Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1013924
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 AUGUST 2018 THIS WEEK MUSIC socio-political weight? Agius: In a way, it does. To me, singing in English would mean wanting to gain interna- tional acclaim and tour. That was me five years ago with my previous band, Five From Ze- ro. Mistura's approach is very different. We're focused on Malta and have a connection with our audience's shared experience. As much as we'd like people to love the tunes like we do, we're not overly bothered if they don't. We're a bunch of fat lads, making political dad rock in Maltese, for fuck's sake. We're having a laugh, not aiming to be the next Muse. We'd be lucky to be the next Freddie Portelli. Olivari: The things we speak about would be lost in trans- lation if we had to sing in Eng- lish. It's not about patriotism, but about finding the correct tool for the circumstances, and the one we're more com- fortable with. It shows even in the way we write the songs and sing them. Sometimes you hear a song in Maltese and if you don't listen intently you'd think it was in some other language, such as English or Italian, with exaggerated accents by the singer. With us, for better or worse, you get the vernacu- lar sung in a very Maltese way – a bit like Walter Micallef on steroids. Reghbus will be your second studio album. Lyrically, it hits on some pretty explicit targets when it comes to the discontents of contemporary Maltese life; as exemplified with some potency in the album's first single, 'Tuna Isimkom', which takes a clear dig at the construction industry. Would you say you've become more bitter over time, or is this simply a matter of becoming more comfortable with attacking what you feel needs to be attacked? Malcolm Bonnici: I believe it's a bit of both. Personally, I've become older and more cynical. So yes, over time we've become more bitter, but we've also become more mature. Agius: Regarding theme, the clue's in the name: the album is an indictment of the greed that is consuming Maltese so- ciety. Sure, I'm bitter. Time has also allowed me to see the bigger picture and I want to do something about it. Olivari: I think the album reflects the current times. Very impatient and loud. The lyrics, especially, are much more sardonic. They are the creation of digital immigrants who over the last couple of decades saw the world going postal with what were sup- posed to be unprecedented technological advancements. We used to have village idiots and now we have global vil- lage ones. Going by the general thrust of this album and the commentary you've offered up on it so far, you appear to be of the opinion that too many Maltese bands are striving for appeasement – of the popular media, of the general public all the while, perhaps, straining for an international attention that is never likely to come. Would you say this is an accurate description of your position? Agius: We didn't really make any effort to make it a com- mercial success, in fact it looks like we did the opposite somehow. As Antonio wrote on the Facebook page: "In this context of not giving a shit, we've just decided that our first single from the new al- bum, Tuna Isimkom, is going to be one that takes one full minute for the first verse to start, doesn't have a chorus, it has a minute and a half long solo/musical interlude in the middle and is a nice direct let- ter to heartless building con- tractors. It's against all advice we've received so far." Olivari: Good sense dictates that "you need to have a ra- dio-friendly song to promote the album!" and "you need to get people to dance and have fun!". But so what – this is what we think is more rel- evant at the moment and not some happy go lucky fun song for idiots who will not like the rest of our songs anyway. And I think this song is one of those that makes us…. us, warts and all. And people who get this song will get us as a band. Bonnici: We obviously have a couple of sarcastically hap- py songs as well in the album, but let's not jump the gun here. Azzopardi: I believe each band has an identity, and Mistura's is to jab at social constructs, socio-political commentary and tongue-in- cheek songs against close- minded individuals. To that extent, we are ultimately an underground band, with no intention of commercial suc- cess. We know our audience, and this is what they appreci- ate and look for in Mistura. What do you hope listeners will get out of your album, ultimately? Agius: I hope listeners will get the motivation to go out and change things for the bet- ter. And by motivation I mean anger because there's noth- ing like a baying crowd to get things moving. I also hope our listeners will get laid, be- cause that'd be a great thing to happen. Olivari: There are people who are on a strict sugary sweet diet, and those are not our audience. If you dig the sour, the salty and the bit- ter, then you'll find plenty of ground to discover and hope- fully enjoy. What's next for you? Agius: Mine's a bourbon. Oh, you mean musically? We still need to discuss the finer points of future-planning, but it should include a few gigs and more songwriting. We're open for bookings by coura- geous venues. Olivari: We're definitely looking at launching the al- bum now, which is being fi- nalised and going to print as we speak. We'll provide more information about it as soon as we officially announce the launch. We're also looking into creating a couple more videos of songs from the al- bum as a follow-up to Tuna Isimkom. Bonnici: We're also look- ing at playing more gigs – it's been a while now since we last performed together and it's something we're all looking forward to. Agius: Eventually a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Or a handprint in some wet concrete footpath in Mqabba. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars," etc... "We're having a laugh, not aiming to be the next Muse. We'd be lucky to be the next Freddie Portelli" – Matthew Agius "Sometimes you hear a song in Maltese and if you don't listen intently you'd think it was in some other language, such as English or Italian, with exaggerated accents by the singer" – Antonio Olivari