Time is an ally and where some only see snow on the roof, this quintet from Cartagena has found the courage to come up with a style that allows them to keep trying. The suicidal optimism of someone who knows that the years go by, but not in vain, as long as there is a defined objective in the spotlight.
That of Adrián Gutiérrez, Gonzalo Ruiz, Fernando Besada, Álex Dumdaca and Pedro Hernández is included in “Nunatak and The Invisible Island” (Altafonte, 23), the fifth job of this formation that does not throw in the towel despite having endured the most intense right hook of their career: a pandemic that curtailed their plans for the future and made them go back to the starting box.
Now, with renewed energy and a fervent desire to find his place, Sealed They display an introspective maturity with which they sign their most honest, natural and raw work, and incidentally pay homage to that private circle of friendship and fraternity that they have established over the years and without which they surely would not have survived professionally. On the release of their new studio album, we found ourselves on the airwaves with Adrián Gutiérrez, vocalist and leader of the group, and with Álex Dumdaca, drums.
With “Nunatak y Las Flores Salvajes” so far away, I imagine you’re really looking forward to getting back on track again, aren’t you?
Adrián Gutiérrez: Yes, of course. Not so much for believing that we were the only ones who during the pandemic had to eat our plans for the future, far from it, but because undoubtedly our ability to present and defend our latest album was totally reduced by circumstances, which it frustrated us so much. It was a dry cut in terms of everything we had in mind to do and right at what was probably the highest peak of our career.
“We have opted to look more inward and talk about our experiences and that circle that we have created between us”
Do you notice that the panorama has changed a lot since the last time you embarked on a project?
Adrián Gutiérrez: Personally, I do perceive the industry to have changed somewhat. In addition to the many bands that, unfortunately, have not overcome the pandemic, it is also a reality that indie and rock are no longer the main course at festivals, for example. Our generation has lost the baton and the power to decide what is cool and what is not.
Is there nostalgia in the air?
Adrián Gutiérrez: I live in a constant longing for the past, I cannot deny it. Once upon a time, I must have been Doctor Manhattan or something, because I think I have a hard time living in the present. [risas].
Álex Dumdaca: The passage of time is becoming quite strange for all of us, yes, but it is not so much due to the fact that we have been a group for ten years, like us, but rather due to the fact that we have lived through a pandemic that has destructured totally our way of understanding and conceiving life. When you’re in a band, it goes in cycles, you know? If it catches you that you just finished a tour and a pandemic hits, well, the acceptance of it integrates in a more “natural” way, I suppose. The problem is when you get caught in a high cycle, like we did, with a fair amount of bowling and plans in mind. We had been giving concerts practically every weekend for many years, and this was like a tremendous machete blow to our future and a sudden stop that has left us muddy. So there we are, seeing if we can restart the machinery.
With all this in the creative context of the album, would you say that pandemic wisps have slipped into “Nunatak y La Isla Invisible”?
Adrián Gutiérrez: We could say that we have had a somewhat different process than other bands, in regards to having worked during the pandemic. We made a sort of journey through the desert in search of new styles and references, and like all sons of neighbors, we took advantage of the break to compose a ton of songs and work remotely. A lot of songs came out, inevitably inspired by the pandemic, but we decided to leave them out, mainly because we knew there would already be hundreds of bands doing exactly the same thing, and because we wanted to create something more timeless that people wouldn’t get tired of listening to after two days. . After a very long process of tests and discards, we made the decision not to take the pandemic as the common thread of our new music.
I can sense, therefore, that “Nunatak and The Invisible Island” is not a mere chronology of what has been lived in recent years and that it hides behind it a more personal intrastory, right?
Álex Dumdaca: If you look closely, all of our albums have that characteristic title of “Nunatak y…”, a bit of a reference to that eighties cinema in which a character lives an intrepid new adventure in each installment, linking it in some way with the different stages that we’ve been through as a band. On this occasion, and unlike other times in which we have been more observant of what was around us, we have opted to look more inward and talk about our experiences and that circle that we have created between us. That virtual space that is generated by the hand of our different interconnections, our common experiences and how, in the end, this ends up being our particular island, far from external noise.
With titles like “Yo Me Lo Merezco”, “Acepto El Reto” or “Sigo Corriendo” it seems that you have a rather optimistic record.
