the Alsatian words ‘heim’, ‘home’, ‘household’ and ‘berg’, ‘mountain’. It represents the concept of a warm home in a very cold environment.
Q: Last year, your originally self-released EPs, “Isolation” and “Blind Eye”, which were combined and released as a full-length album through Icy Cold Records. Can you tell us more about these EPs and how the transition from “Isolation” (2022) to “Blind Eye” (2024) shaped your music?
Anthony: “Isolation” was the first ‘state’ of the band. We wrote some songs before it but never released them. “Isolation” is leaning more toward the Cold-Wave genre, and the production and writing process are different from what we do now. It was the first release for all of us and with it, we landed our first concerts and started building an audience. It sounds more ‘young’ and ‘homemade’ than “Blind Eye” for which we worked harder.
Style-wise, “Blind Eye” is a complete shift from “Isolation”. It’s darker, while keeping the Cold-Wave elements. We think that “Blind Eye” represents us more and made us realize the direction we want to take. During the production process, we learned a lot and pushed ourselves in creating a real ambiance for our songs while trying to distance ourselves from simpler structures. It is something that we are still working on for our next project.
Q: Your music evokes to me the cold, icy atmosphere of 80s Dark-Wave, which you’ve reimagined into a contemporary Post-Punk style. Can you elaborate on your influences, any artists or producers you draw inspiration from, and how you’ve developed your own distinctive sound?
Quentin: We have several influences. Post-Punk, obviously, whether it’s from English-speaking countries/western or eastern Europe. But we also draw inspiration from Black-Metal, which we all really enjoy. We are also vastly influenced by Electronic music, which helps us create our universe.
Some bands that has influenced the project are: Ritual Howls, Fearing, De Ambassade, Bleib Modern.
Dark is what we like! We have a lot of influences, and we are still discovering new bands and styles that give us new ideas. Various genres of Post-Punk are our main influence in Heimberg, but we also draw influence from Electronic music, Black-Metal, Krautrock, etc. I think our ‘distinctive’ sound comes from a merge of different inspirations.
Q: What does your composition and production process typically look like? How do you divide responsibilities within the band, and how do you determine when a song is truly finished?
Quentin: We are a trio, with guitar, bass and synthesiser. The drums are arranged on Ableton. Generally, we compose our songs together. Sometimes, one of us comes up with an idea, or we jam together until something comes out of it. For our music, we set a direction, a style, a universe and the emotions that we want to convey. We are not attached to our instrument and often collaborate. The bassist will switch to the guitar, the guitarist to the synth… We are now aiming for a two-guitar arrangement, and we are going to add more vocals. We are constantly trying to evolve.
The work is divided between us according to what each one of us wants to do. Generally, Alexandre handles our communication, our posters and covers’ artwork. Anthony oversees the sound design, and Quentin the hunt for concerts and the conception of our set’s light show. All decisions are discussed and approved by each member.
It’s hard to determine when a song is finished. There’s always something to change or to improve which makes it a never-ending process. We work with deadlines, it helps us set goals and once they’re reached, we can move on.
Q: Are there recurring themes or concepts that inspire your lyrics? How personal are the stories or messages behind the words?
Anthony I think there are recurring themes in our lyrics. Loneliness, separation, etc. We get inspired in different ways, sometimes we imagine a scene like a movie and start writing lyrics around it. Sometimes there is no message behind the words, sometimes there is. Some lyrics are personal, but not all of them.
Q: I can easily imagine you must be busy working on new material. How far along are you in the process, and have you noticed a significant evolution in your songwriting? What does this new year hold for Heimberg in terms of new releases, live performances, and your overall experiences so far?
Heimberg: We are indeed working on some new material. We started in the second part of 2024 and our creative work is progressing well. Some tracks are already recorded, some are still in pre-production, now the whole project is starting to look like what we envisioned.
The song writing is more mature than before, it is more natural, we know more about what we want to make and where we are going. We operate more and more with ideas and song concepts that will suit our path, even before composing any note of music. It makes the whole process more artistically coherent.
In 2025, we are releasing an album. We are going to continue to play live, and dates are slowly starting to line up. Ideally, we would like to tour overseas. We are working on a new live set, which will be more complete, especially with the addition of a second guitar on some of our songs and supporting vocals. Our light show is also getting a do-over. We want our live experience to be whole, visually and musically.
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