Rosy Finch have been making waves within the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal underground scene since 2013 and they've released a string of acclaimed releases with their last album 2020's - Scarlet gaining some major acclaim for the band.
There's a lot more to Rosy Finch than your usual style of heavy groove or riff with the band bringing elements of Shoegaze, Psych Rock, Grunge and Alt Metal into their overall sound. The band did go through a major line-up change in 2019 leaving Mirela (Guitars/Vocals) as the only original member left. However, Rosy Finch have gone from strength to strength since then with Oscar Soler and Juanjo Ufarte joining the line-up.
Now the band return with their next superb EP - Seconda Morte. An EP based on Dante's legendary poem - The Divine Comedy. Rosy Finch create a bleak and psychedelic head-trip that uses heavy and first rate Sludge, Doom, Stoner and Grunge sounds with a few cool surprises along the way.
I caught up with Rosy Finch to discuss their beginnings, their new EP and the recording process for Seconda Morte.
Hi there. How’s it going? Thanks for doing the interview.
Hi you all! Thanks for having us!
For folks not in the know, can you give a brief history of the band and where it is today.
We are a Spanish trio that have been around in the heavy/metal underground scene for the last ten years. After the recording of our second album Scarlet in 2020, we had to renew the line-up leaving Mireia as the only original member with an entirely new rhythm section made up of Oscar Soler (Pyramidal, Domo) on bass and Juanjo Ufarte (Grajo, The Dry Mouths) on drums.
We have edited 2 LP's, 2 EP's, an acoustic album and several singles and collaborations always with the support of our Labels (Lay Bare Recordings/ Discos Macarras/ Larubia Producciones...) from the beginning. We also have been able to travel and play at venues and festivals inside and outside our borders.
How would you describe your music in your own words?
We think our music has a lot of shapes. We can be soft and quiet, almost ethereal but we can also be raw, wild and very furious. Maybe it depends on our states of mind while we’re composing the songs, maybe the weight of our musical influences or the story we want to tell to the listener. In the end it’s important for us that people like it but the first of all is that we love what we’re doing and we really enjoy making it.
In short, if you listen to us you´ll find an eclectic mixture of different genres always inspired by grunge and 90’s rock, but with the heaviness and darkness vibes of the Sludge and Metal of the present days.
Why did you call the band - Rosy Finch? Any specific meaning.
There´s no main reason in fact. Mireia found it looking for bird names a long time ago cause she really loves all types of birds and animals and the Rosy Finch is a very special colored finch. The name was chosen because that small songbird is very energetic and lives in areas where few people go. She loved the name because it seemed like it was a woman´s full name.
We’re here to talk about your upcoming new EP - Seconda Morte. What can people expect for this EP?
The whole album is very different from the others. That's because this is the first work where we compose together as a team. As we've said, the rhythm section members have changed and we have spent much time doing jams, recording riffs, ideas, rhythms… playing together in the rehearsal room to know each other musically a lot better. Because of that, in Seconda Morte people can expect a new sound for the band, more compact and carefully composed but at the same time we have taken old composition ideas like clean arpeggios combined with ethereal effects used previously in other of our past albums (for example if you listen to our song “La Colina” from our first EP or “Ligeia” from Witchboro, some elements could remind you to our new song “Purgatorio”).
What is the EP all about and why did you call the record that?
Well, we think that every song is kind of different from each other. As you may know this is a concept album based on Dante Alighieri’s poem The Divine Comedy. The songs narrate Dante's journey through hell, purgatory and paradise looking for his deceased beloved Beatrix, so we tried each song to represent musically and very precisely every step, every landscape and thought on the journey from the beginning to the end of the story. Of course this is a short album (almost 30 minutes) and we had to resume this large piece of literature like if it was a musical dream or a nightmare, depending on the part of the song you are.
The title “Seconda Morte” claims that all souls die twice: the first for dying physically on earth and the second for being separated from God because of their sins and depending on how they lived while they were alive, the souls will be punished or forgiven.
What were the recording sessions like for the new record? Was this a hard EP to write and record for?
The composing work was more methodical than it used to be. We live 300 km away, so we started composing basic structures in rehearsals and adding details step by step until the songs finally took the present shape. Then, Mireia made her magic and one day she showed us the guitar details and those awesome voices. As we worked individually too, the recording process was fast and we had enough time for experimenting and including improved ideas. Sometimes, the main touch of a song comes when you are recording it in the studio.
