Interviews: Murmur

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Post-Black Metal band Murmur, from Spain. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE. 

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out just like that?

To be honest, the moment of picking a name is one of the hardest for every band. In our case, there are a lot of old stories behind this word, from a joke that one of our music teachers used to tell about "the crowd murmuring" when something during the show is not going well, to the name of an old PC role game character or a cosmic being made by the essence of sound.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

In the beginning, when this project was starting out and we were younger, we used to play different genres, like death metal. As we matured, the way of understanding music changed for us, and we all gravitated towards bands of this style, trying to create deeper and more complex music. Our aim is to always create something different, something authentic. We believe this genre brings a lot of possibilities, allowing us to stay true to ourselves in the way we express ourselves with the music and the themes of the songs. 

3.⁠ ⁠Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Some of us, yes, we used to go to the same high school, and we still live in the same city. Later, when the project evolved, we had to look further. In fact, our drummer lives 400 km away from the rest of the band.

4.⁠ ⁠Each band member's favourite band?

Beatriz (singer): The Cure

Igor (guitarist): Deafheaven

Fran (guitarist): Nine Inch Nails

Kyle (drums): Gojira

Alex (bass): Rolo Tomassi 

5.⁠ ⁠Who or what inspires you to write songs?

We take inspiration from a wide range of sources. We love cinema and we introduce a lot of film references in our songs. We also get inspired by books and philosophy, for example, our previous album Private Reflection is fully influenced by medieval alchemist studies and texts. In this new release, politics and history have influenced us very much. 

6.⁠ ⁠Where was your last gig?

It was an underground festival in an iconic part of Madrid, Vallecas. It was the first time playing the new album in its entirety, and it was a great experience, much better than expected. 

7.⁠ ⁠Where would you like to act?

Right now, we are hungry for whatever comes our way, we want to play everywhere and (almost) anywhere. We have our eyes set on visiting other European cities where this genre is very highly considered; hopefully, this will be fulfilled in 2026. We also want to play the biggest music festivals in our country, but in the future, why not further continents like Asia or America? 

8.⁠ ⁠Whom would you like to feature with?

We always think about big names, such as: Amenra, Behemoth, Harakiri for the Sky... but experience has shown us that sometimes there are tours with modest bands that go great and feel amazing. As long as we have something in common (genre, performance...), we think it's enough.

9.⁠ ⁠Whom not?

Sometimes in this kind of genre, there are some bands that defend radical retrograde ideas very far from our beliefs; we want to avoid these people, we are not willing to share the same stage as these bands.

10.⁠ ⁠Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

I don't think we've suffered from stage fright; we've all been in bands and projects previous to Murmur. Of course, there are some nerves and excitement before the show that you can never really get rid of, but I think they are necessary; this means you still feel love for music, you feel alive. I'm not sure if we are veteran enough to give tips for beginners, but we always have a serious preparation for the show before the actual performance. Rehearsals are so important; don't trust improvisation very much if you are not a professional musician yet. And of course, live experience is key; the more you play, the safer you'll feel for sure.

11.⁠ ⁠What bands have inspired you the most?

Here, I think each member of the band has their own artists where they find inspiration, from which they later bring ideas to the table. We can't forget classics like At the Gates, or some from the black metal old school, like Mayhem, Satyricon, or Emperor. Modern artists would be bands like Amenra, Agalloch, Deafheaven... or finished projects that are very important for us, like Altar of Plagues or Lightbearer.

12.⁠ ⁠What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

To be honest, the weirdest one was quite recently, a guy came to our concert to send greetings to a previous member using an absurd nickname for himself. Or another one I can think of is when someone invited us to go on holiday to their house by the coast.

13.⁠ ⁠What do you think of your fans?

We are always very thankful to the people who follow us and come to the shows. In general, we've seen that we always leave a good impression on them, and this makes us happy. Sometimes we'll find there are people who are not used to our genre, but after listening to us and watching our live performance, they come to us and say they loved it. In any case, we think we are still a band to be discovered, so the normal reaction from many audiences is total shock or a "nice surprise". We hope in the future to have a more consolidated fanbase.

14.⁠ ⁠What do you think of our site?

It's always nice that sites like yours support all bands and genres, opening the doors to more underground artists. The web looks fresh and aggressive, with a good sense of aesthetic. We congratulate you and encourage you to keep working on this. This feels like a synergy after all; it's a pleasure to collaborate with you, and we're very thankful for this interview.

15.⁠ ⁠Something to add?

We are so happy to answer your questions at a moment like this. We are about to premiere our second album, Red Hill. It's going to be a period full of activity for the band, so I hope the viewers of Breathing the Core can learn more about us and check out our socials and music. And of course, we are at your disposal for further collaborations.