Roomer

0:16LukaI'm Luka Aron and I play guitar and rumor.

0:19RonjaI'm Ronja and yeah, I'm the lead singer and play the guitar.

0:24LudwigI'm Ludwig Wandinger and I play the drums.

0:27HostI discovered you recently. I honestly didn't know you like last week, you know, because I checked, I was checking this place and then they posted that you're coming and I just checked it out and I really like the music and that's why I'm here. I wanted to ask you right off the bat, you know, like this music that you play, for me, it's really nostalgic music, right? For me, it's music from 90s, right? What this, because one thing is you listen to music and another thing you make the music. So this music that you make, this sonic landscape, you know, what kind of emotions evoke you? Because for me, it's nostalgia, it's 90s, it's dreamy. But what is it for you?

1:13LukaI don't think it's nostalgia for me, but it's definitely going back to my youth and the music that I listened to and played when I was a teenager. But it's not, it doesn't feel nostalgic because it still feels like it went through the filter of the years and we've made so many different kinds of music. And so I feel like even though it's very much inspired by the era you mentioned, it's still, at least to me, it feels contemporary in the details. The overall structure reminds you of something, but then I think some production elements and just us having lived through a different time make it more contemporary to me.

1:52HostBut I checked your music, all of your music individually that you had before, and some of it is, and all of it, of course, directly is in this album and this music. But still, I could see the evolution of it wasn't like this album is like really already precise, I would say. You already knew that what you were playing, because I saw hints of this music in each of the pieces of music that you did before. But how did you come to the sound? Was it like you knew exactly that you want to play in this kind of style, but direction? Or it was pure experimentation and just this album came out? And was the idea of the whole sound of the album, was it like a concept that's okay, we're gonna go in one direction? Or was it like experimental, maybe jam, music, in between songs?

2:51RonjaI think this album captures basically our band sound that we developed over the last years. And it's a very like, yeah, it's a band album. And I think how we created it was me writing the bass, like the songs and bringing it into the rehearsal space. And then it was not that we wanted to create this specific nostalgic sound, like you say. It was more like what do the songs need and what do we want to add to them? And I think then we were, the band was the four of us with Anne, who left the band recently. And I think just by all of our different styles and what we like about music, we came, yeah, we developed this sound all together, which you can hear on the album.

3:39LudwigNo, I completely agree with everything. Yeah, and yeah, I think it's the, yeah, we really, I don't think we, we tried to copy something. I'm not sure if that's how it sounds maybe to some people, but I think for us, because we did so much different music up until now. And it's just this like really freeing thing to play in this band now and play this kind of music that is like somehow like very straightforward. Because we all play a lot of like experimental stuff also. So yeah, that's, I think it's just like we all like really strive in creating songs that are like pretty straightforward and like clear and have a like very heartfelt message, I guess. And that somehow ends up sounding maybe like a sound that sounds very nostalgic to other people. Because I think it's just like a very good formula for good music and like good music will eventually create nostalgia, I think.

4:33LukaI think it's, we, it's also kind of a document of the part of the past few years that we play together with Arnold Braun on guitar. And it's really kind of the way that we sounded live. But I think rumor kind of can be many, many things. And it already has been many things like the EP was quite different. And the new things that we're working on are also very different. I mean, not totally, but they, there's a different approach to some, to production and to songwriting. And so to me, this, this album is really like a document of the, of the shows that we played during the last few years. Trying to capture it as close as possible and then adding some sparkles on top.

5:23RonjaSo actually there is some kind of nostalgia personally to it because we are looking back on some years that we had together as a band. So not the nostalgia probably from the 90s, but just like a personal kind of nostalgia in it.

5:43HostWell, I, like, I asked about nostalgia because it's a topic that I'm interested in the recent, I don't know, half a year or something. The idea is that we remember the good times. And that's why we like certain things that remind us of the good times.

5:59HostYeah, that's, that's what I was, that's what I was asking. Because this, what you play, how would you describe your music? Because musicians don't like genres in general. They usually create new names for their genre music. But people would put a label on your music because they need to know how to address it. But how do you describe your own music?

6:22LukaIt's song-based guitar music. I expected something.

