If this is your first time listening to the podcast, then know I’m very excited to hear that. In many ways this chat I had with Connor and Dylan of Canadian indie band Half Moon Run feels like how I want every episode of this podcast to feel: lovers of art talking about how life influences art. Don’t get me wrong, we tend to achieve that across our episodes, but Half Moon Run is unique in how those contemplations of art and life became very do-or-die for the band. Their most recent album, Salt, is the sound of three people fully surrendering themselves to pursuing creativity. Does that sound pretentious? Fuck yeah, it does, but the end result of them doing that is an album that’s both fun to listen to and massively transcendent. It’s easily their most complete body of work, and this episode centers around that journey; particularly how it was a transformative experience for the band.

Also a heads up, later this week there’ll be a bonus episode dropping with Jennifer McCord, my dear friend and the bands photographer. Be sure to be following the podcast so you don’t miss out on that release.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: three friends in Germany get together to essentially create their own world. The focal point is their aim to celebrate and progress hip-hop, along with integrating fashion, filmmaking, and photography in a way that has a unique impact. No, you’re not having a fever dream, this is indeed real and it’s the story of KITSCHKRIEG, a trio of German creatives who have their sights firmly set on the wider world. That word ‘unique’ feels constant when it comes to their prolific output, and yet to hear Fizzle and Fuji Kris discuss it; KITSCHKRIEG has simply become a way of life.

I was keen to have them on the podcast way back in season six and it’s a massive privilege getting to have them on now. Across our chat we explore the three pillars that led them to where they are today: 1) Building a world around their music, 2) Branching out of their comfort zones, and 3) The vitality of their phrase ‘LAPTOP-LAPTOP-LENS. Welcome to the world of KITSCHKRIEG.

They will be dropping their next body of work, German Engineering ZWEI on November 15th. The lead single is a belter called Slow Down featuring Future, Mariah the Scientist and Fridayy.

There aren’t any shortages of the narrative that life brings about the unexpected. That said, there are still times in which we need to be reminded of the beauty of that; which is very much what happens with this conversation I had with Jason Aalon Butler. Jason is a frontman that’s largely existed in the world of hardcore music, though to say that almost feels reductive because of Jason’s overall approach to his art. You see, Jason has always strived to buck against the conventions of the world, including the hardcore punk world he holds dear. In doing so, he’s someone who’s aggressively gone by the beat of his drum and that’s been a total mainstay of his life thus far; across both his career and personal life.

I’ve known him for many years now and have seen all those aspects of his character, but one thing about Jason that’s very crucial is how so much of the music that he makes is reflective of his lived experience. It’s literally second nature for Jason to sing about what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling and doing so in a way that doesn’t leave many questions to be asked….except for, what is that like? What is it like for someone to be so open about how they’re feeling, how they’re thinking and to do so in a way that’s extremely direct? That’s largely what we talked about across this episode, along with the new music of his band, Fever 333.

The band just dropped a new album called Darker White, a body of work that’s beyond timely. Be sure to check it out.