“Fortune or Discord” (Self-published, 23) is the first album by Outskirts, a band born in La Roca del Vallés (Vallés Oriental). Its four young members express their concerns in these eleven songs (with airs of punk rock, melodic hardcore, pop punk or even metal or indie) defended by Berta’s catchy voice.
How was Periphery born? How did the four members meet?
(Quel) Periferia was born with Berta’s concern for wanting to sing with a band and, how could it be otherwise, a night of partying arose. It was in 2019 when Berta, along with Albert, the band’s former guitarist, and Aran, second vocalist for a short time, turned to Pol to join his premature project as bassist. Pol, as was to be expected, went without thinking too much about it, to which Pep and Quel, who already had a band with Pol, had to get screwed when they saw that Berta “stealed” their bass player. But later they were called at Pol’s request so that they also became part of the band as guitarist and drummer respectively. But this is only the anecdote of the formation of the group, since Periphery had a labor that lasted longer than normal. The birth of it took place in each rehearsal, in each beer after playing at the venue and in how each of us began to make the project our own. That’s when Periphery was born.
You are from the municipality of La Roca del Vallés. Did it motivate the name of the group?
(Quel) It was not the original name, which before was Extrarradio. We chose it by means of a list of names in which each one was proposing their proposals to later vote. One came out with which we indirectly saw ourselves represented by being part of the margins of the city. But we realized that another group called Extrarradio already existed, and we were forced to look for another name. What we did was look for a synonym. And so the idea of Periphery arose, which, given its same meaning, continued to represent what defined us from the previous name, but with the added value that it sounded much clearer and more curated. The name supports and flags our town roots.
In 2020 you release your first singles. Did the pandemic delay the start of your project in any way?
(Quel) Those were shitty times and it caused us more than one frustration to have to adapt to what, at that time, we called the “new normal”. Like so many people, the situation we had to deal with was not enough for us. But, even so, we were able to not lose the ambition to continue with the group. If we can boast of one thing, it is that, despite the fact that the pandemic screwed up all the concerts we did with each chair that was placed in the audience, we did not lower our heads at any time due to the situation, and our desire to put desire to the project that we were developing were what made us continue forward.
“The name supports and stands for our roots as a people”
In 2021 the EP “Ruta al desvelo” arrives. How did it work?
(Quel) “Ruta” is a project that meant much more to us than we apparently could have foreseen. Its importance lies in the value that was given to it and meant for the band. Its operation, based on the numbers, was not bad at all, especially considering that it was financed thanks to the support of the people through a crowdfunding campaign. This put added pressure on us, as well as extra motivation. Despite the fact that it is a slightly more experimental work than what really defines our style, we can be happy with the reception it received. We needed a project that was built from scratch, among all the members of the group, to give meaning to the idea of belonging, that each one of us felt part of something that we had created together. So we set out to compose an album without previously proposed ideas, without recycling other songs. In this way, we were able to create, while producing the album, a more consolidated relationship between us, and discover much more than we knew at that time.
And now “Fortuna o Discordia” is published, your first full-length. Does the album format still make sense?
(Pep) Despite the singles culture that has been forged in recent years, we believe that it still makes sense, but not in the same way. We understand it more as a compilation of a stage of the group, it is not the consumption format itself. People will listen to the songs that they like the most individually. But the album will always be there to leave the mark of a moment of that band.
It sounds very good: fresh, forceful… You have recorded and produced it, Pep, at Wheel Sound Studio. What previous experience did you have?
(Pep) Well, I have practically no previous experience. During confinement I became interested in recording and mixing. From there I started to record the guitars for the group’s first singles, and in this way I learned a lot, not only about recording but also about production, I discovered the sound that I liked and how to get there. In 2021 I started at Wheel Sound as an intern, where I learned a lot about producing records from the most technical to the artistic. And it was at the beginning of last year when I told the rest of the group that I saw myself capable of producing the next album. They trusted me one hundred percent and I am very grateful to them. Having finished the album, I am aware that I still have to improve but, with humility, I can say that I am very proud of my work and that of my colleagues. There’s been a disc.
What has been the modus operandi when recording? By clues, live…?
(Pep) We always record by tracks, everything separately, for the type of sound we are looking for it is much more convenient, more precise and detailed. All the songs have a lot of arrangements, voice harmonies, effects… complicated things to do while recording live. Besides, we have been recording the songs months apart, in some cases. We did two drum sessions at Wheel Sound Studio, one in the summer, where we recorded the singles and some other songs that we had already finished, and the other in November, where we recorded the rest of the album. We have been recording the guitars and basses on separate days, at home, and the voices, some at Stonewaves Studio and others at Wheel Sound. It has been a rather peculiar way of doing it, but it has made things easier for us, being able to record little by little, without haste, has ended up giving us a lot of room to touch up all the details and make it look exactly as we wanted.
How do you build the songs from when they are written on paper to what we hear on the record?
(Berta) I write part of the lyrics, but Quel, the drummer, has written several as well. He is one of the most talented people I know, his lyrics kill me. He is my favorite composer. The process we use consists of starting with a letter with a melody over some chords played with a guitar. As I said, Quel and I take care of this. There are virtually no fixes or anything like that at this point. Only lyrics, melody and chords. We usually record it with the mobile recorder and we start from there to work all together on the song. To do so, we meet at Pep’s house and, while he is in control of the computer, we all build a demo together with programmed drums and guitars and bass recorded in his room, contributing ideas and everything that occurs to us and the song asks us. The demos usually look quite similar to the final result on the album, we like to recreate ourselves in the process. Even so, we are demanding, and many times we find something to improve while we are in the studio, recording the final song.
Many references are distilled in your music: punk rock, melodic hardcore, rock, pop, indie, metal… Names like Elektroduendes, Marea or Zea Mays come to mind, do you dare to tell me any?
(Berta) Each one of us has his own particular references. For my part, I think the influence Kutxi has had when writing my songs is obvious. State rock has been very important to me and my development when it comes to writing lyrics. I also love the melodies of Dover, by Berri Txarrak… Pep, for example, has been more influenced by the international pop punk and more modern rock scene: producers like Nolly or Zakk Cervini, Sam Guaiana… Pol and Quel also have their own musical influences. We all listen to rock and derivatives, but from different corners of the world and looking for different things: good lyrics, good production, a specific style…
You have already presented the new work live in Barcelona and Madrid. How has the experience been?
(Quel) Spectacular. They were our first concerts in the hall, and we did not expect such a warm reception, we are super grateful for it. Seeing so many people shout and enjoy is something that makes your hair stand on end. The public lived it a lot and made us enjoy it like never before on stage.
And how is the remainder of the year presented? More venues, festivals…?
(Quel) Right now we can confirm these dates: June 16 in Almazán, in the Maneras de Vivir Room; and on June 23, at the El Último Bus festival, in the mountains of Madrid. But we can’t wait to shoot and we hope to confirm more dates soon.
There are many people who say that there is no generational change in rock. What would you tell them?
(Quel) Without a doubt, the scene has been stagnant for a long time, and it’s normal for there to be that feeling among people. There are a lot of very talented young bands doing rock, but it’s not easy to break into such a hermetic world. With the short time we’ve been here, we’ve noticed that people appreciate a bit of freshness, and the reception we’ve had has been wonderful. We and the scene owe ourselves to the bands that have accumulated so many years on stage, but we must give young people a vote of confidence.
