In august we sat down with The Generation again to talk to them about their, now released, EP Heartbreak Season. They told us all about the production, how they started recording in their basement, and the story behind the EP itself.
The idea for an EP was not a new one at all as they’ve already talked about it when there still were five of them, way over a year ago, but it took them some time to record, mix and master, and finish it. Although before something can be finished it has to be started so let’s take it from the top:
The idea for an EP was birthed when their former member and guitarist was still part of the band. All songs they had were supposed to be put on it together but through the departure of their former bandmate and some reestablishment that took place due to this they had to delay and rethink this plan. The band started to record in a professional studio but soon it was evident that this did not fit their wishes and needs so they made a huge decision and took matters in their own hands. A lot of time and money was invested in transforming drummer Lukas’ basement into a place fit for recording. During this process they cut out the old songs and started writing completely new ones. At the same time, they started to focus a lot on production, which entailed lots of work, many errors, and the outcome – most of the songs. This way they were able to experiment with lots of different ideas but the sound they wanted for their music, the big 80s sound with heavy drums, would not have been possible without their producer Lukas Roth who was the best choice for them as he is an expert in this field, especially everything concerning drums and he got the sound to where they wanted it at. There was a huge amount of material to work through as the EP has more than 100 audio tracks, which is about 5 times as much your usual pop song would have. Especially drums and guitar were a challenge, but they learned from every mistake and in the end, they ended up with something they are incredibly proud of.
The songs themselves tell a story which the guys have told us about as well. It is a story about love and excitement and subsequent heartbreak and healing from this again. About finding a reason behind it all and finding back to life after all this hurt. The start is a moody instrumental called “Temptation” before moving on to an upbeat, happy song about excitement, meeting someone new and telling them to “Take a Chance”. Then there must be “Scars on her Heart” as there is something off, something isn’t right anymore, she slips away. The music is still upbeat, but it gets moodier, a bit more dramatic and isn’t as light hearted as the track before. It’s the interlude “Love” that sets the tone for the next songs as it shows a change of mood, it gets sad, something breaks and isn’t mendable anymore. Rock bottom has been reached in “It was you”, the relationship cannot be fixed anymore, and the ‘protagonist’ is heartbroken about the loss. At some point he is “Back on the Ground” and gets back up again, dusts off his jacket, and moves on. And the big finale is “Heartbreak Season”, the moral of the story, an upbeat song where everything is coming full circle again.
Well guys, this is the story of Heartbreak Season, a classic tale we all know too well, you fall in love, you get your heart broken, and at some point, you move on again. A Tale as old as time that never loses its relevance. At this point – Go listen to it!
Written by Anna
Edited by Vanessa