What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?
Part two of this question is definitely more interesting than part one. Our name does not have any fascinating story behind it. It was a short and fun name, and we also liked the double meaning of it. That is how we chose and got stuck with the name ‘Flush’.
Discussing influences, however, could take days or weeks as there are so many. Musically, we are often associated with 90s alternative and punk rock, and we fully accept that association. But we grew up hearing 70s and 80s rock music, and we still discover exciting new music on a weekly basis, so it makes complete sense that people hearing our music make quite different conclusions on what we sound like. Some say we are skate punk; some say we’re definitely not punk; some compare us to Placebo and some to Turbonegro; and some just say “this is rock music”. The big artist influences for us would include names like Bad Religion, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Biffy Clyro, Pavement, Helmet and Tom Waits, and tons more.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
Our songs come from many different places and situations. Some begin with a riff, melody, or arrangement idea, whereas others are more driven by lyrics, a message, or a story. Anything basically goes, as long as it inspires the song to grow and evolve into a complete song. We write about very personal things, like people, relationships, depression, etc, but also about what we see around us. When listening to our music you might first hear a riff-based song about a bad hangover, followed by a song layered with guitar harmonies and lyrics about fear of loss and mental illness, and then closed by a fast and simple punk rock song that lashes out at every single political movement out there.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
Our songs come from many different places and situations. Some begin with a riff, melody, or arrangement idea, whereas others are more driven by lyrics, a message, or a story. Anything basically goes, as long as it inspires the song to grow and evolve into a complete song. We write about very personal things, like people, relationships, depression, etc, but also about what we see around us. When listening to our music you might first hear a riff-based song about a bad hangover, followed by a song layered with guitar harmonies and lyrics about fear of loss and mental illness, and then closed by a fast and simple punk rock song that lashes out at every single political movement out there.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
Great, fundamental question! We have always been “art first” and driven by a desire to play live. For song-writing this means that we don’t make compromises in terms of how the songs are written, and we don’t arrange them to fit any trend or commercial “pocket”. We do want the songs to be fun and meaningful for us to play and listen to, so in a way we are writing for ourselves first. This is the kind of music we like to both play and listen to.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
Because of our approach to song-writing and arrangements, this is quite simple for us. All songs are written and arranged to be played live. When recording we obviously add some things that cannot be re-produced live, but those are usually fairly minor details and things that go unnoticed in a loud live setting. This has at least been our approach to know. Who knows, maybe a few records later we will be all Pet Sounds and recording stuff that we have no chance of playing live!
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
Because of our approach to song-writing and arrangements, this is quite simple for us. All songs are written and arranged to be played live. When recording we obviously add some things that cannot be re-produced live, but those are usually fairly minor details and things that go unnoticed in a loud live setting. This has at least been our approach to know. Who knows, maybe a few records later we will be all Pet Sounds and recording stuff that we have no chance of playing live!
What plans do you have for the future?
Most imminent plans are to release our new EP, ‘Conspiracies, Threats and Chaos’, in early November 2021. Then we have an interesting gig coming up right before Christmas where we will do an Unplugged concert of our own material. It will be super interesting to see how the songs work that way. In the new year, we hope to play a number of normal rock gigs, in local clubs and hopefully in a few new countries as well. Check out our website at https://flush.rocks to know what we are up to!