As we bid farewell to 2023, come along with us for a series of interviews with a few artists. We’ll chat with them about their experiences, challenges, and successes throughout the year. These talks give you a close-up view of what happened in the metal music scene in 2023. We chatted with INDISTINCT to see how the progressive metal band have experienced 2023.
INDISTINCT released a new album, “Heart Prince,” in 2023. Was most of your year dedicated to getting this album out?
Many of the songs on “Heart Prince” already had an orchestral foundation in place by 2021. However, with the new approach of incorporating a fictional storyline to accompany the music, it required a lot more work than before. I would say we dedicated most of 2022, along with 2023, to complete this project and share it with the world.
INDISTINCT is an independent band. Were there any challenges you went through during 2023 that came with being an independent band or do you operate smoothly in this way?
We’ve become accustomed to not having too many resources outside the band. These days, we manage just fine, but calling it smooth is a bit of a stretch. We’ve learned to communicate well within the band, and I think that’s a big part of how we’re able to keep the train going. Joona works in the industry with video and music, and so does Olli. It’s just a matter of finding and dedicating the time to get stuff done. The process of handling everything by ourselves is rewarding but definitely taxing, so there are things we hope to later outsource.
What is the most important lesson you learned while creating “Heart Prince,” that you will always remember?
With every album, we learn something new about working smarter and about our preferences—what we want and what we don’t. Still, for some reason, every time, we get surprised by things we thought would be obvious by now. It seems there is a fixed amount of chaos that persists in an album process no matter what. Also, don’t binge-watch Loki season one and start composing. You’ll end up with a theremin on every track.
Did you (re-)discover any new music during 2023?
Joona has been listening to “The Congregation” by LEPROUS on a loop. Ville has been juggling back and forth from more modern bands like SLEEP TOKEN to old favorites like DEFTONES and PORCUPINE TREE.
What can we expect from INDISTINCT in 2024?
After the release of “Heart Prince,” we will be doing some live performances around Finland. Joona will dive back into songwriting mode, and we’ll see where things go from there!
