Answered by: Mish Sharma – Vocals and Piano, Luke Kleinschmidt – Guitar, Bass and Synths, and Jordan Miller – Drums and Percussion.

Where are you currently based?

Luke: We are a Brisbane based alt rock/metal band.

Please tell us about the inspiration behind your latest single “Martyr”?

Mish: Martyr is written about the specific moment you realize that you need to break out of a narcissistic abuse cycle. I wrote the lyrics after a therapy session which was focused on processing the aftermath of leaving a narcissistic abuse coercive control relationship.

What’s the story or message you’re trying to convey in the lyrics of “Martyr”?

Mish: This song is very much based on my own experience. The lyrics explore the victim grappling with the reality of the situation and deciding to leave; even though the trauma brain is persistent about staying because it feels “familiar”. I was in a vulnerable place when I wrote my parts (like always I bare it all in my music), particularly because narcissistic abuse is a complex multi-layered beast, it can happen to anyone in any type of relationship. There is so much unlearning of false beliefs, grieving, and integrating fractured parts of yourself, but it all starts with someone gathering all their courage and deciding that they will no longer accept this treatment. The message is that it can happen to anyone, and it doesn’t make the victim “weak,” “broken,” or “a problem”; your physical and psychological safety is more important than what anyone would think of you.

How did the creative process for “Martyr” differ from your previous work?

Luke: This song was made from 2 separate ideas I was working on simultaneously. I wanted to write a riff around an “ambient guitar” and I added layers around that for the intro and verse; whereas for the chorus I wanted a kind of staccato-esque start to it, to make it punchy.

Mish: I had written the verse and chorus vocal parts for a completely different song, I was singing those along to the demo track for Martyr as a joke but it worked so well that we decided to keep it. Usually I write my parts from scratch.

Were there any challenges you faced while recording “Martyr,” and how did you overcome them?

Mish: The writing process was quite seamless, we tend to do a lot of work remotely and then get together to arrange/fine-tune our parts. We worked with Kalen Austin Productions to record this track and our previous single ‘Damaged’ over three days. On the day we were tracking vocals for Martyr, I had missed my antidepressant dose which gave me brain zaps and I also had a chronic pain flare up. This combination helped me deliver a really vulnerable performance, sometimes you just have to lean into however your mind, body, and voice is presenting. Kalen was really helpful in making the most out of the situation and even ended up singing harmonies on the chorus to give it an extra dimension. This inspired us to use Luke’s vocals live and now our set has multiple songs where Luke and I both sing.

How has the response from your fans been to “Martyr” compared to your previous releases?

Mish: So far we have been getting a lot of love on Martyr which we are so grateful for. It’s been very similar to our last single Damaged that came out in August. I think people are really enjoying the heavier instrumentation and the songwriting styles in both new tracks, compared to the previous releases.

General Band Questions

How did the band Torizon come together, and what’s the origin of the band’s name?

Mish: It started off as a bunch of song ideas after taking a short break from music to recover from a vocal cord injury. These ideas became more solid over time with the help of friends and session musicians who helped launch the band in 2019. Covid threw a lot of spanners in the works shortly after, but I am really proud of where we are now, it’s been amazing to see the band evolve since then.

The name is derived from the words torsion and event horizon in black holes. From a personal point of view, when life is difficult, it can feel like you are being sucked into a black hole but it’s important to remember that there is a horizon at the end of it all.

Could you describe the musical style and influences that shape your sound as a band?

Jordan: We have coined the term “petalcore” to define the two new singles and the EP we just finished writing – It’s alternative metal with pop sensibilities. As a collective we have a range of influences from metalcore to pop punk to alternative rock, emo and hip-hop which we draw from.

Luke: I feel that our sound comes from our own interpersonal styles. I’m influenced a lot by metalcore and modern metal. Whereas the others are influenced by alt rock, punk, pop… so it came together organically by blending those. I’d say we are definitely pop-metalcore or “petalcore” as we call it.

What is the most memorable live performance or concert experience you’ve had as a band?

Mish: Crowbar, Sydney with Opehus Omega and Triple Kill. We all drove together, it was a blast. The boys are hilarious – we made up silly tour games. Our set and sound was definitely one of the best it has been.

Luke: I would say, our Sydney show at the Crowbar. Great crowd, great sound guy, great bands – it felt like being in a room full of friends. The drive down and back and staying also helped in really cementing that show as my favorite at least.

Can you tell us about your songwriting process and how you collaborate as a band when creating new music?

Luke: Generally I start off with some riffs, sometimes even the full guitar structure, then add bass and synth. Mish and Jordan would then go through and add their magic. We then get together in front of the recording session, and go back and forth with what works and what doesn’t, and any ideas that we come up with. After that we will go through and re-record our parts – rinse and repeat the process until we are happy. Then we will practice it live in our rehearsal space a few times to see how it feels and make any last tweaks. I think the biggest help in our collaborating to finish a song is that we are open to hearing criticisms and ideas, and we leave egos at the door, and just care about the music.

Jordan: Luke is a riff machine. He generates a lot of the ideas then Mish and I come in with our parts and we shape the structure as a band. We all have our own home studios which speeds up the writing process.

Are there any upcoming projects or albums in the works for Torizon that fans can look forward to?

Mish: Yes we spent 8 months writing our next EP. We will be recording it in early 2024. Expect an overall heavier sound, a deeper guitar tuning, breakdowns as well as soft and raw passages. We are also booking interstate shows so definitely expect some tours.

How has your music evolved since you first formed as a band, and what direction do you see it heading in the future?

Luke: The sound has gone through a couple of changes in.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2023 going into 2024?

