Motylki interview: ‘We’re all ugly and flawed in some way’
Motylki interview
I discovered the Swedish trio Motylki through their debut album “Chrysalis”. Released on the Swedish label Novoton, this record feels like a true time bomb. Driven by themes of burnout, separation, and loss, Anti Zurowski (known from Nova Blast and Happy Hour), Tess de la Cour (Snake, Memoria), and drummer Markus deliver a stunning blend of genres.
You’ll hear clear Post-Punk elements interwoven with Shoegaze and a raw strain of Goth-Rock & Grunge. The Motylki sound is hard and relentless, yet also strikingly sensitive. As far as I’m concerned, this is a brilliant full-length debut from a band whose name you’d do well to remember. To get to know them better, I spoke with Anti Zurowski. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Could you tell us a bit about the background of Motylki? How did the group come into being, and how did it evolve from a duo into a trio? Also, what does the name Motylki stand for?
Anti: Me and Tess met thru a mutual friend and after hearing eachothers projects (Novablast, Memoria) we knew right away that we needed to start a band.
Originally Tess wanted to play drums in Motylki but I managed to convince her to sing and play bass. It took us a while to find the right drummer, we really wanted to find someone that wasn’t ‘just a band member’ but a friend. When Markus became available it was a given.
Motylki means butterflies in Polish. It can be hard to tell if the butterflies in your stomach is love or angst. They’re beautiful, fragile while some of them feed on blood, sweat and tears.
Q: This year you released the official Motylki debut album “Chrysalis”, which really blew me away. Looking back, how do you reflect on this work? What were the different stages—challenges and breakthroughs included—that you had to go through to bring it to life?
Anti: We were all in a dark place in life and I’ve had writers block for a long time due to my mental health. It didn’t unlock until I met Tess, she violently pulled me out of my cocoon. She’s tough love and I’m grateful. I began doing shitty midi demos to not get overwhelmed with live recording. I can’t play keys so it was a different approach and challenging to translate it to guitar. Tess and Markus would stretch, rip and fill the holes. Then we recorded bass, guitar and vocals in Tess’s kitchen much to the detriment of her neighbors.
I’m used to record by myself but when we got the opportunity to record at ‘The Dustward’ I surrendered my need for control and put all my trust in Stefan Bränströms hands. I had recently lost my best friend. I was shattered and we considered cancelling. I was crying my heart out every time I could be alone in the recording room. We recorded it in two days. I guess few takes and improv makes it more raw than meticulously planned.
Q: I hear a wide range of influences in the Motylki music that are blended together beautifully. What can you tell us about the artists or sounds that inspired you? Is there a particular band, album, or producer that serves as a reference point for you?
Anti: There are no perfect genres or bands with flawless discographies. With that said the early 90ties were pretty close in my book. The heaviness of Grunge. The swirliness of Shoegaze. Alt tunings and Noise. I guess we picked the Punkiness of all the above.
Q: The lyrical content of your songs is clearly meaningful and deep. How personal are your lyrics, and what are you aiming to express through them? Also, what is the underlying meaning of the album title “Chrysalis”?
Anti: Emotions are more than just happiness or sadness. I’ve only recently accepted that I experience reality in parallel. My daydreams tend to become a thorn. Replaced with a ‘best off’ reel of past mistakes and regret in life. Since all of us were going thru our own shit, rehearsals would at times turn into support group. Lyrics are double edged. Great relief but also memorial monuments of ink. Who needs to be reminded?
Q: The album cover has a dreamy, almost fairytale-like quality to it. What were you trying to express visually, and how important is the concept of ‘image’ in the overall narrative of Motylki?
Anti: We sat down with Mia Maria Johansson whom is a great artist and musician and explained our thoughts. The two fawns are in many cultures considered to represent innocent, fragility, grace, strength, mothers nurturing breasts, love and renewal.
It’s a also described in psychology as a trauma response, putting the needs of others before one’s own. Being conjoined symbolizes the virtuous or malicious tendencies being trapped in one’s self.
When it comes to ‘image’ we never reflected on it or a specific genre. I love old stuff, we recorded our music videos with broken VHS cameras going thru feedback loops and old video mixers/switchers. I think imperfections are more alluring than 4K. We’re all ugly and flawed in some way. At some point with age we’re all going to become nostalgic.
Q: The Motylki music seems made for the stage, yet I believe you haven’t performed live yet. How do you see that aspect evolving in the future? And what other plans do you have in store for the project?
Anti: We did a small ‘release gig’ in our rehearsal space with our closest friends before our official release party.
It was a nice warmup since we all have a complicated relationship with playing live. I’m rough with my own gear which is also not optimal.
Regardless we would love to play more and are open for inquiries. We have some dates lined up at the end of summer/fall/winter and we’re currently writing new stuff.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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