6:28HostIt's like something, something we play loud in, in, in, next to a fridge that's working 10 years and not stopping. The EPs, I checked your music that you did before and it's, it sounds different. And Ronja song that we have from the, from Annette album, right? We have it here. Sounds completely different. So what was the decision to include the song first and play it in this way? So I guess you already, like for this album, you knew the sound and you changed the music of the original song, right?

7:02RonjaI think this is maybe, yeah, I write the songs or at least for the album, I wrote all the songs and they were, I could also play them solo. So they were already kind of round or, I wouldn't say done, but because, yeah, they had some, they worked also just by me playing them. And I think it was the same with Nothing Makes Me Feel. I think we started working on it as a band, maybe already before I released the solo version. So it was kind of a parallel process. Yeah. And it was like, what can we do with this song? And I think it ended up being like this teenage, like the, the quirky guitar sounds. And I think it's really like maybe the opposite to the lyrics is they're really like dark and melancholic. It's for me, it's maybe one of the most beautiful things that I can see the songs and like different versions. The same with Much Too Loud, which is also on the EP that we released before and now on the album in a very different version. And I was thinking it would be cool to have another version of the song on maybe the next release that we're doing. So that also the songs, they can be, they're still, it's still the same bass, but they just sound so differently. And yeah, it's a lot of fun to, to do that for me as a songwriter.

8:26LukaAnd there's also actually one, one song that's on the EP Much Too Loud that we now play totally, totally different.

8:37LukaBut I think that's, your songs are so strong that you could play them like half the speed and they would still work perfectly. So, and I, yeah, like basically repeating what you said, I like the idea that a song is not something that is fixed or the arrangement is fixed, but you can play it in many different ways. And I think that we're going to continue that.

9:00?Yeah.

9:01HostYou're already making creative decisions right now. Live, nice. I like, but, but, but when I listen to your music, you know, first, first impression, like, okay, you need to, to be like, it should be rainy and moody and listen to music. But actually, no, I think like your music is perfect for both scenarios. When it's like super shiny outside, it gives like a nice, because you said about the contrast of, of lyrics and music. Something is aggressive, something melancholic. I like your music. I like to listen to your music when it's sunny and shiny and it gives different vibe. And that's what I like about it. It's like, yes, first impression is nostalgia, right? But if you spill away the nostalgia, you actually have the music on its own, you know, and that's what I liked, you know, when, when you kill nostalgia and, and just listen to the music, it's just nice. And like, you, you, you enter a certain area of your mind. I don't know, like, like, that's what I liked about the music.

10:01LudwigIt's like, it's also one thing I very much like about Rony's singing that it's like very non-pathetic and no, like, non-affected. But it's, it's in a way very, just, just saying things the way they are kind of like, and in there, there's so much emotion, but like, it's not, you know, there's so many singers who like, just like really over accentuate and like try to put so much emotion into something that they actually fuck it up. And it's just like, you know, it's just, you don't feel it at all. But like, if it's, I feel like we all are very much like, we try to say the things the way they are in a, like a very normal way and like grounded, not too crazy. But then you can take this and like, yeah, I think you can walk around in the sun or during the rain and can take something from it because it's almost like a little bit neutral in a way to me. Like, it's not, it's not completely one-sided. Like, it's, as you said, I think you can like really, the perspective that you have while listening to the music or yeah, the emotions you get can really vary to me, to me at least.

11:02HostHow do you implement the, like a classic question, lyrics and music, what comes first? How, how does it work with you? Because, Ronja, you write the lyrics, right? What about the music or how, how does it work with your band?

11:16RonjaI mean, when, yeah, we're talking about the album, it was me bringing the words and basic guitar parts to the rehearsal space. And then it was, I didn't really explain anything. I didn't say anything. I was just playing the song and everyone else was playing along to it. And then we tried to figure out what works and what doesn't work and what do we go for. And so it was actually really nice and like, yeah, a really, really nice process because we didn't really talk much. It was more about having fun and playing together. And then we found something that worked. And I think that's maybe also why it's so hard for me at least to put like a label or a genre on the music, because for me, it feels like maybe we know each other so well as friends. And I've worked with Luca before, I've worked with Trish before without being in Ruma together. And I think you said it the last time that we know kind of what we like.

