Exclusive Interview: Itself Timeless talk Tech-Fest, art and influence!

Recorded by Russ Russell (Evile, Napalm Death, At The Gates) before being mixed and mastered by Maciej “Jonson” Wiergowski (Entropia, Ewelina Lisowska) the debut EP “α” of London Post-Metal act Itself Timeless is an awe inspiring record of dark brooding atmospheres that toy with the emotions. Raw, primitive, complex and crushing, it has it all. The band opened the 10th anniversary of Tech-Fest in the summer months and we had the pleasure of not only a witnessing their monstrous set but catching up with them afterwards…

How does a London based Sludge fuelled Post-Metal collective manage to open the 10th Anniversary of Tech-Fest? In terms of your achievements so far as a band, how does that rate? “Still being in our infancy as a band, that was our first ever festival appearance – a great landmark! We secured the slot having played a previous show in front of a grand total of five people, one of which happened to be the festival’s organiser – leading us to being offered the opening slot”

There is a shroud of secrecy around not only who is in the band but the songs themselves with a seemingly minimalist approach to things like song titles. What made you decide to go down that route? “Yes, we prefer to keep things essential and let the artistic creation speak for itself. The aim is not to direct the listener to what the songs mean, and what they might mean to us as a band, but instead to let each person form their own emotional connections and fill in the gaps with their own meanings  and values”

In terms of the art aspect of the band; you’ve described Itself Timeless as “At the essence of being human” and “I, You, Everything, Anybody, No One” and you have some very powerful and expressive photography and artwork on your social media; which makes for a fantastic accompaniment. Do you consider yourselves more than simply a band and more of an art project? “Thank you. In a sense, yes – we do not necessarily operate like a ‘standard’ band, and the aim is always to give the clearest, deepest emotional experience with every piece of media we work with, considering what we do to be a whole, rather than a conglomeration of separate parts”

 If we are made up of our genes and our influences, what is in your genes and who would you consider your influences? “That is always a difficult question to answer – as much as we are all a product of our environment and what we are exposed to, the goal with this band was always to create something a bit different, not to follow in anyone’s footsteps, but instead to give an honest, genuine, and original rendition of a unique yet universal experience. We think about music in terms of emotional delivery and sensation, so it is more the result of sonic research than of direct influences, although surely parallels could be drawn!”

As a band you’ve been around for something like six years making your live debut at Electrowerkz in London in November 2017 alongside Surya. How has the band evolved since then to the monster it has become today? What has been your favourite memory of the journey so far? “Although the band has existed for that long, due to line-up changes and a forced stop due to the pandemic, we still consider it to be a relatively new project. Time has certainly helped us become cohesive, and has taught – and is teaching – us many lessons! Probably everyone involved has different favourite memories, but we can all agree on our first and most recent shows being important highlights thus far”

What’s next for Itself Timeless? “We are entering the studio to record something new this autumn, so expect something new to be released soon!”

α” by Itself Timeless is out now via Drowning Sea God Records and is available over at bandcamp.

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