R: Hey thank you, we appreciate it. I guess it’s just a sense of accomplishment, like with any project as arduous as making a record. This was almost 2 years of work, and it wasn’t always the easiest to create. But primarily, in our view, it showcases the strongest writing and production offering from Iris yet, so I’d say we’re very content with everything based on that feeling.

As I said before, your new album is called “wrath”. Why did you choose this somehow aggressive title? Isn’t wrath also one of the seven sins in the bible?

R: It’s a provocative word, and it relates well to the content and the sound. A lot of themes get a nod from the title, but the listener can make those determinations once they hear it. Definitely, wrath is one of the seven deadly sins, but it’s not intended like that exactly. In some way you’re close, but it’s not quite the mark. When people hear the songs, the relevance may become strangely apparent. There’s also an aggressive quality to that word, as you mention. It seems whether it’s lyrics, vocals, production, whatever, we generally like to experiment with some kind of an edge. Definitely not aimless aggression, but more as a means of provocation, and we probably took that further this time, so it’s good to have a title to reflect that. The framework of pop music is really middle ground; it’s easy to experiment with, and easier to get lazy in, so we always want to bend the lines that makeup the band’s core sound, as much as we can anyway.

So the title to your new album is also directed to your music, which has now more guitar sound. Was it your intention to make more rock than synth pop?

R: Right now we see two or three groups of people who know our work, each with different takes on what we are and what we sound like. Some say synthpop and others see us more like an alternative band using electronics. It may not be any secret, but I’m not such a worth while, modern-synthpop fanatic. To explain, I’ve always enjoyed a band like De/Vision because of their writing and production, but they could dress it up however they want and I could easily be into it. If you’re in this for the soul of it, I think you can purposely lose focus for how that’s achieved. A great band’s production and song writing technique combines as the soul of the music, and certainly production, be it electronic or guitar heavy variants, isn’t simply the outer garment to house the work inside, it’s part of the greater whole. It’s all one, and if it cuts to the heart of someone it’s achieving the goal. Admittedly, synthpop, as it’s called today, doesn’t seem related as much to the bands I’ve most respected over the years of electronic music, and I’ve gotten weary of it. I don’t have an affinity for technology. I mean I like having a toaster so I can make toast, but I don’t really stare at the toaster and marvel. Computers barely interest me. I don’t like Sci-fi. I’m not into animation. Where am I going with this? For me, when I’m sitting down and writing songs, synthpop is as far from my mind as the latest NFL draft. At the same time, we’re not looking to be a rock band. The truth is, we’re neither, and more people are seeing that…. A: A lot of the guitars were my idea, in a way. The demos that Reagan had created had some synth-guitar sounds in them (just temporary), but I often think that a real guitar is better than a fake one. I think we did process it in a way that sounds a bit unlike typical rock guitars, so that it sounds modern. R: If you associate us with one album, or one song like “Annie Would I Lie To You” you’re going to conclude synthpop. If you associate us with “When I’m Not Around” or “It Generates”, we’re more like something else. I think the musicians doing electronic pop back in the day, they are the same breed of musicians in whatever the bands of today are. They were the writers of the time, doing what was interesting at the moment. Thankfully now, with the meshing of everything like it is, you can do what you like without calling it anything. End of the day, did it provoke someone? What we are not – we obviously aren’t a dance band and we aren’t even close to electronic purists. We just write. Write it. Produce it. Release it. Hope for the best. That’s as deep as it gets for us.

After the last album “Awakening” the press gave very positive reactions. Was there also a certain kind of pressure while making the new album? Now you have to fulfilled some high standards.

R: Well certainly you don’t want to go in the wrong direction. It’s safe to say there was pressure for the first time, that this record had to work. And there were plenty of moments during the making of it when I thought it wasn’t close to getting where it needed to be, primarily because of my voice, which had become saddened and weighted. I wasn’t delivering the vibe this record required, and it was a weird struggle getting that back on track.

What has inspired you for the new developed sound?

A: For me, it was a desire to explore the “electro-rock” field, which right now I think has a lot of potential. We also did want to make things a bit less polished, and darker… R: It’s hard to narrow it down to a lucid response, but it’s really always been the same, only the themes have grown and developed as I’ve grown. Inspiration essentially comes from a life long obsession with something I call the “internal altercation”, or the conflict between self indulgence and righteous intent, and the subsequent consequences of each. I’ve always been fuelled by that. And as I work out the complexity of the maze, the driving intention remains the same, but my way of expression alters. Like this time, a lot of imagery was set in my mind, like deserts and fire, lots of metaphorical images, and that was all introduced for device of introduction, on how these songs could be approached.