12:27RonjaAnd I think that's maybe why it works, that we can just like play along and something comes out that we all like. And that sounds good to us because we know each other well.

12:41HostAnd you've been playing music for a long time and separately and together. And yeah, that's what I wanted to say, that you already came to the band pretty mature already with, was it like the idea of the sound already in your soul or it got developed during the rehearsals?

13:03RonjaMaybe I can say something because I think for me, I was a bit tired of playing on my own, doing like this more reduced singer-songwriter stuff. And I just wanted to try something new with the songs. And I think we were just hanging out a lot. It was also COVID and we had more time than usual. So we just tried to put the songs in a different context and more like, yeah, guitar-driven and band kind of context.

13:33HostSo you just, but it was not like you had like an idea of what let's play in this song. You just kind of naturally steered in this direction probably. Because you, as I said, you, each of you had like elements and played like separately. And then all this, you probably didn't have even to explain anything. What was the idea of the band? How was the band came to be actually?

13:58LukaI mean, it was kind of absurd because yeah, like Ronja said, we played, I played with Ronja a solo project for some years. And I know Ludwig and from making music with Ludwig since more than 10 years. And we've done everything from free improv to like odd meter, weird jazz,

14:29LukaAnd we, we all, we all played together so much. And for some reason, the idea to start a band came pretty late. And, and then when it came, it was kind of the most obvious thing to do. And when we got, finally got together, I don't, I, it just felt so natural because we just understood each other perfectly. And at the same time, we all come from a slightly different background. So I think it's just the right amount of overlap and slight, slight difference. But I think it just, it, it was, came more out of friendship with the band than out of,

15:09LukaAnd, and I think above all, we're just really like amazing friends that like to make music together and then if we can share this with others and play some, some shows and, and like those kinds of things, that's, that's amazing. But I think that's kind of the cherry on top in a way.

15:28LudwigYeah. And I think also that the first EP we did together, it was really cute because we, just the three of us going like outside of Berlin to kind of farm. I think we, it was like really, really, like we didn't bring much equipment. I had this like tiny bass drum, like a snare drum and like maybe one cymbal and as I had or something. And like Luca still had his like synthesizer modular thing there. And Ronja had more, a lot of more acoustic guitar also maybe.

15:55LukaAnd we actually used the iPhone to, as a room mic for the, with the drums. Really recorded everything.

16:01LudwigLike really, like we had no idea. And like, yeah. And then, but I think because we were all kind of like also working as producers, it was really, really fun to like start making this like little EP and then it like kind of slowly turned like more rockish and they were like, oh, we should record Arne also at some, and then Arne came and recorded crazy guitars on top. And then I think it just like somehow morphed like into the sound as we, as we went, but it was never like, oh, we're going to make this EP that sounds like this. It was just like, we just did it and like had fun and with everything that like was fun and felt good. We, we kept it in there and yeah. And then, yeah, I think then Arne was part of it. And then Arne has like a very strong, I guess, like sonic imprint also. Yeah. A lot of, a lot of references and everything that he plays and like very strong, like sonic idea. Yeah. That together with, with our experimentation, lust and everything kind of led more to the sound of the, how the album sounded, I think. Yeah. But I think, yeah, it's really just like, I think maybe why it sounds so nostalgic is because it's very rare nowadays that like records get produced like that. They're like a band actually performs like for, I don't know, some years, perform songs and then you go to the rehearsal space and record them the way you play them. Cause now it's just like the session music, musicians and everything gets produced and there's like perfect drums and everything. But with us, it was really just like, no, we're going to capture the sound, how we sound as a band. Just like, just like the, yeah, I guess the method that like a lot of like cool producers back then used to have. They were like, oh, okay, I want to make the band sound, how the band sounds. And they didn't even like Steve Albini didn't want to be named as a producer for like Nirvana and stuff. Cause he was just like, I'm just recording them in a way that they sound the way they, they sound. Um, I think with this record, we also tried to do that. Like while mixing, it was like, like we didn't try to, um, make it sound like crazy arena rock or like whatever. It was just like, no, let's just make it sound the best way it can, the way it sounds already basically.