Mireia wrote the lyrics after the music was composed. She read The Divine Comedy a long time ago and she has always been interested in stories about the dark side of death because she works as a nurse and she has to deal with it every day. The Divine Comedy is a wonderful story and its landscapes and atmosphere were the key to be fully immersed in the composition of the album.
Did you do anything different when recording this EP compared to your previous releases?
Perhaps the main effort was to build the best sound for the whole album and each song in itself. The three members did almost all the recording together, contributing each to enrich the production as much as possible.
What is the creative process or setup within the band? Do you all write the music together or do certain people within the band do that?
Most of the time we compose the music of the songs altogether. Lyrics are always written by Mireia. She usually thinks about the concept of the songs or the main theme for an album and she always ends up with an interesting story to tell through every song.
Who and what influenced you all for the new record?
There was a starting idea about mixing sludge-metal and shoegaze, but our personal influences and tastes gave a different point to the songs. At first we were like... Ok, think in Melvins, Chelsea Wolfe, A Perfect Circle, My Bloody Valentine... Beat the ingredients with a mixer... And here you have your Rosy Finch noisy juice!
Who designed the excellent artwork for the new album?
The artwork is from a great illustrator from Barcelona. His nickname on social networks is Key Svn Cvlt and he does stunning handmade illustrations that are very detailed and complex. The style is related with occultism and pagan rituals where the demons and the witches are usually the main characters. He is brilliant at his work and a unique artist. We are very proud of Seconda Morte´s album design and our new tees based on the three furies.
This release is having a multiple record release from 3 different labels. Lay Bare Recordings, Discos Macarras and LaRubia Producciones. Why did you decide to go down that route. Are the labels releasing the EP on different formats.
We usually let the vinyl version of the albums to Lay Bare Recordings hands but this is a special release because it's an EP and for this reason this time our trust labels wanted to take part into this all together and coedit the album on vinyl and also on Digipack. We think that the cassette format works better with LPs. That's why we reject it.
It's great to see Lay Bare Recordings are involved once again. How did you hook-up with that great label?
We have known Désirée (owner of Lay Bare Recordings) since 2013. Our label mates Pyramidal were playing at Freak Valley Festival and she ended up releasing this live show on vinyl. Since then we’ve been always in contact with her and she always was interested in releasing our albums from the first LP Witchboro to this new EP Seconda Morte and we hope to keep releasing more records with her, she’s very passionate with what she’s doing, a true music lover and we love the way she works. Always very professional. She understands our music and supports us from the beginning.
How did you get involved with music? Was it a particular album, group or artist that made you want to write and play your own music?
Definitely, we grew up listening to 90's rock, alternative and metal. Could be Nirvana, Melvins and all grunge bands like Sound Garden, AIC etc..be the starting point? Probably. Also, we have to mention all the bands we discovered when we were young and still didn't even know how an amp had to be correctly connected! In particular, Mireia grew up with many girl bands and female musicians like Babes in Toyland, L7 or PJ Harvey which still are a big influence on Rosy Finch nowadays.
What is the current state of the Spanish Rock/Metal scene? Do you perform gigs on a regular basis and do you have a local scene that you're actively involved with?
Spain is a hard place for rock and metal styles... The singer-songwriters in Spanish, dance/trap music and pop are a big part of the central musical monopoly here. Rock, metal and alternative bands and artists are always fighting to create solid scenes. There are a lot of amazing and incredible bands here but definitely we are a minority. Anyway, we are so grateful to the audience and underground associations which have helped us playing and sharing our music in this difficult country and times.
Has the reaction surprised from the Sludge/Stoner Metal Underground with your last few releases? As they’ve resonated with both fans and critics alike.
In some way it did. We’re not very loyal to any style in particular. We have songs that can remind you of the 90’s alternative rock/punk, others are more metal or sludge even stoner or doom sometimes. On one hand perhaps some people may not like Rosy Finch because it is very eclectic, but on the other hand the people who love our music really do. We have amazing and true fans and we love them.
Our latest long album Scarlet had very good reviews by the metal underground scene but we have never felt part of a unique genre and we think it could be a little confusing for some listeners who need to classify each riff and each tune. Music is art and the beautiful and interesting thing is to be free making it. We think mixing different influences is the key for Rosy Finch.
Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go, do you have anything to say to your fans currently out there?
Thanks to all the people that support us, this keeps us making records and playing live shows. Their vibes feed our souls and make the band keep growing and evolving. We really appreciate your support. Thank you!
Words by Steve Howe and Rosy Finch
Thanks to Warren at Plug Music Agency For arranging this interview.