Jordan: We have one more show (unannounced) to finish the year off where we will be debuting some of our newest material. 2024 will see us recording a new EP, touring, writing more songs so we are at least a couple of releases ahead. Really excited to show what we have been working on behind the scenes.

https://www.facebook.com/torizonband

Jake, can you tell us more about the inspiration behind “Late Nights” and how the song came to be?

So the song was kind of taken from a couple of different instances, and then we just made it a tad more extreme. It was inspired by a culmination of events from both my past and Josh’s that we just turned into one story. The song came to be as we were a bit unsure of what to write about that day, and after changing to that opening guitar line, we immediately started to talk about the topic of who wins the breakup.

The song is about the need for victory after a breakup. Can you elaborate on the emotions and experiences that influenced the lyrics?

Yeah, the experience was more so just based on that awkwardness between mutual friends when you recite the story to them, and they inevitably take sides. We went through a whole bunch of scenarios when writing the song to really put ourselves into the situation in order to write a relatable song.

“Late Nights” seems to touch on the idea of ‘winning’ a breakup. What message or perspective were you trying to convey with this concept?

The perspective we were trying to convey was about the mutual friends who are left to take sides in the messy situation. It highlights how someone’s reputation can be so easily tarnished by a breakup like this and the desire to almost cover ground in ensuring you haven’t lost friendships out of all of this.

The song opens with a meandering guitar line and a sense of heartbreak. How did the musical elements contribute to the overall mood of the track?

The musical elements contribute greatly to the mood of the song. We actually started that day making a completely different song which was piano-based. Eventually, we moved to the guitar, and we wrote a completely different song in the end. The overall mood of that guitar line completely changed the trajectory of the day; we were a bit lacking in energy for the first hour or so, and then after that guitar line came in, it changed our whole outlook, not only for the song but for the day ahead. The lingering sound of the guitar helped us develop some themes straight away such as hindsight and lack of closure.

Could you share some insights into the creative process of working with co-writer/producer Josh King on this song and how it contributed to the final product?

Working with Josh is great, not only have I now got a great mate out of all this, but we have some great songs to come. We tend to start our songs with a lead instrument and then we go straight to the drawing board where we list all the themes we want to talk about in the song. Throughout the sessions, we are known to take a few breaks during the day to do the necessities such as Basketball, Soccer, and footy along with getting food. Josh and I like to bounce a lot of ideas off one another and often just follow the process of elimination when deciding what melodies we will use in certain sections. For “Late Nights,” we were incredibly focused on ensuring from start to finish, the song had an easy-to-follow storyline. While we wrote the song pretty quickly for the most part, every word was contemplated and had its place.

The chorus of “Late Nights” appears to be a moment of emotional release. What was the thought process behind this part of the song?

That’s exactly how we envisioned it as well, this kind of letting go feeling in the chorus. We wanted the chorus to be bold straight from the start, and that’s why there’s that big moment right away. This triumphant moment is echoed through the words ‘tried to let it go’ which are sung in the chorus.

Can you walk us through the writing process and how it evolved in the studio?

As mentioned earlier, we look to create themes and topics for the song straight away so we know exactly what we want to delve into. For instance, with “Late Nights,” we were really focused on the ideas of fragility and closure, which allude to the question we base the song around of who wins the breakup. While writing the lyrics, we often just play the section on loop and freestyle a melody we like and add some words in as we go.

You worked with mixing and mastering professionals to bring “Late Nights” to life. How did their contributions impact the final version of the song?

Yeah, in the mixing process, we really saw “Late Nights” come to life; the song started to really come together, and the sound we were pushing came across really nicely. It was the same with mastering; after we got it back, we knew the song was ready to go, and we were stoked with the outcome.

What did Blake Malone and Leon Zervos bring to the table in terms of enhancing the song’s sound and quality?

I really liked the demo we had of “Late Nights,” but at the time, it didn’t feel special until we got the mix back from Blake, and we were both a bit shocked. All the elements of the instrumentals, the ambience, and everything else we had built started to come together, and it was a little bit surprising. Blake gave us a really great mix that so many people compliment when hearing the song, and he was a great third opinion on the song. Leon was great as well, the quality of sound after receiving the master back was second to none, once again just enhanced the song.

You mentioned that “Late Nights” is a collaboration with Josh King. Can you tell us more about your ongoing partnership and what we can expect from future collaborations?

For sure! Josh and I have been working together for around 1 and a half years now after someone connected us, and “Late Nights” is the third song we worked on together. We have many to come still, we’ve completed a fair few and aim to release them all over the next little period. Josh and I have really tried to create a signature sound which is reflected in all of our collaborations to come, and I’m very excited to release them one by one.

How do you see “Late Nights” fitting into your overall musical journey and the evolution of your sound as an artist?

“Late Nights” is my first real demonstration of my new refined sound. After not releasing and more or less starting from scratch over the last few years, I feel “Late Nights” fits the build really nicely of the sound I intend to keep going with. I only hope to go up with my music quality from here, and I feel the next release does that. “Late Nights” was the perfect song for me to step back into the world of releasing music again and to re-establish myself as a musician.

“Late Nights” is now available on streaming platforms. What can listeners expect from this track, and what other projects or releases can we anticipate from you in the near future?

Listeners can expect to hear an uplifting break-up song that you can really sing along to. Next year you can expect a couple of new singles coming out pretty early on in the year.

When and where are you playing next?

I’ve got nothing booked at the moment, but I’m sure there will be something coming up in the near future.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2023 going into 2024?

For the rest of 2023, I plan to just really get the most out of “Late Nights,” and then early into 2024, I’ll be coming out with more singles which will eventually lead into an EP.

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