Introducing #159 - Fräulein
Let us introduce you to new grungers on the block - Fräulein, who have just released their debut track ‘Pretty People’ via Practise Music. They took a moment to talk to us about their music.
Hey there Fräulein, how are you? So you have just released your debut track - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hey WTHB! It is surreal to say the least! We have been a band for almost 3 years, so we’ve been taking our time to figure out what we wanted to say and how to say it. We finally have a reply to the once-dreaded question, ‘where can we listen to your music?’...
It is called ‘Pretty People’ - can you tell us what the track is about?
Joni: The lyrics to the song were written the morning after a party I attended in London, before I lived here. I was a student in the south west, and a friend invited me to a party with a bunch of influencers and fashion industry people. It was just totally the opposite to what I was used to. When I got there, I kept having people ask me who I was, and when it was made clear I didn’t have a massive following or have any ‘connections’, I was mostly left alone for the rest of the night. I felt awkward, rejected, ugly, uninteresting... This song was me trying to re-write that night. I refuse to let people make me feel like I’m not worthy of their time because of how many social media followers I have. It’s kind of a mantra for me, to remind myself that I have inherent worth and I will not be made to feel like that again. I need that reminder a lot, especially when being active on social media platforms.
Originally coming from Northern Ireland and the Netherlands, you are now based in London. So how did the band start?
Joni: I went to the best open mic night in the South West, at The Bell Inn. After exclusively playing my music in my bedroom for 3 years, I just really wanted to find people to play with. I met a few people who invited me to a jam night at their house, and Karsten was there. I played one of my songs that was in a weird time signature, and Karsten just immediately got it. We just connected on a rhythmic level. It wasn’t a very hard decision!
Karsten: When I first walked through the door and saw Joni holding her Squier Supersonic, I didn’t exactly know what to expect. When someone asked her to play a song, she obliged and I was greeted by something that I thought was unique. I still get those tingles quite frequently when hearing Joni’s songs.
The video for the track has a big 90s aesthetic to it - can you tell us a bit more about that? Any behind the scenes stories from making it?
We are so influenced by 90s alt-rock bands... PJ Harvey, Hole, Fugazi, Placebo, The White Stripes, so many more. The live parts of the music video were actually inspired by a video of The Breeders performing ‘Iris’! It seems really natural for us to try and hark back to that period of time, because it’s so inspiring for us.
A fun behind the scenes story is that the suit that Karsten wore on the day hadn’t been pulled out since a big NYE family blow-out... he randomly found a half-smoked cigar in his pocket, so we decided to finish it off and use that for the video. It fit quite nicely with the theme of us donning snobby personas for the second half of the video...
What are the key musical influences when it comes to your music?
Joni: Repeating myself here... but PJ Harvey, The Breeders, Patti Smith... women who are not afraid to be loud and enthusiastically themselves. I love rhythmic songs that are simple, because I think those are the most powerful. More recently, I would say I’m really influenced by Adrianne Lenker from Big Thief. I’m trying to learn how to finger pick!
Karsten: The first band I got into was the Red Hot Chili Peppers... whether I like it or not, Chad Smith is still a massive influence on my playing! But as I developed, I started branching out into listening to more math rock, like CHON, TTNG and Toe. The odd rhythms and intricate drum patterns are something I find myself trying to replicate in Fräulein.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
Karsten: Looping rhythms that are comfortably uncomfortable, with interesting melodies and observational lyrics.
Joni: After one of our first performances at The Bell, one of the regulars called it ‘a mix between Polly Jean Harvey and a motorcar rally’ because we were so loud. I think that’s really cool, and that has stuck with me ever since.