Birthmarks talk debut album – exclusive interview

We caught up with Daniel Cross, singer for the London-based band, Birthmarks, to talk about their genre-defying debut album.

Your debut album ….And Then the Rain Stopped was released on 27^th March – congratulations!  How are you guys feeling? 

Yeh we’re really excited that it’s finally out because it took a pretty long time to record and write, it took about 5 years to do, and then another year sitting on it before it came out.  Obviously, we wish it was different circumstances, where we could promote it properly but we’re still really happy that it came out. We obviously had a conversation about postponing it but I think it’s kind of better that it’s just out there now.  The response has been lovely and so great to see so many people connecting with it, in the kind of way we hoped it would do.

 

For newcomers, describe your sound in three words?

3 words? Eclectic, moody [laughs], introspective.

 

The record feels very raw and personal – are the themes powered by your own experiences?

Yeh, very much so – it was kind of like a diary written over 5 years and everything that I was going through mentally at that time and I didn’t want to sugar coat anything, so writing the album became a coping mechanism and I think the album itself is a coping mechanism.

 

Putting you on the spot here, but what lyrics from the album really stand out for you and why?

I think probably the lyrics for the song “Breathe”, they’re the most personal and poignant to me, it’s a direct apology to someone and it’s probably the most finalised in the way that I express it.

 

What would your ideal Birthmarks tour line up be?

Can I pick anyone? [laughs] Do they have to still be going? I’d love to tour with Saul Williams, just because I think he’s really inspirational and every time I’ve seen him, I’ve had a new grasp on life afterwards.  So Saul Williams, Amanda Palmer and Bjork headlining. The special guests would be Fugazi.

 

As a band, who would you say are your main inspirations?

We’re all into Radiohead, they’re a big one, Amanda Palmer is another big one. A lot of hip hop, we’re all in to that, stuff like Mog Deep, Fugees – kind of more old school stuff. A lot of electronic music, like Aphex Twin and a guy called Igorrr – it really pushes boundaries with classical and electronic shit. Fugazi are a big one for me.  The Cure are a big influence and then also singer songwriters like Elliot Smith and Sparklehorse are all big ones for us. Portishead and trip hop are also big ones for us, like Tricky and Massive Attack.

 

 Is there a song you wish you wrote?

So many! I’ve listened to “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears for Fears about 20 times today so I guess that’s the front runner but it changes a lot. Oh god there’s so many [laughs], I’m quite jealous in that respect and I always think, I wish I could have done that.  Yeh I’d pick that today, but it would change every day.

 

Finally, if you could describe the album in one word or phrase, what would you say and why?

I think it would be ‘empathy with yourself’, the phrase that I’d go for because it’s a bit of a journey on the album, which is what I felt when I was writing it. You go through the stages of like beating yourself up about stuff, mentally getting quite down on yourself and then allowing yourself to go through that in order to come through the other side and learning to understand that it’s okay not to be alright sometimes and it does get better.

….And Then The Rain Stopped is out now and can be streamed on all musical platforms.

Check out their latest music video for “One Pulse”:

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