car crash weather is a band whose musical evolution is as intriguing as their name suggests. What began as a nameless, irregular jam session has blossomed into a captivating fusion of post-rock, post-metal, and prog, anchored by a shared passion for the melancholic, massive, and haunting elements of music. Drawing inspiration from the atmospheric conditions that evoke both beauty and danger, Zürich-based act crafts compositions that resonate with emotional depth and raw intensity. Join us as we dive into the world of car crash weather, where every note is a journey and every performance is an immersive experience.
car crash weather started as a nameless, irregular jam session and gradually evolved into a progressive/post-rock band. That’s what you say in your biography. Can you share the journey of the band’s formation and the challenges faced in finding your unique musical identity?
Around 2008, Pius and Marco, who shared a flat at the time, started jamming just for the fun of it. With time, a few friends joined in from time to time. In 2011 things got a bit more serious when we were able to find a rehearsal space and regular members in regular rehearsals. This was a time where a lot of things were tested musically and the general direction went into something like Alternative Rock. In late 2013, Dzhevret joined on drums and brought a whole new level of experience and musicianship to early car crash weather. Shows were played and with his skillset, Dzhev evolved us slowly to more complex songwriting. In 2014 we replaced the original members on bass and guitar with more motivated and dedicated people. This was the line-up with which we wrote our first full length “Secondary Drowning”. In 2020, Ives joined on bass and like Dzhev, he brought a fantastic skillset to the band. In 2023, guitarist Michael left. Since then, we are a quartet. All in all we can say that our musical style grew with every member that joined and brought his experiences, tastes, and skills to the band. We never really had big discussions about the style we play since we all share a love for sound walls and hence are happy in the niche of Post*-Music.
The band has been based in post-rock, post-metal, and prog since around 2014. How do you approach blending these genres, and what elements from each genre contribute to the distinctive sound of car crash weather?
This question is hard to answer since we do not write according to a certain recipe. It is just what happens when we play and write. We consider good music to have a certain depth and thought. Hence, you won’t find us playing overly simplified chord progressions or structures. The odd meters, modular scales and rather long compositions are definitely the element out of Prog. Post-Rock and Post-Metal find their way into our music with the use of typical effects and the level of distortion added. The fact that we don’t use vocals also helps in placing us in the realm of Post*-Music.
The band name, car crash weather, is intriguing and metaphorical. How does it embody the essence of your music, and what atmospheric conditions or emotions are you trying to convey through your compositions?
Thank you! We had a lot of fun coming up with this name and found it fitting. If you want, you can look at the name as something that includes a large variety of facets. From a delicate sounding cold and snowy winter night to a full grown hurricane, you’ll find about anything in our compositions. Just never drive your car under those conditions.
The 2016 EP “Origins” marked a significant milestone for car crash weather. Can you delve into the themes and creative process behind this release, and how did it set the tone for your subsequent work?
“Origins” can be taken literally. These three songs represented our abilities and best efforts at the time when it was written somewhere between 2013 and 2015. With this release we stepped into the Post* world.
“Secondary Drowning,” released in 2018, is described as a concept album about migration. What inspired the concept, and how did you approach translating such a profound theme into your music?
About one third of the population in Switzerland was not born here. The cultural diversity is therefore enormous. Also in car crash weather, some members either have cultural roots outside of Switzerland or even migrated here themselves. During the writing process of Secondary Drowning, the war in Syria was at its peak and many people escaped those horrible conditions. With several tens of thousands of refugees coming to Switzerland, parts of our society showed their ugly side. Being politically interested ourselves, we decided to portray an abstract story of someone escaping a hardship and trying to find a safe place somewhere else.
The band invested the following years in the elaboration of a new concept album, “Terra Nostra.” Can you provide insights into the themes explored in this upcoming release, and how does it differ from your previous works?
