Q&A: Silent Mass Unveils Spellbinding Single “Nest of Flowers”
IN THE WORLD OF TAROT, FEW CARDS EVOKE AS MUCH MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE AS THE MOON CARD – Symbolizing illusion, deception, and the veiled mysteries of the subconscious, the moon card beckons the seeker to peer beyond the surface and delve into the depths of their psyche. At its core, the moon card serves as a potent reminder that not everything is as it seems.
Shoegaze sensation Silent Mass has released their latest single, “Nest of Flowers,” offering a tantalizing glimpse into their forthcoming debut album, The Great Chaos. Scheduled for release on the Summer Solstice, this single conveys a mesmerizing fusion of ethereal soundscapes and introspective lyricism.
Ammo, the band's frontwoman, delves into the creative process of “Nest of Flowers,” revealing its fruition in a period of personal disquiet and existential flux.
“‘Nest of Flowers’ came about during a time when I was feeling especially restless and directionless,” Ammo said. “I felt like I was at a standstill while the world around me was vivacious and energetic. The use of tension and repetition in this song expresses the disorientation of feeling caught in a loop. Much like the moon card from the Tarot, the song illustrates walking a directionless path and the winding journey into the unknown, highlighting the importance of taking some steps forward even if you’re unsure of what’s to come.”
The composition of “Nest of Flowers” mirrors this tumultuous inner landscape, employing tension and repetition to evoke a sense of disorientation and unease. It's a sonic journey through the labyrinth of the mind, where uncertainty reigns supreme, and every step forward is shrouded in ambiguity. Drawing parallels to the moon card from the Tarot, the song becomes a metaphorical exploration of navigating the unknown, emphasizing the imperative of forging ahead despite the absence of clarity.
“Nest of Flowers” explores a time of restlessness, disorientation and walking a directionless path. Within the swirling maelstrom of reverberating guitars and ethereal vocals, Silent Mass encapsulates the universal experience of grappling with the enigmatic nature of existence. As The Great Chaos record looms on the horizon, Silent Mass invites audiences to embark on a transcendent voyage of self-discovery and sonic exploration.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what inspires your artistic style and creative persona?
AMMO: So many things. I'm really big into film, music and photography. I also do photography and the visuals trigger a lot of my writing and creative processing. It translates into feeling a lot of emotions and it pulls out emotions I’m not always able to put into words and it helps me digest to see imagery, color or contrast. I’m huge into black and white photography, so that evokes something inside me to be drawn towards things and it helps me digest my thoughts and feelings.
LUNA: What artists inspire you either lyrically or instrumentally? Whether that's just music you love to listen to or music that you pull inspiration from into yours?
AMMO: One of my favorite guitarists is Rowland S. Howard. I like the emotion that he puts into the instrument and it’s just ridiculous and I really appreciate that he really seems to give his all, so he's definitely a big influence. I also love Dead Can Dance. There’s no one like them. They walk this interesting line of world music, but also dark, emotional and moody soundscaping. They’re a really big influence on me. I really loved older music growing up with a lot of punk rock influences. I used to listen to a lot of Subhumans, so more politically motivated bands in my youth like T.S.O.L. and it would evoke a ‘I’m going to fuck this shit up’ feeling. As I’ve gotten older, it’s been a little more mellow. Punk is such a foundation for me, but my music is not that. I always call myself refined punk because I don’t know how else to cope with still feeling like a punk rock kid who wears ripped fishnets, but who’s not that young anymore.
LUNA: Say if someone hasn’t heard of your music yet. Which song would you show them to introduce to your discography and why does that track stand out to you the most?
AMMO: “The Great Chaos” which is the title track off the record and then “Cold War City,” but I’ve also been writing some new stuff that we haven’t recorded yet. It’s a little heavier and noisier. This record is cool because of its foundation. If I was asked this question again, I would probably change it every time a series of songs gets released.
