Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: For me, there has always been music. Listening to old tunes with my parents in the car, exploring music on my own, and sharing it with friends. I’ve been playing drums since I was 8 years old. When I was 14, I met Koen, and we started playing in a band together. A few years later, a friend invited us to join a garage-punk band called Mexican Surf, where Stef Leijten also joined. We gained a lot of experience with that band, playing many live shows and going on tour. After a few years, our singer Jules decided to leave Mexican Surf, and from its ashes, Dripping Trees was born. At that moment, our friend Stef van der Wielen joined us, making us a four-piece. After two years or so, Luc also joined, playing piano at live shows and on our second album.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Dripping Trees”?
A: I aspire to play live as much as possible and connect with people who understand our music and the emotions that come with it. The music we write is primarily about expressing deeper emotions, almost like a form of therapy. Sharing what you feel on stage with your closest friends is a unique experience. It’s not always easy to open up and surrender to it, but in the end, it always feels like a healing experience that brings us closer together. For me, this is what our music is all about.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Currently, I listen to Mount Eerie a lot. In my opinion, Phil Elverum is an incredible lyricist who puts his life experiences into words in an extremely raw and honest way. His music inspires me to write lyrics and shows me that there’s no need to hold back in being personal in your work.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Nothing’s Changed.”?
A: “Nothing’s Changed” is about an overwhelming feeling of loneliness when you lose a sense of direction in life. You try to understand what’s happening and how you feel, but you end up losing connection with yourself and those around you. The only thing that feels possible is to remain alone in it, distancing yourself even further from everything and everyone.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Cathartic. I think our music is all about expression, a way to open up about feelings that can’t fully be conveyed in words alone.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Nothing’s Changed”?
A: Actually, not really. We aimed for a full live-band approach; only the vocals were recorded separately afterward. The only challenge at times was accepting that it’s perfectly okay if things aren’t performed as flawlessly as you’d envisioned. Those tiny imperfections in a recording can make a track sound even more human, organic, and emotional, which is what moves me most when I listen to music from other artists, for instance.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The universal message of Dripping Trees is about expressing situations and feelings that are often left unspoken. Those that are dark or uncomfortable. We’re five young people who are dealing not only with our own interpersonal challenges and insecurities, but also with an awareness that there is a larger whole to our existence. We feel a responsibility toward the world, its well-being, and the future of ourselves and those close to us. I believe the common thread is that we all fully experience this as human beings, and through our music, we try to capture that sense of doom and gloom while searching for our own balance in life.
To answer the question about our goals as an artist; we’d love to play at Roadburn Festival one day. I think that would be a great fit for us.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Alan Sparhawk, because he is a pioneer in the slowcore genre with extensive experience in songwriting and sound.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Don’t forget to only do what you truly love. Don’t change because of others’ opinions. Do what feels right for you. Above all, do it for yourself.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Good and bad things will happen in life. There will be joy, and there will be pain. Don’t be afraid of it. Being aware is more than enough. Try not to force or influence situations too much; things will happen as they should. Take good care of yourself and the people around you, and you’ll see it come back to you.
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