Sick Jokes are an international collective of artists, making them stand out from the rest of their peers. They released an EP titled The Great Hereafter in April, which we shared. If you missed it, you can find it at the end of this interview!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released an EP titled The Great Hereafter, which we reviewed. What can you tell us about the EP?
Sean: The Great Hereafter was really our chance to get the angst out. While Plasmic sang lead on one of the tracks, Lunatic Fringe, I did a lot of screaming on this one. Really a reflection of what’s been happening in the world at the moment.
Mike: Loved your review, btw! Thanks again for that. We envisioned The Great Hereafter and the forthcoming EP (coming October, 2022 on COP International) as two halves of the whole, in that Sean is the primary vocalist, while the next EP will primarily be female vocals, and the two are bridged by the last track on The Great Hereafter (Outage) and the opening track on the next EP (Input). To that end, the first one, The Great Hereafter, is very heavy, violent and from a male perspective, culminating in Sean’s repeated “Je pense à ta mort” (“I’m thinking of your death”).
Has the pandemic hindered your work much?
Sean: Because we work virtually it was more of a help than anything. We had to do something to stay sane, so our first EP was conceived and recorded in 2020 during the lock down.
Mike: Since we’re a studio project, it really hasn’t affected us at all, in terms of how we work, as we’re all working for home in our respective spots around the world. But certainly from a human perspective, emotionally speaking, the sense of doom lent itself well to the material.
Do you plan to release any singles from The Great Hereafter?
Sean: We haven’t released a proper single from the EP but I’d have to say Lunatic Fringe is the track that would stand out as a for me. Plasmic did such an amazing job and John Fryer’s production is top notch as usual.
Mike: The cover of Lunatic Fringe is certainly the poppiest (if you will) track, featuring our frequent collaborator Plasmic on vocals. It was released as a single on the COP International compilation record called Broken Hearts and Robot Parts III in December of 2021.
Have you started writing for another EP or an album?
Sean: We have, yes. We have new songs and a couple of new collaborators. As we get closer to the October release we will reveal more details.
Mike: Yes, both. The forthcoming EP mentioned above will be out in October, and a full-length record will follow in 2023.
B088Y: Yes, we are excited about this next EP. It will be a surprise for our fans. It’s my favourite.
Your music sounds very unique! What/who influences you most as artists? What have you been listening to recently?
Sean: Most of us have been around for a minute so really the originators of electronic and industrial music. Everyone from Einstürzende Neubauten, and Kraftwerk to Stabbing Westward, NIN, Ministry, Front 242. The greats. But also a lot of progressive rock music from the 70’s and 80’s. Rush, King Crimson, Pink Floyd.
Mike: Some influences: Diatribe, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, The Cure, Pink Floyd, Rush, NIN, Devo, Meat Beat Manifesto. Recent listens: working my way through the podcast Darknet Diaries.
B0B: I am stuck in the industrial era, Diatribe, NIN, Stabbing Westward, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Garbage, MBM, as well as some more mainstream music like the Cure and Duran Duran. Curve left me a fan of a pretty female voice over noisy synth rock, which is what I seek out these days, Cigarettes after sex, Ladytron, The Bug with Copeland, I love the female vocals on our label (hint).
You’re an international collective of artists. Where are you all based?
Sean: I’m in Austin, TX. B088Y is in Michigan, Michael is in Normandy, France and Plasmic is in Los Angeles.
How did the collective come together and how does it work?
Mike: We’re old friends from the band scene in the late 80s/early 90s in Detroit.
What is the writing and recording process like?
B0B: Anyone of us comes up with a riff we all like. Then everyone writes around it, adds their parts, noises, screams, samples and beats. Mike, being formally trained, tends to find the best way to ‘hook’ grooves and parts into a song structure, and magic from John Fryer of London does the final step like one expects of him!
Do you have any tour dates lined up?
Sean: We do not at this time, but Michael and I have been brainstorming about what a live show would look like. Since Michael is based in Europe we may be able to put something together overseas that would be interesting.
Any last words for the fans?
Sean: Just thanks to everyone who has supported us thus far. With all the music out there and everything going on it really means something that people would take the time and effort to check us out.
Mike: Can’t wait for you to hear this next EP in October, I think it’ll be our strongest yet!
B0B: I am very fond of our fans because it’s not like we are easy to find as we are fairly new to COP International, nor your average sound, and for a glimpse of us, they will be relying on videos. So they are all people I’d enjoy talking about music with, I can guess if they were led to us then they are students of the dark and unusual.