https://www.facebook.com/despitethewane
From: Italy
Sounds like: Rock
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound?
We have always been interested in music since we were young boys. We learnt to play music inspired by our favourite bands and singers. Still teenagers, we founded a radio station urged by our fondness for music: we intended to reach out to people, share our favourite music with them and include them in our ceaseless discovery of new bands. That was our first declaration of how important music was in our lives, and regardless of trends and fads, we stayed open-minded and curious about the new proposals on the scene.
If you have ever listened to our songs, you may have recognised a clear footprint coming from the British New Wave experience, which was one of the most interesting development coming down from the punk wave, which was a breakthrough, exerting a powerful push on the whole system grounded on the auto celebrating star-system, and giving voice to the urgency to stumble into the scene, speak out loud and be heard.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
Music is a form of art. Every artist wants to reach out and establish a connection with their audience. It is a bidirectional process, or at least it should be. You produce songs out of a need to express your views, your feelings, your emotions, to tell stories, to share success and failure. You do not really plan to do it: you need to do it! And you do it because you have something to say, and you need someone willing to listen, to embrace that urgency to be heard. And while doing this, you hope your audience can experience an unveiling and eventually recognise themselves in your words and music. This is the magic of music, an enabler of strong connections for like-minded people who do not know each other but are tied by the same passions and the search for truth and authenticity. This is a pattern for every artistic proposal at all levels. The underlying idea is, of course, to achieve that goal and get the feedback, the response you are aiming at.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
We produce our own sound. The entire creative process is original (we were suffering from cover band mania and loathed it). Of course, we have quenched our thirst at a considerable number of wells, so our sound echoes the music we love most.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
It would be fun to tour with bands like Rammstein, A Perfect Circle, and System of a Down.
5. What's your thoughts on AI generated music?
It is an opportunity if you, as a content producer, keep control of the process. We have experienced and appreciated AI adding value to our work. However, as artists involved in the content creation process, we are aware that AI is definitely a powerful tool in the hands of the big techs and music platforms, such as Spotify, which have replaced the long-gone “majors”. Not only can the over-the-top companies exploit artists’ original work by paying them very small fees, but they can completely replace them by means of trained generative AI, which can emulate and reproduce every piece of a discography.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
We try to stay up to date thanks to Spotify . We've discovered some interesting bands and projects. Right now, we think Editors and Irish band Fountains DC are the bands that best embody the spirit of British New Wave, even on a mainstream level.
7. What’s the current local music scene like there in Italy?
The situation is not good. Newcomers have to fight to emerge, and the market's capacity to absorb a disparate offering is very poor. Over the past twenty years, the musical scene, already suffering, has been swept away by talent shows, TV productions, which have totally distorted and then dismantled the market for rock bands. The situation was already difficult, and emerging, innovative rock bands had to desperately strive to get through. The limited demand awarded the few big names, the only ones in a position to secure lucrative contracts. The outbreak of the Internet and social media has dealt the final blow.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
The system is harsh. Digitalisation has cut revenues for all stakeholders, and even established bands and musicians have seen their bargaining power and ability to earn from their music erode. Royalty management has always been a weak point, even in the “traditional system” before the emergence of platforms. The accuracy and fairness of the distribution among all the interested parties were questionable. The system was designed to protect established players, ensuring them a constant stream of revenues, actually keeping new entrants on the very edge of the playing field
9. What’s next for Despite the Wane?
New songs are in the pipeline. At this point, we are not sure that it is worth going out with an entire LP. Maybe, under the current model of consumption based on one-day-long fads, which does not spare music, it can be more effective and less time-and energy-consuming to release and push one song at a time.
10. Any shoutouts?
Of course. First and foremost, our longtime friends and supporters, and, why not, our former record label. We want to thank all of them for their longstanding support and empathy.