18:01HostOkay. And okay. And this album, uh, how did you, like a brief history of how you recorded this album where and is gear really important for you or yeah, probably yes.

18:17LukaAnd the environment where you record, uh, gear is, I mean, we need some gear, but it's kind of just whatever is laying around, to be honest. You see, you never know.

18:29HostSome people would say like, yeah, I need my pedals and my water racks, but some people say I can play on anything.

18:35LukaYeah. I think, no, it doesn't really matter. Uh, I think, I mean the, yeah, the, the, the EP we recorded with hideous, like the

18:50LukaLudwig gets DMs on Instagram and gets asked how the fuck we got this kick drum sound. And so I don't know. But then like, it sounded like, like crap the way we recorded, but then we just pitched

19:01?it down like one octave in Ableton and it sounded huge. And then, you know, it's like, we, I think we're very good in, because that's very funny. That's, I think a very new thing that like, no, on the, on the laptop, you can produce like so crazy fast and you have all the plugins to do whatever, which you didn't have back then. So back then you really had to record it properly because you didn't have so much, um, playground afterwards. But now it's really, I feel like I could record something with, or I, I do that.

19:28LudwigWe do it a lot, like record stuff with an iPhone and then afterwards, like reamp it through like different reverbs or whatever, compression, saturation, um, and create like a full track almost out of like one iPhone recording or whatever. Yeah. We kind of have, have that vibe. I think it's more important for us, the vibe of the recording than the like quality.

19:46RonjaAnd for the album, we didn't record it live altogether. We did overdubs, but we started out with me doing a very simple guitar demo version. So it already, it wasn't recorded on click or anything. It had some natural energy to it. Um, and then I remember Ludwig played on the drums on top and we also played around with the microphones and we put a microphone in a different room and yeah, try it, how it sounds with like in a different space and, uh, just mixing it all together. And yeah, basically just using our amps, our like simple gear, which, which is really nothing super special and trying to capture, yeah, the way we, we sound live.

20:34HostDid it take, take long to record it?

20:37?Yeah.

20:47Lukathat it was that long. Uh, it was just a lot of single sessions and, and sometimes it took a couple of months and until the next session happened. Uh, but I think that was actually good in the end because we were just really sitting on the songs and thinking about them and I think that's also like as, as, as much as, uh, I think we, uh, value spontaneity and capturing a first vibe. Uh, it's also very beautiful to really sit with songs for a very long time, let them wash over you and refine them and change them. Um, and then, and then feel them like deeply. Um, so I think that that's, that's, we definitely did that without really trying.

21:35HostDid some songs, uh, didn't go to the album, are left on the, on the table?

21:41LukaNo. Yeah. I mean, yes, I mean, some songs, but we also don't play them live anymore. They were just like, didn't make the cut.

21:51RonjaYeah, I think we didn't even start to record them. So it was just the nine songs that are on the album that we plan to record.

21:58LudwigAnd one of them is literally an iPhone recording, like the, the interlude. It's just both of them jamming.

22:05RonjaYeah, it's Luca and I, I play the acoustic guitar, I think. Also on like a weird tuning that you put on my guitar. So it was just like playing around and you sang on top, on top of it. Um, yeah, like a role swap, swapping roles.

22:23HostSo the album just came out, right? Um, so, I mean, I wanted to ask you about your plans, but your plans are probably just touring in the next, like near future. What's the plans?

22:36LukaYes. Uh, playing as much as we can and also working on new music. Like we're also already going to play some new material tonight and we also have an EP that we're, you know, it's just part of it. This is there, it's, we're going to finish it soon. So, um, yeah, whatever, whatever's going to happen, but definitely we would love to play as much as we can, um, this year. And, um, also because it's very new in this, with this lineup as a trio, we basically just played one, one show so far at Silent Green two weeks ago, which was, which was great. Uh, but it's also feels very fresh because of the, yeah, change of the lineup.

23:21?All right.

23:22HostIn the end, could you please give me a song of your band, a good introduction, uh, to your band? I will put in the end of the episode.

23:32?Much too loud.