The Sick Man of Europe open the door ajar, a tiny bit, on their intriguing new album.

Their debut album has a number of strikingly brilliant tracks. Overall, it is a strong mood, an experimental manifesto. After being somewhat baffled by who and what The Sick Man of Europe is, we reached out for some answers. Whilst I still can’t tell you who they are, I can confirm they have responded to all our questions. This is legitimately their own answers. Is this the Krautrock/Synth-punk Sleep Token? There are no masks here, but there is a desire to retain an air of separation from the artist to the project.

Reading Indie Life: The Sick Man of Europe feels like quite a mystery.  What is the backstory to this project? How did it come together?  Who is in this group?

The Sick Man of Europe: The Sick Man Of Europe is a container: a mess of contradictions and a name for something that needed a name. 

At the moment it’s a combination of human limbs and machines. But it is as malleable as it is uncompromising. It’s an ever changing mass in pursuit of a predefined set of rules.

Mystery isn’t the aim here, but it’s a useful tool. If the lack of detail makes people listen more closely, then that’s good.

Is the name a reference to Britain? Is it a post-Brexit thing?

Not explicitly. The term has existed far longer than these current headlines. If people hear that reference, it’s because the name carries that weight.

It’s a diplomatic slur — a badge of shame that’s been worn by many before. I just picked it up for a while. It fits.

The album sounds amazing but has a very limited set of sonic building blocks.  What was it about restricting what you had access to that appealed during the creative process?

Stripping away the noise. Boiling away the impurities. Minimalism, focus.

Fewer elements tend to carry more weight. It’s an experiment in economy:  consciously anti-rock, where every repetition, every repeated phrase has the space to build meaning.

The album lyrically feels very negative towards modern ways of living.  What do you think needs to change to put things back into balance? 

We exist in a time where our social interactions have been completely commodified. It’s highly alluring and we’ve become serfs to technology.

This cheap imitation meets our social needs in the same way fast food quells hunger. We’re likely too far gone. ‘Progress,’ tends to tumble only in one direction — towards entropy.

We shouldn’t cling too tightly to what we think we had. Life is impermanent. History doesn’t promise restoration. 

Are there any specific influences which inspired the work?  To my ear, Suicide, Bauhaus, Kraftwerk and Joy Division all feel like reference points. 

Those are flattering comparisons. Sometimes I can hear them too, but the musical references weren’t intentional. I’m not trying to pay homage to the past, or even subvert it.

Anxiety, societal decay, misheard conversations. These things shaped the sound more directly.

Will you keep the restricted palette, or is the next Sick Man Of Europe album likely to sound very different?

The more these sounds are played, the grooves deepen. The words collect weight, and it hangs on to every note.

With this process of repetition, the intensity also grows. This is reflected in the live performances. If anything, future recorded output from The Sick Man Of Europe will develop in a similar way. The intention is to push this as far as it will go.

How was the tour supporting Snapped Ankles?  I nearly went to the Reading gig but didn’t get there, I am now gutted that I missed you! Please come back to Reading soon.

Looking back now, it feels like a bit of a blur. The tour was an experiment in discipline.

The live performances were intense. Everything takes on new weight. The repetition and the rhythm trains the human body and mind.

So many shows in such a short time was the perfect platform for the live performance to grow and take its own form. Barely recognisable from how it started out. 

What would your perfect day look like? 

Nature. Love. Beauty. Spontaneous creativity. Lightness. Weight. The absence of urgency. A day that reveals itself one moment at a time.

Thank you for your time.  We hope the new album finds the audience it very much deserves.

The Sick Man of Europe: The Sick Man of Europe

The Sick Man Of Europe Album Launch Show