Let’s take a look at the lyrics. For me they are sometimes impenetrable. There are many metaphors and less story. Is this your intention while making music? What message will Iris give to the listeners?

R: Nothing in the lyrics is purposely ambiguous. There should be everything there to make the songs’ purpose clear, but I can see where the style could be criticized. They are not so complicated, and I can only state that anyone interested enough to read them again will probably find that readily available.

Only one song seemed to me very autobiographical: “Delivered One”. A ballad, that seems to be written after a personal experience. Isn’t it so? :)

R: It’s actually a gift to an x. It is one of the only personal songs from the album, in that sense anyway. I don’t generally care to write autobiographical songs, in the way that you mean, at least not love songs and heartbreak songs. There is a time and a place for it though, and when that happens it’s great to write them, but for the moment it’s a lot more to do with confessionals like “Lands Of Fire”, and spiritual, human destiny tracks like “It Generates”.

Generally: Are your lyrics always linked with personal experiences or are there also lyrics that came just out of imagination?

R: I guess lyrics arrive out of necessity. I’m naturally less concerned with talking up my own personal experience. I’d rather be drawing a bead on what affects us all. Writing on personal experiences, in ways unique to me alone, it just isn’t getting across anything useful. My perspective is unique, like anyone’s, and that’s just a composite of personal experience and what I believe to be self-evident information. So yeah, I’ve always preferred a song that’s universally applicable but can peel back the layers where you don’t want to look, and you can rely on personal experiences to write that. Even like “Lands Of Fire”, as personal as it may seem, it’s designed to provoke contemplation on something greater than my own life. Take animals; they have instincts on how to survive, or performance of the body instinct, and humans have instincts about the performance of the soul. It’s those instincts that apply to every single task we undertake, regardless of who you are or where you’re from. People aren’t different like we’re fed to believe, so when I write, I’m aiming for a place of shared origin. It’s the same inside every last one alive.

The album is out now. Are there already reactions so far from friends or fans?

R: Reactions have been very reassuring. It’s been a great few weeks, because people have embraced the album and made us feel like it’s something they are excited about. But in the end you have to be content with it yourself, and I’m more content with this material than any of our previous work. A: It has been very positive. We have also gotten on the front page of MySpace (twice!) and have received a lot of great responses. It’s always good to hear after working on something for almost two years.

Will there be also a tour in Europe? I think your fan base grows with each day :)

A: We are looking at some ideas for touring, but we aren’t exactly sure about the plans yet. We definitely want to come back to Germany, and possibly also explore some other areas in Europe that we haven’t visited yet. It’s a bit more difficult for us since we live in the US, touring is a bit more expensive than for most other bands…

Are there also new material or will Iris take a little pause?

R: We’re enjoying not having to do anything for the moment. I might release some older songs that never got onto Iris, plus a few others as a solo project, and I’ll probably send Andrew some new songs over the next month just so he can see what his take on them might be. The best part is, there’s no pressure now and we have time to relax. Of course this could inadvertently result in new material, because it’s more fun to work on new tracks when you don’t have to. A: I’m also going to work on a new solo project idea of mine, something a bit more in the “dance” direction, we’ll see…

As you are Americans, I have another question, that for me is very interesting: At the moment, America has much to do with the destruction after the hurricane. If you take a look at the kind of help, the people need and the slow reaction of the government, does this also inspire you to make a more political song, also out of a feeling of “wrath”? In Germany we could see for example Celine Dion angry with tears in her eyes on TV, because she couldn’t understand that people will be killed, if they steal something in this area. How do you see all this?

R: We would prefer not to engage politics from an artists’ pulpit. Concerning New Orleans, it’s necessary to recognize the importance of state and local governments when it comes to preparation for natural disasters. Making a case against the Federal government, that sounds to me like a grand chance to push non-conservative views against a Republican President. Really though, their local and state governments have had problems for many years which have hampered efforts to fortify the city for the situation, and people have paid a massive price for it. Then again, when you’re dealing with natural disasters, anything can go wrong, even with the best preparation. A: It’s definitely a difficult time. Two hurricanes within one month, earthquakes in Pakistan, tsunamis last December… Nature is angry. But Iris really isn’t a political band, our songs deal with broader issues and the nature of human relationships. If you want a really good American band which is quite political right now, I’d suggest listening to the new Stromkern album “Light It Up”.. very interesting stuff.

Thank you very much for the interview. If you want, there is space for some last words. All the best.

R: As always, a huge thank you to everyone who have supported the band. We don’t have the massive promotion machine behind us, so it’s your efforts that make things possible. Thank you+

Homepage Band: Iris
Homepage Label: Infacted Recordings

(Interview geführt von Nuuc)