Rockers Paraside talk about their new EP!

We're back with a new interview, introducing you guys this time to the rock band Paraside. The guys have just dropped their new record “Chapter I: Dreams, Hopes and Other Obvious Lies” and took time to answer a few questions linked to this release. Check out the full interview below!
Paraside - Band picture by Istvan Csanyi

Hello Paraside, thanks for your time. Would it be possible to introduce your band to our readers?

Thank you for the opportunity! We all had music background, we all played in various bands at one point. As we got into our adulthood we got families and we took jobs. However, a few years ago, we felt we still want to play music and we still had the motivation to write new songs. Vic and Pete knew each other from playing in a band a few years ago and Matt’s Mom is a neighbour of Vic’s Mom so they crossed paths already. Danny and Vic met in a Pink cover band and when Danny joined Paraside the line up got final.

You’ve released “Chapter I: Dreams, Hopes and Other Obvious Lies” with some brand new material on October 4th. How long have you worked on this release?

We wrote the first song Is There Anybody Listening about a year ago but we weren't fully happy with the sound, so we worked on it for many months to find the sound that is now represents Paraside. Since then, we wrote many songs, but we wanted to pick the best 3 of them. Usually, you have indefinite time to write and master your first song then you really have to pick up how often you release a new song. We still plan to release a new in every 1-2 months. We already finished, mixed and mastered our first song for Chapter II already.

Is there one song that, according to you, best reflects the overall spirit of this EP? If yes, which one and why?

I would pick Vultures of my life. We love catchy tunes and we are maximalist when it comes to writing music and Vultures became pretty much the crown jewel of this EP. We spared nothing to get the sound and the mood we were looking for. We all had people in our life who took advantage of us, even we loved and cared of them. Vultures is about these relationships.

You've had the opportunity to work with Stefan Helleblad of Within Temptation for the mix and production. How did this collaboration happen?

Vic knew Ruud Jolie (the other guitarist from Within Temptation), he is Vic’s friend, mentor and teacher. He introduced Stef and Vic at one point to each other. The chemistry worked right away, Stefan is extremely creative and his sense of humor was a perfect match. Stef was producing the songs and he also mixed them for us.

How would you describe your usual writing process?

Typically, it begins with Vic writing the track, creating the first demo. Then Matt takes over, re-arranging and introducing some new parts before writing the vocals for it before they finalise the song together.

Any funny stories to share from your recording sessions?

Once the first demo is done and Matt takes over, Vic always call the process of “destroying the song” and it’s always comes down to Pete to calm the guys down. Since both Matt and Vic has a strong personality, there are times when Pete’s calmness is needed to get through things. Regardless we all call each other a friend and we can all count on the others.

Can we talk about the process of creating the artwork of your EP and the overall idea behind this visual?

When we got to the album art, we wanted to create something that would summarise the feeling of being innocently alone in a weird word, full of weirdness. Vic’s other hobby is creating art by AI so we gave him a chance and I think the final image proves that, it was the right decision. As a matter of fact we are already working on a digital booklet of “The Art Of Dreams, Hopes And Other Obvious Lies”, sort of a comic book based on our songs. We will offer it on our website, hopefully soon.

The last words are for you. If you have a message to convey, here’s your chance!

Pete called the moment when we decided to form Paraside as “turning back from the last exit”. This band became our place where we pour heart into songs. It is very important for us to rely messages to our fans, hopefully helping them if/when they meet with these topics themselves too. While we always try to write catchy tunes, we would like to send strong messages that can offer support for the fans. We already got some stories telling us how’s our songs touched fans and when we read these stories it always warms our heart. We are looking forward when we can meet people in live gigs and we can’t wait to start touring. We thank every single fan who listen our songs, follow us and message us. We try to answer everyone.

Thanks for your time!