Nothine are a Slovakia based alternative rock band that brings in a self-proclaimed new wave of music. Self-taught but receptive musicians , their goal is to influence others as they were influenced by their idols.
“We want people to feel a strong emotion from our music. It’s always up to them whether the emotion is good or bad . The important thing is that it’s there and they feel it.”
I caught up with Vocalist Estrella Bibiana Majeská to talk about their early influences, how they started writing songs and the making of their new album “You’ll Go Far”.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you all as kids and what artist or band did you enjoy the most?
Estrella-We all got to know each other somewhere around our teenage years. With everyone growing up in different areas and conditions, our musical influences vary quite a bit. The spectrum is wide, going from Skrillex, through Kristína Poláková (SK artist) all the way to Billy Talent. The different influences bring different inspirations, which can make the process of creating music more open to variability and experiment.
CMM-When did you all start playing music and writing songs and what eventually led to the formation of the band.
Estrella-Music has been a part of all of us from a young age. Constantly surrounding us in one way or another. The earliest form of the band was formed from the friendship between Richard (Guitarist, vocalist) and Ondrej (Drummer), It pretty much consisted of jam sessions after school. The band as it is now, was formed more or less 2-3 years ago. I started dating Richard (Guitarist, vocalist) and eventually joined the band. We’ve had quite a few different bass players through the short period of time, that we’re on the scene, but we dearly hope that our current one, Denys will last longer than his predecessors.
CMM-The band recently released an album called “You’ll Go Fiar”. What was the writing and recording process like? What gear and instruments did you use during the sessions?
Estrella-The writing process of “You’ll Go Far” was quite long. The first wave of inspiration struck soon after out previous release. “Pulse” was one of the earliest songs. The melody was sent to me from Richard on a random video, and the lyrics written on the dormitory bathroom floor and sent back overnight. It became on of the strong romantic undertones the album carries. We played the songs over and over, constantly chaining things and giving them the time they needed to evolve into their final form. We got a lot more strict with our music and carefully crafted each little detail of each song. The recording process was a lot of trial and error, but we wanted to eliminate as many mistakes as possible. The album is self recorded and self produced, from our basement. We recorded vocals whenever we felt like it. Some of them are done at night, some of them in the morning, and some are 2 months apart. We didn’t have a ton of equipment, but with passion, focus and hard work it was enough to make the album as it is. We gave it all we had and constantly keep doing so.
CMM-If the band could do a score for any film director, who would it be and what would the film be about?
Estrella-Imagine a very strange art film, with bits of romance and a lot of strangeness. Something touching, but also funny with a specific visual. Maybe something between Fallen Angels (Wong Kar Wai) or Dinner in America (Adam Carter Rehmeier).
CMM-What’s the band got coming up? Any shows or new recordings planned?
Estrella-We’ve got a few gigs planned for the summer and a little tour in mind. We’re planning on recording a live session and already feeling inspired to make some new music. You’ll definitely keep hearing about us cause “We’ll Go Far” ;P
