Text by Oro Del Mac
Photography by Paul Märki
“We recorded this album in Norway, barely leaving the studio for 17 days. And I loved it! I’ve rarely felt more alive, been more creative, or made more sense than during that session. In such moments it feels like you are exactly where you need to be and that’s a very, very strange feeling. Especially, because you know that you’re not in a normal state of mind – you haven’t eaten nor slept enough. You haven’t moved farther than 100 meters away from the recording room for days. You haven’t talked to anyone else other than the members of your band who themselves have gone mad along the way. And you’re somewhere on a goddamn island in Norway!”
If you have a perfect song – i.e. a solid melody and some great lyrics – all you really need is a voice and a guitar. The new Black Sea Dahu record titled White Creatures is full of these type of songs. In fact, pretty much any one of them could be stripped down to its bare knuckles and you’d still walk away humming it. This gang of outsiders, led by vocalist and writer Janine Cathrein, really stirred things up this past summer with the release of their lo-fi (think aesthetics and not production value) heart-break anthem called In Case I Fall For You. After that everything went mad! Here is a short interview with the lady with the smoky voice: Janine Cathrein.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it feels like you have two hearts beating in you: one for the city and the other for the wilderness…
I’m definitely always drawn to the wilderness or, at least, a wider horizon. I grew up in a small village where nothing ever happened, and that bored me to death, and I felt really lonely sometimes. But it was also a nice thing because you could actually see the stars in the sky at night. There was no traffic and, hence, no noise – no tourists either. I just recently moved to the city, and I find myself sitting in cafés all the time working on my computer, just to be around people and some noise. But other than going to concerts I’m not really interested in diving into what the nightlife has to offer, I’d rather go surfing again! I’ve been dreaming of that vividly for months now…
White Creatures, as a record, is about love and all the messy stuff that it brings along – would you say that it’s getting harder for us, as people, to relate to each other on an intimate level?
Well, I wouldn’t define it as that. I’d say it’s about coping with the mess that life turns out to be and, of course, love plays a vital part in that. To answer your question, when I look around, I see a lot of insecure human beings playing dress up. What is that? Why do we care so much? I’m not immune to it either, not at all. Too often I find myself going out only because I’m trapped in my own head, my expectations and, most of all, the paralysing fear, that of not being understood.
“Inspiration is a drug, my goodness…”
You seem to be touring a lot, do you write while you travel?
I try to. But I need a free mind for that, and to seize the right moment. It’s hard to do between shows because that’s when I try to catch up with admin work and answer interview questions.
But is it even possible?
Yes, it is possible. And I desperately need those moments of creativity because it gives me strength, energy and motivation! Inspiration is a drug, my goodness…
Do you think this heavy touring and playing out will change how you write and alter the sound of your music?
That’s definitely possible. But I’ve always written my songs with just a guitar, the piano, a violin and my computer. I have all of these with me on tour, that and a toothbrush and an extra t-shirt, so the odds are actually pretty good that I’ll continue writing as I always have. But this time it’ll be under the influence of time passing me by and all the artists crossing my path.
“When I look around, I see a lot of insecure human beings playing dress up. What is that? Why do we care so much? I’m not immune to it either, not at all.”
Do you guys have a soundtrack that accompanies you as you travel? I’d be curious to know what’s on the playlist.
Oh so many great musicians are on there! I’ll make a Spotify playlist soon so that everyone who’s interested can listen to some kick ass music that I love. But for now: Hanreti, Jungle, Balthazar, Rio, Long Tall Jefferson, Alois, Mnevis, Sophie Hunger, Anderson Paak, Ben Howard, The Tallest Man On Earth, Andy Shauf and, not to mention, the classic homemade mixtapes with music from 1998-2010! We always play those first, every time we go on tour (laughs).
Your press release mentions the Merry Pranksters, can you relate to this type of creative madness?
We recorded this album in Norway, barely leaving the studio for 17 days. And I loved it! I’ve rarely felt more alive, been more creative, or made more sense than during that session. In such moments it feels like you are exactly where you need to be and that’s a very, very strange feeling. Especially, because you know that you’re not in a normal state of mind – you haven’t eaten nor slept enough. You haven’t moved farther than 100 meters away from the recording room for days. You haven’t talked to anyone else other than the members of your band who themselves have gone mad along the way. And you’re somewhere on a goddamn island in Norway!
So what’s next for the Black Sea Dahu collective?
Touring, touring, touring! Life is crazy and it’s gonna get even crazier. I hope people actually come out to see us play, I really do.
blackseadahu.bandcamp.com/album/white-creatures
www.facebook.com/blackseadahu
