In this interview, we sit down with Domonkos Gera, the charismatic frontman of the Hungarian psychedelic rock band Flowʍolꓞ. Since their formation, Flowʍolꓞ have been developing their sound with a blend of psychedelic and progressive rock, drawing inspiration from their personal experiences and rich musical backgrounds. With a debut album titled Alcohol & Darkness, the band explore profound themes such as substance abuse, isolation, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.
Domonkos shares insights into the band’s creative process, the challenges they’ve faced along the way, and how his time in the UK shaped the band’s sound and lyrical content.
What inspired you to form Flowʍolꓞ, and how did your previous collaborations influence the band’s direction?
The years I’ve spent in the UK had a massive effect on my personal life, as well as on my songwriting process. So it has become apparent that these new songs would not fit in any of the projects I had at the time or have had before. This ignited the idea to seek out former band members and friends – all great musicians – to work together, and create something different! Our previous mutual experience helped us shape the band and keep the musical ideas coherent, while adding all our personal influences! Also having known each other just generally sped up the formation process which is really important when you have slightly more complex and usually 5+ minutes long songs.
Your music is described as a blend of psychedelic rock with progressive elements. How do you define your sound, and what sets it apart from other bands in the genre?
Great question as there are plenty of amazing bands in the business at the moment! Our speciality lies in being able to merge the classic prog and psychedelic elements into a symbolic coherence, while keeping the Song in focus. So despite the darkness and complex elements, we strive to create music that could still be enjoyed!
We also focus on giving atmospheric live performances, inviting our audience on a journey of self-exploration, where they can experience a wide spectrum of emotions together! I believe that meeting people in person is essential in this genre! That is the best way to build your community and spread your message!
Can you tell us more about the themes present in your first album, Alcohol & Darkness, and what you aimed to convey through its lyrics?
We explore the topics of substance abuse, depression and the feeling of being lost or alone, all that is dark within ourselves! These emotions are all invoked through symbolic themes however, for example rain is a recurring element that we love to use in the lyrics as well as in the music as an ambient noise. Rain symbolizes the cold dark world outside as well as within, but also stands for the alcohol we drink or the tears we cry!
Our core goal with the lyrics was to raise awareness of these struggles and also offer some form of therapy! (But of course nothing substitutes real therapy, we encourage everyone to reach out to a professional, if they are struggling!)
How did living in London influence the songwriting process for your music? Can you share any specific experiences that shaped your lyrics?
There is one specific story that comes to mind when I look back on that time. It is likely the most important phrase of the whole album, which can be heard in the title song of the album: “Don’t ever be sorry for what you are!” I overheard this sentence at a house party in Peckham, London, and it struck me so heavily! It summed up many of my thoughts on what having demons feel like. How we feel ashamed of ourselves for making mistakes, especially when self-blame meets addiction.
One other memory—which was more of a constant state of mind—would be the feeling of being alone in the crowd. In a city with the population of a smaller country (like our home country, Hungary) it is easy to get lost, both literally and figuratively, detaching from our reality and self! This theme inspired two songs ‘Simple’ and ‘Drop’, but had a heavy influence on the whole album!
But there are countless other events that had an impact on me and therefore the songs, for example I had the opportunity to see many of my favorite artists live in London, most importantly Thrice and Steven Wilson!
What was the creative process like for Alcohol & Darkness? Were there any memorable moments during its production?
The creation of the debut album was full of challenges, and took us about two years to finish! This partially has to do with the fact that we recorded everything by ourselves at a home studio, and also due to the pandemic that delayed rehearsals and recording sessions!
But the process also helped us connect with the material on a different level, we explored the layers of each song, and gave us the opportunity to polish our sound!
Also, on a personal level, it allowed me to reflect on the experiences I had at the time of writing the songs and process the challenges I’ve faced then! If writing these songs was a part of a therapeutic journey, this was definitely a healing period too!
You describe your melodies as “eerie.” How do you achieve that atmosphere in your music, and what role do dynamics play in this?
Using a wide dynamic range in songs always interested me, and many of my favorite artists explore it freely! Cathartic endings are very dear to me, especially when combined with dissonant, dark verses. This contrast and ambivalency is what drives most of our songs!
The symbolic lyrics also aim to build on this opposition, the usually longer, more dense verses lead into a chorus that only consists of a few words. The eerie, unsettling effect is the result of this ambivalence.
What can you tell us about the meaning behind the album title Alcohol & Darkness? How does it reflect the overall themes of the album?
The songs on the album are loosely connected by the story of a person moving to a huge city (like London) and finding the pleasures of life there, then falling victim to these false idols, finally losing touch with reality and all other humans because of them. Of course the whole material is open to interpretation, but this fictitious story connects all the themes and provides context for the individual pieces too!
So in the title ‘Alcohol’ refers to all mind altering substances that can lead to our inner “Darkness”.
Since your debut at the 2021 Waldorf Festival, how has your performance evolved? What have you learned from playing live at various venues and festivals?
I have to admit, at that time we had no idea how to put on a good show, how to convey our message live, and this is the area we have focused on the most! We had to, as this genre works best in a live setting, and we are constantly looking for areas to improve. Luckily, we have many opportunities to reflect and took part in competitions where we received valuable feedback! But likely the most important lesson we have learned (which sounds obvious but easier said than done) was to enjoy our time on the stage, and let the emotions guide us!
How do you engage with your audience during live performances, and what kind of reactions do you hope to evoke from them?
As mentioned earlier, we invite the audience to accompany us on an emotional journey, so rather than asking them to jump up and down, or run around in circles – which is a very trendy thing to do, we know – we ask them to face their internal conflicts and relieve them through the music instead. To dive down and hopefully find some sense and beauty within!
It is admittedly a tougher thing to achieve, but a much more rewarding one! Also it is a great experience for us as well to see the audience go through this process with us!
What challenges have you faced as a band since your formation, and how have you overcome them together?
We mentioned the pandemic that disrupted our regular rehearsals for a long period, hindering all projects. In that case there was nothing to do but wait for it to pass, so our patience was tested!
But we have also gone through a few member changes, which is always a challenge for small bands. Our previous bassist moved abroad and we have also parted ways with our keyboard player. Luckily, we have many musician friends who were happy to help out and fill in these vacancies! Although it is always tough to see a member leave, we came out stronger and better friends on the other side, probably because we all realized that nothing is permanent, especially not in the world of making music, so we have to appreciate each other while we can! It is a commonplace, but it is also true!
Are there any particular artists or genres that heavily influence your music, both within and outside of the psychedelic rock genre?
Porcupine Tree and Opeth are definitely the two most influential bands that we love! We also idolize Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Rush, Nirvana and Thrice! This is the international half of our influences. The other half is rooted in our national heritage, the effect of Hungarian alternative genre is undeniably present in our music too. Artists less widely known like Quiby, Hiperkarma or Tape Underground are just as important for us as the ones mentioned above! Their lyric-driven music shaped us as well for sure!
So our music can be described as the mixture of more than one world!
What’s next for Flowʍolꓞ? Can we expect new music, tours, or collaborations in the near future?
Currently, we are focusing on resolidifying our integrity as a band after the recent changes! We have also released a music video recently (“Somber”) to commemorate the one-year anniversary of our first album! Finally we are working on several new songs that we are planning to release next spring along with a new music video to support them! So we will stay busy, some live shows are also planned for next year already, and we can not wait to be on stage again, because that is why we do it, to meet people live and play music with and for other humans! All who feel lost are welcome!
