The Copenhagen-based quartet grew out of a common interest in eclectic, groove-oriented music which draws inspiration ranging from 70’s progressive rock to modern day electronica, industrial and extreme metal. VOLA features Asger Mygind on vocals and guitar, Nicolai Mogensen on bass, Martin Werner on keyboards and Adam Janzi on drums. The band is set to unleash their newest masterpiece to the world, Applause Of A Distant Crowd, on October 12th. I recently had the chance to talk with Adam to give a little insight about the band, why they stick to the progressive genre, and even where their name came from. Be sure to follow the band on Facebook and preorder the album/merch via their Bandcamp!
Where did the name of the band end up coming from?
The bandname ”VOLA” means ”fly” in latin, like in ”flying”. We simply like the way the name sounds, but it also describes the music that we try to create, where we try to convey a feeling of flying to another place together with the music.
What made you want to form a band in the first place? What made you decide to stick to the progressive rock genre?
The band pretty much grew from a common interest in experimental and progressive music, with the focus being on the actual joy of creating music. Even though we progress and evolve personally and as a band, that joy towards music that led us to choose the path of music hasn’t and will not change. The reason why we stick to the progressive rock genre is simply because of the energy of it and the freedom to experiment and try new things. It allows us to take inspiration from all kinds of different genres and ideas and blend them together in whatever way excites us.
What kind of lyrical themes or meanings behind some of the songs?
While our previous album “Inmazes” was more about internal struggles and introspection, this new album is looking out at the world instead. The album title “Applause Of A Distant Crowd” talks about the idea that we look for validation and relationships with people through social media, where we can be so close yet so distant at the same time. The lyrical themes of the songs on the album tackle the ideas of social media, technology and
escapism in different ways. For example, the song “Smartfriend” speaks about trying to be at the forefront of society by surgically altering your body with technology and what the consequences could be when the installations start to work against us and not with us.
In contrast to this, the song “Ghosts” is about the fear of death and what strategies we might use to try to escape that fear.
What have you guys been up to since the release? Hopefully writing some new tunes!
We haven’t been writing anything new yet since we want the energy from the new album to settle before we venture into something new. For now, we’re focusing on touring and preparing more things to be released surrounding the new album in the near future.
Who would you say are your biggest influences?
We have many different influences from all sorts of genres, but some of the biggest influences in our music are Mew, Meshuggah and Steven Wilson in my opinion.
What were some of your most listened to albums while writing/recording?
For this album, I didn’t listen to that much music for inspiration. Instead I listened to different podcasts for inspiration, with people like Joe Rogan and Sam Harris playing major roles in how I connected to the themes and the general atmosphere of the album.
If you could tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would you tour with?
If I had to choose three bands, it would probably be A Perfect Circle, Deftones and Porcupine Tree.
What’s your favorite touring memory or experience?
I think my favorite experience playing with the band so far has been playing at Bloodstock Open Air. Anyone who has visited Bloodstock will know this, but the atmosphere is so great and unique. The fans are so welcoming and everyone involved in the festival is so kind and professional. I’d love to go back there someday!
Anything you’d like to tell your current or future fan base?
With the release of our new album “Applause Of A Distant Crowd”, there will definitely be
many more shows and new things to come in the near future. We’re so grateful to share this journey with such passionate fans and people, we look forward to meeting many of you soon!
