If you've been an avid No Echo reader in the last 4-5 years, you should already be familiar with Entropy. The German band has been a personal favorite of mind, itching a particular post-hardcore-meets-'90s college rock itch. Think Sugar, Rival Schools, and Swervedriver all wrapped into one, if you're looking for an even more specific description of what they do.
Entropy will be releasing their sophomore album, Dharmakāya, later this month, and it's a wonderful listen, leaning deeper into the group's melodic side. I firmly believe if the band was based in America or England, they'd be more popular, but that's a whole other conversation.
Today, the matter at hand is celebrating Dharmakāya via a chat with Entropy guitarist/vocalist Hans Frese who spoke with me about the Britpop bands that influenced their latest collection, the quartet's place in today's music community, and the meaning behind their album's title.
Hey Hans, it's been a couple of years since we last spoke. Fill me in on what Entropy has been up to since then, leading up to the Dharmakāya album.
In 2022, we released the Death Spell EP, and managed to play shows with bands like Fucked Up, Nothing, and Superchunk. This was quite important to us, since our first record came out right in the middle of the pandemic and we hadn’t been able to do very much back then. Cheers to Kövi, our drummer, for handling the booking!
During the lockdown and after, I also wrote a lot, partly to cope with some difficult stuff that came up during that time, and the songs ended up on Dharmakāya.
Yes, what exactly does Dharmakāya mean and why was it chosen as the title of the album?
It’s a term that the writer Robert Pirsig (of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance fame) uses to describe moments when he’s able to view the world without pre-conditioned patterns of perception.
Put more simply, these are the moments when “the light comes in," where it’s possible to step outside of one’s usual blockages and really smell the roses.
The lyrics on the album actually often describe moments like these (I use the word “shine” quite a bit), so I thought Dharmakāya is a fitting title!
Listening to Dharmakāya, it feels like you’ve moved further away from the post-hardcore sound of your earlier work. Less angular and more melodic alt.rock of the ‘90s spirit, which is fine by me. I love the vocal and guitar melodies in everything you guys do. I can picture an alternate universe where these songs would be playing on college rock radio back when I was a teen.
I agree, the songs turned out a lot more melodic and streamlined, for lack of a better word. It was important to me that there wasn’t any fat! Obviously, the influences partly came from '90s alt.rock, however, what I also had on my mind (and in my ears) constantly while working on the music were Britpop bands like Oasis, Adorable, or Gene (who I directly reference on “Olympian,"a track on the album).
Judging by the reactions so far, that influence might not be directly noticeable, but it is definitely there! Maybe it’s the secret sauce behind it all. I talked to the guys in Sunstroke once, and they also surprised me by saying that their guitar arrangements are influenced by the Brit thing.
Since you have roots in the punk scene, but your sound is so melodic, what kind of bills do you find Entropy playing? I’m curious about the reaction you get from people on live shows where you’re the outliers in terms of style.
Yeah, good question. Believe it or not, despite our melodicism, we’re actually a pretty intense live band, meaning we’re very loud and raw, and this often makes us a better fit with heavier bands.
On quieter bills, people sometimes seem a bit overwhelmed by the whole wall-of-sound thing… but there are always people at those shows who appreciate exactly that, so we’re fine with it (laughs).
What are some current bands you feel share a stylistic connection to what Entropy is doing? In other words, is there a scene you feel part of right now?
Bands like Nothing, Drug Church, Anxious, and Fiddlehead all share a similar aesthetic in parts, but in direct comparison, I think what we’re doing is a bit different.
Though I’d love it for us to be part of that scene of newer alternative-adjacent bands with a punk/hardcore background, it doesn’t feel like it at the moment. Maybe it is due to being from Germany, where it can feel a bit isolated at times.
What’s the plan for Entropy now that the album is coming out? Is there a chance we might see the band in the States at some point?
Well, we’re going to try to play as many shows as possible, and I’m also preparing solo acoustic shows with songs from the new record. I’m also creating episodes of the Dharmakāya Podcast, where I talk to Nick Vance (check out his awesome band Double Life) about the songs in depth. Check it out:
Concerning a stint in the States, that’d be awesome of course! Nothing’s on the horizon yet, but who knows? We definitely be up for it!
***
Dharmakāya will be out on August 30th via Crazy Sane Records (US shop | EU shop).
Entropy on social media: Facebook | Instagram
Tagged: entropy
