Q&A: New Husband
Interview & Photos By: Le Quyen Nguyen
SYNTHY DREAM POP WITH SOME YEARNING VOCALS - New Husband is shaping their sound to create a foundation of groovy sounds. The Berlin based musician New Husband, aka Jakob Rotter, blends hazy elements to take the listener for a smooth ride each time. Following the release of his 2019 EP Self Discovery, Rotter is in the midst of working on his new EP Souvenirs. Read below to learn more about how Rotter started to pursue music, the new project and more.
LUNA: Would you mind introducing yourself for those unfamiliar with your music?
ROTTER: Hi, my name is Jakob and I make music as New Husband. Moving to Berlin two years ago introduced me to a world of new possibilities, people and opportunities. The city is a bit like an over-enthusiastic life coach with good intentions and a bit of a drinking habit.
LUNA: How did your journey with music begin?
ROTTER: I started wanting to make my own music as a teenager, after my dad gave me his old Roland JX-3P. It’s a synthesizer from 1983 that he used to perform these awkward shows as a solo entertainer on weddings and company events.
Around the same time, my cousin gave me a bunch of old skate films that introduced me to a lot of indie rock and the DIY approach in general. I started experimenting and making my first songs on a 4-Track recorder and I still remember how much fun that was. I still use the JX-3P in almost every song today.
I self-released my first EP “Self Discovery” last year, not expecting much of a response, but I was really pleasantly surprised by all the support. I almost lost it when alonachemerys posted Only You on her channel.
LUNA: What can we expect for the sonic end of things for new music?
ROTTER: As for the technical process behind my new project, I met this guy called Alex from a band called Cutouts who’s really helped me a lot when it comes to mixing and producing. I have trouble choosing which toppings I like on my pizza, so choosing between the thousands of different reverbs and delays drives me mad. We share the same appreciation for analog sounds, so the two of us hit it off right away.
LUNA: Are there any projects currently in the works?
ROTTER: I’m currently finishing up my new EP Souvenirs, which I’ll be releasing at the end of February. I wrote a lot of the songs a couple of years ago, before I moved to Berlin. Revisiting old material is definitely a trip down memory lane - you get to relive all the lost summers and faded romances of the past. That’s all in the past now, and the songs are my souvenirs.
