A Bubbly Q&A With Soda Fabric

Soda Fabric

Chicago – Shortly after releasing their debut EP Tears On The Beach, Tel Aviv band Soda Fabric delved right into the Berlin music scene and into the sights of underground music lovers around the world. Since the four-piece made the move to Germany, twenty-three year-olds Shachak Itzkovitz, Jill Abramov, Moosh Lahav, and Tamir Chen have made quite the impression on the musical blogosphere and indie rock community. From Mac DeMarco – who looks adorable as always in this photo with Shachak – to Max Bloom of Yuck – who mixed the band’s soon-to-be released debut album Atlantis – the guys have been gathering buzz and intrigue with their shoegaze-heavy, fizzy noise pop.

Best New Bands had a little cyber Q&A with the ever-elusive Soda Fabric. We talked making music, the Tel Aviv and Berlin music scenes, and working with Max Bloom and Daniel Johnston.

There’s not much about you on thee good ole Internet, so tell us how and where did the four of you meet? Are you all originally from Tel Aviv?

We met in the streets of Tel Aviv and started hangin’ out as a gang, making trouble and writing songs. Shachak, our drummer, moved to the city from the village at the age of 18. We all became good friends and together we formed the band.

You seem to be influenced by surf rock and shoegaze. What types of music did you listen to growing up?

While growing up we were seen in different environments: techno parties, garage punk shows and even reggae festivals. Everything inspired us! Later on came influences that you can feel in our music today: psychadelic, shoegaze, and different kinds of rock ‘n’ roll.

I love how you begin the song “Swim” with the sound of waves. How often do you use found sounds in your music?

We don’t do it too often, but in this case it fit perfectly to the song and the vibe. The lyrics describe a story of a girl drowning in the ocean, and we tried to make the listener feel the atmosphere.

Where did you shoot the music video?

We shot in Eilat and in the desert between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. It was winter and Eilat [is] a vacation city in [the] summer, so it felt a bit sad and abandoned.

What was the shoot like?

We came without a script. We wanted to create a natural hangout vibe in this beautiful place. It was [a] crazy 24 hours, and we couldn’t [have] made it without our talented friends Ofir Peretz, [who] shot the video, and [producer] Jonathan Sharoni.

There’s a real calmness to “Antonia,” but once you listen carefully to the lyrics, you realize that there’s actually some uneasiness surrounding young love. Tell us about this song!

The lyrics are based on a true story; a short summer love that couldn’t fulfill itself. We like the fact that the lyrics describe pain, but the music is not so gloomy and brings hope.

Max Bloom of Yuck mixed your debut album Atlantis. How did you come to work with Bloom?

We met Max and the rest of Yuck after their show in Berlin. After a nice hang at their hotel bar we understood that Max and us share many musical influences, approach and roots. We are very satisfied [with] the result, and it was really fun to work with him.

The album is due to be released in the spring of 2015 via Anova Music. Tell us about Atlantis! What inspired it? What are some of your favorite tracks?

This is our first LP and we tried to show different aspects of the band. We like each and every song on this album, but think the album reaches its peak on the final piece, “Atlantis.” When we wrote this song we felt like it came to us straight from God.

Let’s talk about your new single, “Bitter Moon.” What was the writing process like?

We are [always] trying to write songs together. Usually someone brings an idea and then we develop it together till it’s complete. Jill brought a million dollar guitar riff, and we built the song around it quite fast.

You guys stood in as Daniel Johnston‘s live band when he was in Tel Aviv. That must have been an amazing experience. Tell us about it!

Daniel is a genius. We didn’t know what to expect after all the things we heard about him. In the end it felt so natural like we’ve been playing with him for years. He played two encores – something that didn’t happen for many years as his brother told us – and touched the hearts of everybody. We still can’t believe it happened.

What is the music scene like in Tel Aviv?

The music scene is quite small, but still there are many talented musicians. Unfortunately it’s difficult to function as a band in such a stressful place.

Your facebook page said you’re based in Berlin. When did you guys leave Tel Aviv for Berlin and why did you guys decide to make the move?

We moved to Berlin almost a year ago. We felt it [was] about time to leave Tel Aviv, which is quite small, and felt the need to experience new places, plus tour and travel and develop ourselves as a band.

I’ve heard amazing things about Berlin’s art and music scene. How are you getting along in Berlin?

We toured Germany and visited Berlin many times before so it felt quite familiar. Berlin is loaded with artists and musicians, and it’s quite inspiring. In addition, moving here gave us a chance to live on the road and tour a lot more than before.

Soda Fabric is set to release Atlantis  this spring via Anova Music. “Bitter Moon” is available for purchase now on iTunes.

Top photo by Kami Bugnet. Slider Photo by Teenage Tiger Kill Photography

Sarah Hess

Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.


You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Sarah Hess

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