Last month, Brighton act ĠENN released their new EP Liminal. After hearing the wonderfully weird ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’, the EP quickly became one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Thankfully it hit and exceeded all expectations. By allowing the stranger elements to dive deeper into their sound, ĠENN produced some excellent tunes through a myriad of genres. Easily becoming one of the best EPs of the year.
Dead Good Music has had the pleasure of interviewing Janelle from the band! Our very first interview. In this chat we talk about Liminal, ĠENN’s expressive sound and of course, Mackerel. A huge thank you to Janelle for taking the time to answer these questions. Enjoy.
Photo credit: Bridie Florence
Hey ĠENN, how’s it going?
Janelle: Doing well, thanks!
You’ve recently released your new EP Liminal. How does it feel to know that it’s out there?
Janelle: Huge relief is an understatement. We’ve been working on the EP for the past year or so, so the fact that it’s out there and it’s been so well-received is a relief!
On your interview with Reel Culture, you mention how you wanted Liminal to highlight how much change has happened to the band from debut album Titty Monster. Do you feel you were able to do this?
Janelle: Yeah, definitely! I think the fact that the EP was wholly written and finalised during the first lockdown managed to highlight that element of liminality that we wanted to portray when we initially set out to write the EP. We all agree that it managed to capture a specific moment in time.
Your sound is quite varied and uses elements from multiple genres, which ties in to the travelling world of ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’. Does having that scope and freedom help with the writing process?
Janelle: Well, in this case, we were basically stuck in different houses, trying to write an EP, so we weren’t super free and all 😉 But yeah, mentally we never set out to sound like anything in particular, and everyone’s free to experiment with their sound. I guess this sense of experimentation and genre-lessness is kinda becoming our signature thing. Personally, I love it!
Speaking of the single, what made you opt for Mackerel as your fish of choice?
Janelle: I honestly have no idea as Leona wrote the lyrics. She said that she thinks they look funny. I think Mackerel’s Funky Mission has a quasi-alliteration thing going on so it works!
While ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ aimed to get away from everything, ‘Catalyst’ dives in the middle for revolution. How important is it as a band to write music around current events?
Janelle: As a band, we’re becoming more and more aware of social injustices. Living in Brighton helps as it’s a vibrant city that’s rife with protests and activism. Last year’s events, in particular, made us reflect on stuff and I guess music was our way of challenging all of these extrinsic and intrinsic turbulences into something that made sense for us.
What’s next for ĠENN? What are you looking forward to doing once normalcy can resume?
Janelle: Gigs and travelling! We’re honestly a pack of wanderers so we can’t wait to indulge in a cycle of travelling and gigging…and, of course, eating at service stations and random cafes around Europe.
What are you currently listening to?
Janelle: I’m listening to a mix of stuff… my top artists on Spotify this month are The Notorious B.I.G, Sheridan Reed, LeeHi, Fugees, Bob Marley, Khruangbin etc. I’ve just discovered the Japanese experimental band OOIOO and I’m loving their stuff!
Thanks very much for chatting with us. If you could end the interview with one final thought, what would it be?
Janelle: Be kind, always, but especially during this difficult time!