Katerina: a fan of chaotic, grindy, noisy music (us too)
PRESS
“PRINCE WAS THE first artist that I remember really connecting with. My family loved him - he would always be blasting at weddings, and we’d all be dancing along. But he was also the first artist where I went beyond the singles. I remember getting my hands on his records, hearing Strange Relationship and thinking, ‘Why isn’t this song on the radio?’ While we’re obviously a grindcore band, I’d never want to live in a world where you can only listen to one genre. I love Prince, and I still listen to AALIYAH’s More Than aWoman all the time. I was a 90s kid, so I have vivid memories of watching her on MTV. I remember thinking she was so beautiful and talented –I wanted to be Aaliyah so bad. Her music always interested me, with the Middle-Eastern and Indian influence. When she passed away, I was devastated. That’s the first time I realised musicians aren’t here forever -I saw music in anew light, in terms of impact and legacy.
“The Saddest Day was the first CONVERGE song I ever heard. I liked heavy stuff before, but Converge were totally different. They took everything that was happening on the East Coast - the hardcore, the powerviolence - and made it into their own thing. It was also the first time I became aware of the hardcore community, since the scene was pretty local. Converge definitely started me on my journey into more underground music - and it really comes full circle, because we recorded our last album with Kurt Ballou, and we’re recording our next album with him too.
“Speaking of powerviolence, I chose ANation Sleeps by DROPDEAD because they also helped set me on the path towards more extreme music. Additionally, they’re just amazing people –I love how they have these messages of veganism and peace on all their tracks. I love bands that take hardcore and use it as a positive force. On a similar note, I love acts that take a heavy genre and twist it into something super-bright and positive sonically; I’m obsessed with THE MARKED MEN because they’re this happy brand of punk rock. They’re always singing harmonies and the songs are so catchy and full of life. Don’t Lose It exemplifies that.