Congrats on the release of お前はもう死んでいる! Can you tell us more about the theme of mortality within the album?
VÆV: “Thanks! The songs came together over several years before I even started recording, so there wasn’t really a strict concept in mind from the start. But during those first few years of recording, I was going through a phase where I had a lot of morbid thoughts—not in a depressed or suicidal way, but more a fear of death. The opening track is the only one that directly deals with that, but I realised a lot of the songs in this batch ended up touching on the idea of finitude in some way. The album title, which means “You are already dead,” comes from this ultra-violent anime from the ’80s that I watched as a kid and revisited while working on the record. It just felt like it fit the overall theme perfectly.”
How did you first become interested in creating your own music?
VÆV: “I started learning the piano when I was about seven, then picked up the guitar as a teenager. I think my first attempts at writing my own music came in my late teens. My earliest riffs were a kind of melodic death metal—shamelessly ripping off the music I was into at the time, especially The Mind’s I by Dark Tranquillity—alongside really sad piano pieces, the sort that 17-year-old men tend to write. Like most people at that age, I had a lot of anger and frustration that needed an outlet, and since I was an avid music listener and could play a bit, writing my own stuff just felt like the natural thing to do. To be fair, I just wanted to be James Hetfield ’88.”
How does お前はもう死んでいる differ from your previous projects?
VÆV: “It’s the most detailed and least spontaneous thing I’ve done in 20 years. The first album I released with my first band in 2006 had plenty of decent ideas, but it was overproduced and overthought—mainly because we were young and inexperienced, and we had the luxury of recording at home whenever we wanted. After that album, I tried to simplify my music and put out a few more straightforward EPs. This latest album is a return to my more contrived, layered, overproduced self. It’s also a lot more diverse than my previous releases, which were a bit more one-dimensional. With this one, I really tried to blend a lot of the things I love—since I listen to such a wide range of music—but with the one constraint of keeping it cohesive, making sure it sounds like an album rather than a compilation.”
What are three qualities that are crucial to have as an artist?
VÆV: “I’m not sure I’m in a position to lecture anyone about anything, but I can share the most important things I strive for as a musician.”
“I think the most important quality is remembering why I started writing music in the first place. I block out the outside world and remind myself that I’m making music to express myself, not just to land on some Spotify playlist. That way, I don’t drive myself mad chasing an elusive “career” and can always enjoy creating music rather than feeling frustrated. For me, that’s the key to a healthy creative process.”
“Another crucial quality is having a certain level of technical mastery—just enough to understand what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. I’m no virtuoso, which is fine because my music doesn’t require it, but I make sure to know and learn enough to serve my needs.”
“Finally, I listen to a lot of music and stay curious. I seek out music from all eras and genres, and I think it’s especially important to listen to and support the people you know. There’s so much music out there, and it’s always humbling to hear ideas or sounds that would never have crossed your mind. Even discovering new music that I don’t like is valuable—it helps refine my taste by making me think about why I like or dislike certain things.”
“So, in short: I do not chase success, I try to master the tools I use, and I stay curious.”
Do you believe the change in studios during the album making process significantly influenced お前はもう死んでいる?
VÆV: “Well, the constant moving was also incredibly frustrating. It definitely influenced the process—not just in terms of each place having its own mood, but also its own technical limitations. I was far more productive in some places than others, simply because I felt more or less comfortable. On a more practical level, the equipment I had access to depended on who I was sharing the studios with at the time. “
What music do you like to listen to when relaxing?
VÆV: “My default relaxing or rather comforting music is 1980’s and 1990’s metal. This is virtually the only thing I’d listen to until I finally became an adult and started to listen to everything else. This is still the music that I listen to the most, although far from exclusively anymore.”
You can listen to VÆV‘s album お前はもう死んでいる here: