‘IMMIGRANT’ is loaded with heavy rhythmic pulls and growling guitars. The distortion and over- drive are turned up to 11, the brooding vocals sway from low menacing tones to aching cries, whilst the heavy pounding drums grab the instant attention of anyone in earshot. The burst of energy popping out of the speakers when you play Benmozes' debut album ‘IMMIGRANT’ makes it un- deniably clear that this is not just another rock band. Benmozes adds a wide range of variation to their debut record, from the dirty blues rock tones of the title track that invokes a rebellious call for misfits to resist and not remain silently oppressed by others.
Hello Benmozes. What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
We don’t really consider ourselves “great musicians” - we see ourselves as a rock band with unique energy. Our musical background is very different within the group - our drummer graduated from Berklee but the lead singer, who wrote most of the songs for the IMMIGRANT album, cannot read or write music notation.
Who inspired you to make music?
There is no single person who inspired us - our inspiration comes from the experiences we live through every day and is influenced by all the amazing artists we’ve been listening to throughout the years, alive or dead. Each one of us is a huge rock fan. We’re sure you can feel these influences in our first album. We really want to make sure that rock n roll stays alive. Jazz was the biggest thing, it was everywhere, and now it became a niche. We will do the very best in our lifetime to make sure this doesn’t happen with rock.
Your latest release is 'IMMIGRANT'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
The whole process of creating this album was unusual. We locked ourselves in a studio for 2 weeks during the peak of the COVID pandemic, it was a time of isolation and it really felt like the entire band was in a bubble. This came after a long period of being stuck at home and the whole thing just exploded the moment we cranked those amps in the room. The energy was from a different planet.
Can you shortly describe each of the tracks that are on the album?
You know that feeling when you watch a movie after reading a book, and it is a completely different thing from anything you ever imagined (and you hate it)? It’s because the story our brain writes is the best ever interpretation for any piece of art. We will leave it for our fans to interpret our songs and make them their own. All the songs in the album speak very much for themselves. All we can say is that we put 100% of ourselves into each of these tracks. Every word, every sound - they mean something. We know you’ll get it.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest musical trends?
We are very much not trend followers in the band. We are embarrassingly ignorant when it comes to top playing popular artists. In fact, a lot of our music was created in isolation, and we even only got into the Spotify discovery thing after posting our first single Summon You.
What makes you different from others?
The cultural background is a big differentiator. A mix of immigrants, Americans, ex service members and Berklee kids creating something together. That angle of coming from a different country, language and norms and looking at things from a whole other perspective made a lot of difference with IMMIGRANT - it made it what it is.
What’s an average day like for you?
Not glamorous at all. We work very hard - practicing, recording and trying to get better every day. We all also have day jobs which makes everything even more challenging.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans.
The support we get from fans makes all the effort worthwhile. When fans reach out on DM or after a show we try to remain humble and grateful - it’s always great to hear nice words about something you worked so hard for, and all of us are also big fans of other bands so we know exactly how it feels to be on the other side.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Never compromise on the vision, the message or the sound. Don’t give up until the dream inside your head is translated into a track. Besides that, stay true to yourself. There are a lot of people along the way that try to convince you that you have to be something that you’re not in order to stand out. Nothing is more powerful than being yourself.
What are your plans for the future?
We feel like we have something special going on with the reception of IMMIGRANT and we want to take things to the next level in terms of touring and reaching a wider audience. Stay tuned.