Firstly, can you tell us about the formation of the band? When and how was it formed? Do you believe the band name 'Drifter' perfectly describes your music and philosophy?
The first songs for this project were written a few years ago, though I did not think anything more would be done with them at the time. While I've had the urge to write my own music for over 10 years already, I lacked the ambition back then to produce any of it, let alone release it. It was only since April 2023 that I found the motivation to seriously start working on a release. I knew I had enough material already written for at least an EP, but kept writing alongside recording/mixing, ultimately giving me enough material for a full album.
The name Drifter derives from a seemingly endless search for purpose, love, and a place to call home; drifting through life until we find what we are looking for. The music I write tackles these topics and so I indeed believe the name 'Drifter' describes my music and philosophy well.
Now, can you tell us about Seas Between and the lyrical themes behind each track? What are the ideas you wanted to convey?
The album as a whole describes the emotional journey I've had over the past 4-5 years in chronological order. Writing these lyrics has been quite a therapeutic experience for me, allowing me to channel and process my emotions in an introspective and productive way. I wanted to be honest about the emotions I've been feeling, as I tend to be closed off in that regard in everyday life, and also to convey a message of hope to anyone that is experiencing negative emotions in their life.
The starting point of the album, 'Life Overdue' comes from a pivotal moment in my life; namely leaving the closest thing to home that I’ve known. Home being not just a familiar location but all the friends, family, and broken relationships that reside there. This song describes the frustrations of life not going the way you imagined and daring to take a leap of faith so that you may live it to its fullest.
The song 'Ash of Gold', describes a situation where an old flame can sometimes come back into your life, unearthing feelings and memories you didn’t realize were buried. The hope you burned down long ago can awaken once more, like a phoenix from the ashes, a theme that comes back later in the album.
'Crucible' deals with the struggle of change. In order to move past trauma, we need to change and to grow as people, else we become bitter, resentful and stagnant. We try to change for the better, but with change, we sometimes have to sacrifice values or notions we once held close to us, which can feel like we're drifting further and further away from who we thought we were.
'A Ghost's Embrace' is probably the most personal and emotionally exposing song on the album. The main theme of the song is loneliness and the coping mechanism I'd developed for it. The ghost (referred to as 'you') mentioned in the song represents memories, specifically of a loved one. While revisiting these memories was comforting, I slowly realized the negative consequences it was having on my mental well-being, trapping me in the past, unable to move forward and make new memories. The ending of the song describes this realization and me releasing myself from the ghost's embrace.
The next three songs can be seen as a trilogy that revolves around someone I had met that had a big impact on my life. Part one, 'Cornflower' describes our first dates and the realizations I experienced because of them. It was in fact this person who helped motivate me to pursue my dream of releasing my own music in the form of this album, and I can confidently say it wouldn't have been possible without her. Unfortunately, things did not work out as I'd had liked with her, which 'Midnight Wood' deals with. It describes feelings of hopelessness, depression and feeling lost, longing for a sliver of hope to shine on me. 'Reborn in the Fire' is the subsequent rebuttal to 'Midnight Wood'. It describes my reinvigoration and finding of a new purpose after hitting a low point in my life. My music was this new purpose though also mentally I made a switch on how I view love and life in general.
Finally, on 'On Golden Shore', I've come to a point where I submit myself to the unpredictability of life and commit myself to fighting through its challenges and making the most of what comes my way, with a glimmer of hope and longing seeping through.
Where and when did you record Seas Between? Are you satisfied with the final product?
Everything for this album was done by me, from the writing to the album art to the production. It was therefore simply recorded in the comfort of my home. First recordings took place in April of 2023, though with no previous experience in it, they were very rough at first. It took the majority of the remainder of the year to improve the quality of the mixes, going through many renditions. In fact, the first renditions of the first songs for the album were without vocals, as my original plan was for my music to be purely instrumental. It's only after I realized they were lacking something and that there was more I wanted to convey, that I made the decision to add vocals. I found writing lyrics to be very challenging, specifically because of the sensitive topics I wished to convey, though I'm very glad I did it.
Though I knew I wanted to try my hand at growling on this record, as its something I've been casually practicing for a while, my vocal delivery styles evolved during recording. I realized I needed more variation and that some song segments were not well suited for growling, and so different styles were introduced including screams, cleans, whispers and spoken word.
There are still some elements I feel could be improved, such as guitar tone and drum samples, and I intend to make improvements with subsequent releases, evolving my sound in the process. Overall though, considering its my first ever release and that I received no outside help, I am satisfied with the final product.
Do you have any plans to release official band merchandise?
It is something I am considering and of course it would be really cool to do so. For now though, I am focussing on getting my music heard, working on new material and upgrading my hardware and software.
What are Drifter's musical and non-musical influences?
My musical influences have evolved during the making of this album. The first few songs were mostly melodic death metal with a hint of metalcore, inspired by bands such as Insomnium and Parkway Drive. Later on, post-metal and shoegaze started having more influence on my songwriting, with bands such as Alcest, Harakiri for the Sky, Heretoir and Sylvaine coming to mind. Other than metal, artists that have influenced my writing include Hans Zimmer, Alan Menken and Sarah McLachlan.
The main non-musical influence would be nature. I am fascinated by the beauty and power of bodies of water, trees and mountains, which make lyrical appearances in my music. Water specifically is a prevalent theme on the album. Other than nature, people in my life influence my writing as do the literally works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Could you please share your personal views on religion and god?
I like to consider myself a healthy balance between a realist and a dreamer, though the realist half is probably the stronger of the two. As such, I am an atheist, though I find some notions behind spirituality to have merit.
Can we expect to see some gigs across the USA or Europe in the near future? I mean, Are you going to complete the lineup for live shows?
For now I have no concrete plans for any gigs in the near future, though it is something I am keeping an open mind for. It would be an amazing experience, though with my full-time career outside of music, any gigs outside of Europe would be very challenging. Should I see some unexpected success however, who knows...
Lastly, when can fans expect something new from you? A music video, single, or documentary perhaps?
Drifter is definitely something I plan on continuing in 2024 and I'd like to sink even more time into it than in 2023. I have plans for a music video, a new single and if my creative juices keep at the same pace as they are now (I have almost finished writing 3 new songs), maybe even a new album already. I plan on doing some play-through videos of my songs too which I will be posting on my socials. Who knows, maybe even the first piece of merch or live show... Let's see how things progress and how much interest there is for my music.
Thank you for the interview. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans, supporters, critics, and our readers before we wrap up?
Thank you everyone who took an interest in reading this interview and for your interest in my music. Feel free to reach out to me through my socials if there's something you'd like to know more of or just want to chat. I hope my music finds a connection with some people out there, and I hope everyone knows they are not alone. Everyone faces hardships in life and its okay to feel the way you feel. However, every one of us also has the power to overcome life's challenges and be the best version of themselves they can be.