Terra Nostra was released in April of 2023, a whole five years after Secondary Drowning. Thematically, Terra Nostra is not too far away from its predecessor as it shines a light on human interaction with themselves and with nature. Ever since releasing Secondary Drowning, the world spiraled even more out of control. So we found it fitting to take action in an artist’s manner and take a stand, stick a finger in the wound but also plant a seed of hope. There is still a lot of beauty and humanity around us.
car crash weather has performed at various local, national, and international gigs, including DIY-organized events and well-known festivals. How has the live performance aspect contributed to the band’s growth and evolution?
For us, playing shows is extremely rewarding and addictive in a way. We were very lucky to meet a whole bunch of good people who gave us a lot of opportunities to play shows. Also, we rarely ever met a band whose members were not downright great and a pleasure to be around with. If you are dedicated and passionate about what you do as a band, you can expand your network with every show you play. It takes a lot of work and it is not easy, but absolutely worth it.
As a band, you share a love for the melancholic, massive, fragile, haunting, and moving elements of composition. How do you ensure that these elements are consistently present in your music, and what emotions do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
We do what we love to do musically and that includes all above mentioned elements in compositions. What a listener feels or how somebody interprets a composition is absolutely individual and we would not want to tell the audience what to do with our music. But, admitted, it is a fine line between creating a concept album and leaving room for interpretation.
Can you share any memorable experiences from your live performances, whether it be opening for internationally known bands or participating in well-known festivals of the scene?
Oh there are many, and almost all of them are positive. A fantastic show with several other bands and a surprisingly large audience on our first trip to Germany (Kempten). In the aftermath of the show what felt like the whole crowd and all the bands went out to have a very german amount of beers at a tiny bar. Fantastic. Or the nastiest sleeping place imaginable in a hoarder home in Orléans, France. Or having band members from foreign bands over at our private places and eating and talking music with them. Or our broken down van on our way to northern Germany. Or driving several hours, doing soundcheck and all for an audience of exactly four people in Hamburg, Germany. Or the shaking knees before playing Bergmal Festival in our hometown of Zürich in 2018. Or realizing that a couple drove several hours just to see us play. Or the funny hours in the van with the band mates when driving to a show. We recall only one situation with a very entitled and arrogant band we supported that was unpleasant. See, playing shows is simply the best part.
Looking back on your musical journey, what have been the most significant lessons learned as a band, and how have these lessons influenced your approach to creating and performing music?
A band consists of several individuals with their own approaches, personalities, backgrounds, etc. Sometimes it fits, sometimes it doesn’t. In the end it comes down to trust, mutual respect, and the feeling of being around people you enjoy sharing this passion with. If these things are working out, we get the best results.
The band has experienced member changes and stylistic finding processes. How do these changes impact the dynamics within the group, and how do you navigate evolving as a band while maintaining a cohesive sound?
It is always difficult when you have to part ways with someone. But if your ideas on how a band works with everything that goes with it differs too much from the rest of the group, it might be better to make room. In our experience, we grew stronger with each change. In the meantime, all of our private lives got fuller so it is even more important to be around people you like spending time with or do work for in your limited free time. Stilistically, we are now deeply rooted in the scene we are in. Of course, every new member brought their musical nuance to the band, but the general music style has been defined years ago already.
How does the cultural and musical landscape of Zürich, Switzerland, influence car crash weather’s sound and identity?
We’ve been experiencing nothing but open arms so far. We happen to fit into the diverse Post* world and being members of a small scene of course helps with creating an identity. But it is important to say that without the help of many hard working people (here’s to you, Bergmal!) the Post*-scene in Zürich would be much smaller if existant at all.
Are there specific tracks from your discography that hold special significance for the band or have unique stories behind their creation?
Our first EP “Origins” aside, all our tracks are part of a concept album. Our current set represents the songs that work best in a live situation in our opinion. But highlighing one track as particularly special is not really possible for us.
What are car crash weather’s aspirations for the future, both in terms of musical exploration and the impact you hope to have within the progressive/post-rock scene?
Most of all, we just want to keep it going as long as we can. No end in sight so far. We surely will write more music and release it once we find it good enough. We are very motivated to play as many shows as possible and to get our name out to as many people as possible. It’s been incredible so far.
car crash weather’s latest album, “Terra Nostra,” is on Bandcamp here.
