[Interview + Premiere] Jerome – Framework
* Pour lire la version française de cette entrevue cliquez ICI!
Presenting their very first album on Friday, December 11 on the Bolognese label Maple Death Records and the always excellent Montreal crochet disques, the London duo Jerome unveils Framework, the third and last single before the official release of Moods. The formation composed of Annalisa Iembo and Stella Mathioudakis gives us the pleasure to premiere this very interesting single (also available in Italy on The New Noise and in Spain on Mindies) in addition to answering some of our questions.
On Framework, minimal electronics join with industrial sounds and poetic spoken word to form a hypnotic and singularly endearing composition. While waiting for the release of Moods, discover Jerome in this charming interview.
Despite coming from different countries, Annalisa is from Italy while Stella is from Greece, you both met in London. Can you tell us what brought you there and how did you start working together?
To be honest we both just gravitated towards London. Music was always the main focus and what we knew was that we wanted to escape the small towns we grew up in (Stella in Sweden and Annalisa in Italy) and as soon as we graduated high school we were out of there. As for working together, we were circulating around each a lot for a few years before clicking, then after some time we ended up playing together in another band prior to Jerome.
© Photo: Stella Mathioudakis
Your album Moods will be released on the Bologna based label Maple Death Records and also Montreal’s crochet disques on Friday December 11. I was wondering how you discovered crochet disques and how did you start working with them?
Annalisa went to Canada for a few weeks last year, she needed a place to stay in Montreal for a week and was introduced to Nico by a mutual friend and he was kind enough to let her stay. They kept in touch and were sending each other music, we sent our new Jerome sessions to which he replied “this shit slaps”, and opened the conversation to working together on our upcoming album.
You both have a more classical music background but your music is mainly made of improvisation. What led you to a freer way of creation and what does the recording of an album look like for Jerome?
We started with music lessons as kids and later have had projects that are more structured and that have a different process of making, sustaining and delivering music.
Jerome started from, and is for us, the essence of music making, the creative urge. We improvise with our tools to project, eject and reflect on how we are feeling in the moment without the restraint of structures, genres or expectations. Our record Moods wasn’t made with the intention of making an album but came together after playing+recording for the need and fun of it. The intention was the playing. We then listened back to what we had made and felt that it was something we wanted to develop and share with other people. Since we already had the material after improv we just gave it some TLC and it was ready. It was a lesson to not overwork and let something be raw and imperfect.
We know what the recording of Moods looked like but not how the next album will, this depends on if we are physically together and many other factors. The basis of Jerome is fluidity and freedom, and wherever we are in ourselves Jerome will operate the same.
© Photo: Stella Mathioudakis
Your music includes a large variety of influences like industrial, punk, minimal electronic, psychedelic, etc. You mentioned Hiro Kone and Drew McDowall (two artists we appreciate very much on MEFD) and that makes me wonder what kind of music or which artists inspires you the most?
The inspiration to do music doesn’t come from music and art only but from situations, people and experiences. Our improvisations are reactions to what we see/live and rather than being inspired by specific genres or artists we will use elements that closest reflect how we’re feeling.
Thank you for your time!