LUNA: You released your latest single “Nest of Flowers” and I adore the ethereal quality it holds and the repetition it has. What is the inspiration behind the song?
AMMO: “Nest of Flowers” came about because sometimes I feel like I’m just wandering aimlessly and I don’t know what I’m doing, but subconsciously I do. It came around based on the way I was feeling and just that repetition of being like ‘not this again.’ I’m a fairly indecisive person on minor day-to-day things and I decided that I needed to start trusting my instincts and my subconscious knows where I’m going. I think of the tarot moon card, just walking that pathway. If you look at the imagery of it, it’s just this pathway into nowhere and you have to find your way through the darkness and trusting that instinct that even though you can’t quite see anything, you’re going to get where you’re supposed to be.
LUNA: How has your sound evolved since your debut singles “Rose + Crown” and “A Cold War City” and did you make any intentional choices in your latest releases that captures your artistic growth and maturity?
AMMO: All the songs on this record are from different periods and they're not really in any order. They were all written over a sporadic period of time, and some of them were written before or demoed. I put all the demos together and then I got together with my drummer, who's also co-producing along with my guitarist, and we started building around my demos. It all came together around the same time because I didn't really know what I was doing, which apparently is a theme.
LUNA: In general your music has a lot of darker sonic influences, everything from shoegaze, new wave, dark pop and post-punk. How do you navigate these diverse sonic landscapes while maintaining cohesive narratives or themes throughout your work?
AMMO: I think about this a lot because growing up playing music, a lot of my guy friends were always wanting to create a certain sound in a certain genre and they’re very particular about what they’re going to do and specific projects for each music genre. I have a really eclectic music taste. I like to call myself a moody bitch to get all my shit out. I think having a wide variety of taste, and having that darker foundation of things I’m drawn to that comes together. It’s not really planned out. I like to experiment and see how things fall together without forcing myself into a genre or anything, so it naturally happens. It’s kind of bizarre that I’m not trying to really do anything.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
AMMO: I really enjoy ambiance and being immersed in something. I want people to be transfixed. I want them to show up, connect, and forget that their phones are on and they’re not filming. I want my listeners to be present. One of my goals as a performer is to get people to stop what they’re doing and forget about their day and feel something.
LUNA: What messages, emotions or story do you hope listeners can take away from “Nest of Flowers?”
AMMO: Being okay with not knowing what’s going on. I think it’s good to have plans and goals, but I feel like there’s so much content and things out there to be digested on a daily basis with social media and we’re always working all the time, like such typical American culture, that we don’t leave room for play or exploration. It’s a way to give yourself some space from all the clutter in the world and be aimless and be okay with not always having to be adherent to our plans or goals.
LUNA: If you could have any singer collab with you on “Nest of Flowers” who would you want to work with and why?
AMMO: Rowland S. Howard because of his delivery and he’s so emotional and knows how to get you in the heart. I also adore Liz Fraser and that would be a wild collaboration. I feel like it would be fun to work with someone like Jack Grisham from T.S.O.L.because he's hilarious and it would be like a shit show. I'm more interested in experience. I feel like my music is serious, but I'm not a serious person at all. I'm more of an absurdist and it's so strange how my music comes out.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
AMMO: I'm feeling pretty good. It's been a while since I've released a full record and this is the first for Silent Mass. The last time I released a full length was with my other band which has been on a long term hiatus. We released a record in 2019 that I am super proud of and I didn’t think that I was able to top my last. I have a better idea on how to end a song and how to arrange. I figured out my style instead of winging it. I'm able to sit down and have more direction at the outcome. For the rest of the year, we have a show coming up at the end of April in Brooklyn, and then we're going to have a few more shows. We're going to do a record release party at the end of June and then we'll play in New York City and Brooklyn a couple of times. We're working on some East Coast dates. Our record comes out June 20 on the summer solstice, and the first release was on the spring equinox. It feels like a spring cleaning for the record because it's been sitting for a while and I'm really happy to get it out.
