Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your new single “Only Just”? What themes are you exploring in the song?
“Only Just” is an anti-love song, from the point of view of a protagonist who’s deep in denial about the changes that come with falling for someone. Love can feel like a bit of a horror story for the uninitiated. There’s an alarming loss of control followed by a gradual erosion in your ability to be totally self-oriented, selfish, prioritise yourself. So we decided to frame “Only Just” as a gothic horror story, with spooky, discordant guitars rising and falling around the self-delusion in the lyrics and with the tension building to an emotional peak at the protagonist’s “big reveal” toward the end.
In what ways does “Only Just” differ from your debut track “23”? How have you evolved as an artist since then?
“23” is very characteristic of the summer season in which it came out. Lighter, more upbeat and in some ways a pop song (we like dipping our toes in elements of the genre). With “Only Just” we allowed ourselves to lean into our weirder side, exploring sounds that sometimes unsettle the listener and switching back and forth between moods. We think it’s the song that firmly identifies us as an alternative band, which is where we plan to stay, for the most part.
You describe “Only Just” as an anti-love song. What prompted you to take this approach to the theme of love?
Katerina: The lyrics are for sure somewhat autobiographical. At the time of writing, I was working through my own learned defensiveness and paranoia about opening up to another person, and the sense of losing yourself that can come with that. For much of our lives, we’re taught that prioritising yourself is healthy (which it usually is) so when that idea is challenged with new feelings of wanting to protect another person ahead of yourself, it can feel like your whole philosophy and all your instincts for self-preservation are being upended. “Only Just” eventually comes to a fairly sensible conclusion about love but, like me, its first instinct was to be a chaotic mess about it.
Can you walk us through your songwriting process? How do you two collaborate to create your unique sound?
All of our current repertoire began its life as a riff, or a melodic little squiggle on a guitar, which was then prodded and reworked in various jam sessions between us. Gradually, chords, structures and melodies became standardised. For us, lyrics have tended to come right at the end, once we’ve bonded with the song and it’s started to mean something to us, and feel a certain way. A lot of the lyrical themes are triggered by things we’ve experienced or found out about together. Until recently, we’ve kept all parts between ourselves, but we’re now adding a bassist and drummer to the mix. The more they get comfortable with us, the more they’ll start to add their own personalities and tastes to the songwriting process.
Your music blends eerie riffs and unconventional rhythms. What influences contribute to your distinctive alt-rock sound?
Iosif: We each bring our own influences, from heavier stuff to pop, which vary quite a bit. We share common ground with The Beatles, both the straight melodic and experimental phases, and the 90s grunge scene which informs a lot of our aesthetic preferences and what we think is “cool” from a lyrical and tone perspective.
Katerina: Iosif is Greek and I’m Bulgarian so we’re bringing some of those countries’ folklore traditions into our sound as well, though mostly unconsciously. You can hear them the most in the rhythm/instrumentals behind the “Only Just” chorus and in some of our vocal harmonisation choices.
How did your late-night jam sessions shape your musical style? Can you share a memorable moment from those sessions?
Katerina: This band owes its entire existence to those jam sessions. Iosif and I first met while playing in another band (with Iosif on drums and me on vocals with no guitar). But we were always finishing rehearsals with energy to spare and a reluctance to go home. So we started experimenting with different configurations between the two of us. We toyed with a White Stripes-style drums/guitar arrangement for a while, which had a very fun garage band quality. It probably still exists in a parallel universe somewhere. But eventually, we decided we had the most chemistry, for performance and writing when our two very different styles met at the front of the stage.
What was it like working with producer Ben ‘Faz’ Farestvedt again for this single? How does his influence shape your sound?
We love working with Faz. He creates a super relaxed, friendly, creative environment that brings out the best of us. He also understands musician babble really intuitively so no matter how poorly or wildly we explain what we imagine, he gets it within seconds and is already digging out the obscure instrument or effect that’ll bring the idea to life. We can’t wait to work with him on the next batch of songs in December.
You’ve been active in London’s vibrant music scene. How has the local indie scene influenced your music and development as a band?
The scene is really closely knit and community-oriented. We’ve already encountered people who are more than happy to take the time to help us find the right connection and to spread the word about what we’re doing. To be honest, we were a little surprised. Rock and its associated genres have a bit of a “too cool for school/everything” reputation but actually everyone we’ve encountered has been utterly delightful and supportive. And of course that’s going to influence our approach to the music: we’re feeling freer and braver and more willing than ever to be ourselves.
With all instruments recorded by you, what challenges and benefits does that bring to your music-making process?
Katerina: We loved the intimacy of recording everything between the two of us. Iosif is a multi-instrumentalist so it’s great for him to be able to express himself on this many levels. Compared to recording with a full band, the process was faster and more cohesive too. We knew exactly what we wanted to achieve and rarely stopped for an existential creative crisis. On the other hand, Iosif (who did vocals, guitar, bass, drums and piano) must have been absolutely exhausted at the end of the process! Recording with a band is going to be easier on him but will come with a whole lot more creative chaos.
How have your acoustic gigs over the summer shaped your approach to your music? Did you discover anything new about your songs while performing them acoustically?
With acoustic sets, you’re more conscious and “in the moment” so you can practice making deliberate choices in how you connect with your band mates and the audience. So it was an invaluable chance to build up our on-stage chemistry in the relative calm before the storm. We also found out a lot about how our voices work together in their raw form which is likely going to inform future songwriting. The big relief, as well, was that the songs were able to stand on their own merits without the extra instruments, layering and effects. Even though we’re moving in a different direction now, that knowledge is a nice boost.
What’s next for Pseudopomp after the release of “Only Just”? Are there any upcoming projects or performances that excite you?
We’re at “can’t sit still” levels of excitement right now because after all the behind-the-scenes work this year, Pseudopomp is finally becoming a fully fledged band, beyond the little home project it started as. We’ve just completed our full band lineup, recruiting Francesco on drums and Yanni on bass guitar. This frees us up to bring our studio sound to the stage, beyond stripped-back shows, and we’re super excited to start this new, louder chapter of Pseudopomp’s live career! We have one more completed single to release (our most high energy one yet) and we’re all booked in for a return to the studio in December for our next batch of songs.
How do you feel about the reception of your music so far? Have there been any standout moments or feedback that have impacted you?
The reception has been fantastically enthusiastic and noticeably warmer than for any other project we’ve been involved in. Our following is still minuscule, but we’ve already encountered more people who are engaging deeply with the songs, discussing lyrical themes, and small changes in our sound between songs. A key bit of feedback, from when we were still at demo stage early in the year, was that with Pseudopomp we’re coming across as more open, honest and all-in, in both our music and lyrical approach, than in previous projects.
Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians looking to find their unique sound and make it in the music industry?
Dare to be yourself, even if your brand of weirdness isn’t one that’s currently in fashion. Having amazing technique is always great, but if you’re just an awesome, note-perfect imitator of the latest trend you’re always going to be lagging behind somebody else’s idea of what’s interesting. And that’s just not as fun.
