While their plans for their debut studio album have now been pushed back until next year, emerging outfit NKOS are still not looking to slow down as they deliver their impressive new single 'Lonely Ghost-Self'.
Mixing raw and anthemic alt-rock intentions with some hard and blistering electronics, 'Lonely Ghost-Self' makes for an incredible return for the group. With nods to the likes of Nine Inch Nails and HEALTH throughout, this bold and energetic new offering will only wet our appetites for that first studio album even more.
So with their new release storming across the streaming services right now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What were the first instruments you fell in love with?
Nancy: Guitar of course, I’ve recently turned to synthesizers, the most broad and fascinating sector of using production.
Marcus: Bontempi system 5 in the 80’s, a sort of mini production creative instrument at the time, followed right after by guitar.
Flavio: An Epiphone Precision Bass, than my beloved Gibson Thunderbird, before starting using synths (microkorg as first analogue, followed by virtual ones) and drum machines.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
N: I think what inspires us most is following our heart’s content individually and seeing how it can stick together with the others…
M: I agree with Eli’s answer and of course our heart’s content is influenced by our own personal listening experiences.
F: It’s a hard question, I would also stick to Eli’s answer, the point is. even if we’re aware of the kind of sound and mood we’re producing with our first productions, we’re are also aware of our different musical background, each one influenced by many different artists and music genres.
What kind of music did you love as teenagers?
N: Michael Jackson.
M: Motown productions, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the blues from its roots to the artist of the time.
F: A lot of different stuff. Grew up while grunge was leading the scene and loved (actually still love) Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, but I’ve been a great fan of the Faith No more, Tool, NIN too. I used to listen to Depeche Mode a lot as well. Still in love with Morphine and their unique sound, that right out of my teen years I had the chance to meet personally… an experience that has definitely changed my life!!! I was also really into the Post-punk scene, especially the English one with the New Model Army, the Levellers, the God Machine (Swiss I know), My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain. Jane’s Addiction also played a big part of my listening at the time as well as the Pixies. But I also have to put in the list Prince, “Off the wall” and “Thriller” from Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and a bunch of other black soul artists. I remember those days being filled by a huge soundtrack, honestly if I think about my teenagers years I can’t find a better way to describe them if not through music. These are just a few names that I put together to try to give an idea of the amount of music I listened to growing up…
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
N: Nursery rhymes.
M: Back in the USSR from the Beatles.
F: Nirvana’s Negative creep, such a powerful experience when I saw them playing it live, the emotion I experienced still gives me goosebumps.
When you wake up in the morning, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
N: The flow of the news on the radio.
M: Brian Jonestown Massacre or Renato Carsone, or Louis Prima. Nowadays I love to listen to Alicia Keys, the Dead can dance, Beth Gibbons, sometimes according to the mood or whether I listen to Trentemoller, LCD sound system… It depends on how I feel like…
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
N: All of them! Or let’s say the majority.
M: Not considering NKOS one or two, the majority for me are feelings flows but with NKOS so far, as I said, I stayed at the other productions, Flavio and Eli provided the lyrics for our first album.
F: The majority, some of them are self referred.
What have been the most memorable moments in your career so far?
N: The Live concert at the “Nel Nome del Rock” festival as leading singer of the Devoggol as opener for CombiChrist.
M: So far i only had fun playing for a small group of friends mainly, with NKOS we only had one main appearance at a festival close to Rome we played as closing act of the first day of a festival in which the main act of the second day were the New Model Army, so maybe that one was the biggest, hope it won’t stay as the most memorable…
Outside of music, what are your biggest passions?
N: Sound!
M: Sound and everything that involves handcrafting in general, particularly wood working.
F: Sound! Since 2009 I’ve been involved in the distribution and rental of Funktion One systems in Italy. I also love playing and coaching basketball. I really love watching movies and travelling too.
If you weren’t musicians, what other path do you think you might have taken?
N and F: We are sound engineers!
M: The one that I took at the moment working for Ducati in Paris, but I can also see myself being a gentleman driver for big venues like Goowoods or Le Mans classic.
And what advice would you give to those looking to start a career in music?
They would probably know better than us where to start and maybe could give us advice, cheers!
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NKOS' new single 'Lonely Ghost-Self' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.