Adrián Gutiérrez: It’s optimistic, but exudes a much more mature optimism than we could have shown on any of our previous albums. It is that kind of optimism of someone who is close to forty, or even over forty, and bets on assuming that shit is going to happen and that things are always going to be difficult, but on the other hand an effort must be made so that things continue to excite you. It’s also a sign that currently identifies us as a band, because after all we’ve been doing this for ten years and we still can’t say that we make a living from it. “I Accept The Challenge”, for example, contains totally autobiographical lyrics in which we show our desire to keep trying, because we are aware that this is what makes us happy.
Álex Dumdaca: A realistic optimism, the one that is born from the loss of innocence.
“We try that everything we put out in networks shows us as we are, honestly, that is why perhaps we are not the band that has the most activity”
In addition, with the printed Paco Loco seal, which is always a guarantee of success.
Álex Dumdaca: I had previously worked with him in another band, and I was fascinated by the way he produced and approached each song. His way of understanding music, based on experimentation and freedom, was very much in opposition to the more conscientious method that other producers had used with us in previous works, and we rightly believed that Paco’s style was perfectly suited to these new songs, that after all, they asked for more crudeness and naturalness. He is very much in favor of constantly playing and trying new things, which was great for us to find what we wanted. Also, we had a great time, Paco’s studio is like an amusement park for a musician.
Adrián Gutiérrez: Working with him also helped us get closer to a style that was more similar to what we were looking for. We had been trying for a long time to escape from the quintessential “indie festival” sound, that of choirs and kick drums, in which unfortunately we have been categorized for many years. Perhaps it is true that in the past we have composed certain songs that have sinned by being close to this premise, but I am convinced that with Paco Loco we have achieved our purpose, finding authenticity and beauty in that wonderful imperfect spontaneity that has its personal touch.
Going back to “I Deserve It”, which I mentioned before, I really like that critical tirade that you send to the RRSS. Something that inevitably leads me to wonder how Nunatak handles this new trend and the need to create digital content that makes you stay connected to the public.
Adrián Gutiérrez: I’m having a bad time, frankly. It is a very strange world for me, where purity is conspicuous by its total absence. We try that everything we put out in networks shows us as we are, honestly, that’s why we may not be the band that has the most activity or the one that generates the greatest engagement with its followers, but in the end, that’s how we are really and betting on acting otherwise would be going against ourselves. It is true that on some occasions we upload certain things due to the imposition of circumstances, but let’s not forget that, after all, this is still a company, and as such, it needs to be publicized.
Álex Dumdaca: Of course, the situation is what it is, if you’re not on the internet it gives the feeling that you don’t exist. But once you assume that, we also try to make the content we upload purely musical. We come from a time when the only way we had to create ties with our favorite artists was by going to the record store or lining our folders with their photos, so it is very difficult for us to understand this cycle change in which we now have to see singers and musicians who are cool making stories and telling us until their dog has gotten sick [risas].
Speaking of other artists, this time you leave collaborations aside, after having made several in the last two years. The most famous, perhaps, was that version of “Heroes”, with such a massive cast of bands and singers.
Adrián Gutiérrez: Yes, although unfortunately and due to the pandemic context in which it occurred, there was never a physical meeting between those involved and everything was limited to mere work in digital format. But beyond what it meant to be surrounded by so many top-level artists, our maxim was to sign up for this project for what in itself meant paying tribute to the toilets, who had suffered like bastards in the most arduous months of the pandemic. .
Something that, ironically, continues to be valid as we have seen in the massive demonstrations for public health recently.
Adrián Gutiérrez: Exactly, it was fair to participate in something like that. Of those we were still with Warner, so when we were asked to participate in this cool initiative, we didn’t even think about it.
Something that has also always marked your speech is that more demanding side, especially with regard to the state of the Mar Menor. Although on this occasion you have left the subject a bit more isolated, do you think improvements are intuited or have people ended up accepting the situation as an unsolvable scenario?
Adrián Gutiérrez: Personally, I would say that there have been changes for the better. The Region of Murcia is undoubtedly conservative, and as we all know, in Spain it is very difficult to go against the political party that you have historically voted for, no matter how much it does reprehensible or indecent things. But for the first time in the history of this community the average conservative voter has come to realize that this was not right. You could see this by looking at the atmosphere in the demonstrations, since there were not only hippies and perroflautas, but also many older people who were surely PP voters. After all, we are talking about a land that belongs to everyone and people have realized that it needs a solution. So, as I was saying, now it seems that the parties are listening to us more, thanks to the dissemination platforms and the neighborhood action plans, and even the PP has gotten involved and has begun to establish management plans and councils. Although of course there is still a lot to be done, the feeling is that at least there is an intention to work on it and little by little offer a truce to the Mar Menor. Let’s hope it’s not just a passing illusion.
