Charm Designer Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of
the new album?
R/. It has been a long road since the recordings  until now that there’s finally a release
date…Everything took its time, from getting to the final mix to start looking around for artists and
ending up  with Costin developing the artwork, having the material sent to different labels an
choosing the one to release the album with, etc. We had to do everything by ourselves and it all
took place outside Colombia, so even with the advantages offered by the Internet today it still has
its complications timewise.
Now with a release date we’re focused in its promotion and also getting the songs 100% ready to
hit the stage soon!

2.You have a new album coming out in 2016, how would you describe the musical sound that is
presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the
past?
R/. It is an album in which we were able to achieve a nice balance of heaviness and atmosphere,
and that ends up with a dynamic group of songs which are able to evocate a wide range of
intentions, even if inside a mostly mid-tempo scenario. Most of the songs in the new album were
written and arranged from a denser and more concrete perspective when compared to our older
material. The composition process was more string oriented, so the synths are more in function
of that structure and less part of its core, which was mostly the case of the songs featured in
Blood Sounds.  In addition to that, I think we took a huge step forward in this album with the job
that Waldemar did in terms of production, so it all went to a new level, from the songs as
individual elements to the sound of the whole album. That is also a noticeable point when
comparing against our previous stuff.


3.This is the first album to be released since 2008, can you tell us a little bit more about what
has been going on during that time frame?
R/. Well, we were able to do some shows and to play some festivals in our country in support of
Blood Sounds  and since then we already started working on new songs that began to take shape.
At some point  our keyboardist/guitarist at the time left the band since he was moving to Canada
and that turned to be kind of a big deal for the process of the band and its future projects, since it
led us through a long time frame in which we tried to complete our line-up again and two other
guitarists played with us for a while, so at the time it was all about trying to get the band running
the way we wanted to, but it was tough as hell and it took way longer than we expected. It was
during that period that we also were able to do important shows for us, like opening for The 69
Eyes here in Bogota and playing outside  Colombia, which we did in 2011 when we went to
Caracas, Venezuela.  n In  2012 we started to work with Diego A. Hernandez on guitars and that
allowed us to stop worrying about completing our line-up  and to focus entirely on the songs for
the new album and its preproduction, which  started in 2013. Last year was when everything got
real, as we reached an agreement with Waldemar and he came to produce and record our album.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
R/. We’ve always been into personal reflections and introspective topics when it comes to lyrics.
For Everlasting I think that they’re just more concrete and less subjective. There’s one  line that is
mainly  related to the  constant  interaction and feedback between the self and  its environment
and how both get mutually affected by each other, unavoidably. There is another branch that is
strongly related to the concept of mortality and it leads to various reflections and questionings
regarding the awareness  (or the lack of it) towards a finite existence.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Charm Designer'
R/. t It  s is an attempt to put  together  into words  the purpose and the method,  for a title. t It s is
basically the summary of what we wish to accomplish  and the way we try to do it. It is about h the
balance between the  conscious, calculated  process we follow to shape something that could
(hopefully) be able to organically evocate  a completely opposite, unmeasurable and mystical
effect....and well, it was a band of architects  at the beginning (now it’s kind of 50/50, haha), so
that structure of thought also had something to do with that  and sounded right for us at the time.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would
you describe your stage performance?
R/. As far as I remember, the show we did  for the release of Blood Sounds and  when we opened
for The 69 Eyes in our hometown were  really great as well as when we headlined the Cali Gothic
festival in Cali, Colombia back in 2009.
As for the stage  performance, it is  pretty  obvious we’re not the kind of band to  mosh  with, so
that’s not our bet. We try to create a dense atmosphere instead  and to direct the energy from the
stage  to generate a connection with the people in front of us.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
R/. We’re on it by now, actually. To be established in Colombia is not very helpful, since we’re
really far from where the real action happens. After the release of the album we’re planning on
touring some cities in Colombia and if things go right it would be ideal to play some shows in Latin
America. That requires a lot of time because distances are huge, but we’ll see.  Aside from that, t it
all belongs to our wish list. We’ll do our best to make things happen, if the opportunity comes.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of goth and doom
metal?
R/. It is interesting since I don’t think that we have a specific niche to be exclusively linked with.
We can be too metal for goth music fans or too soft for metal fans  depending on the case, but on
the other hand we can also have the best of both worlds, where fans who like those styles dig  and
appreciate  our music. We’ve had  great reactions for our new stuff so far, and we’re  hoping to
have a wider spectrum of feedback now that a big effort is being  made to promote Everlasting
internationally.

9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these
days?
R/. Yeah, our drummer is the busy guy at the time. He has been working for some years now with
an industrial rock/metal band  called Cyberia Orgánica  and he has also been playing a for a couple
of years with  Herejía, a death metal band which has been around in Colombia since the 90s.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
R/. Frankly it is a big challenge to think  about that, since we took this huge step with Everlasting,
doing something that no band of our genre has ever done before in Colombia, so our future  can
only ask more from us as a band. We’ve learned and grown a lot from this experience and that
wlill definitely  be an interesting input  for us to start  writing new stuff and consolidating  our style.
Every stage will have its own language, of course, so you never know...but based on how things
have been naturally going, it wouldn’t surprise me if things keep taking a denser road.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and
also what are you listening to nowadays?
R/. Even if we all grew with slightly different  backgrounds  within the rock/metal spectrum, we all
share a special connection with the gothic/doom sounds from the early 90s, so I’d say that can be
considered as an actual influence. Pioneers to this  kind of sounds such as Paradise Lost,  Type O
Negative  and Katatonia  are a good example f of  that background that s is  common to us before we
even met each other. And well, it is hard not to keep enjoying those nowadays, the classics  as well
as the new stuff.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?
R/. Well, the drummer and I are architects, so there’s that on one side...oh, and he’s also into
cycling. Andrės likes videogames  a lot…


13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
R/. Firstly, I’d like to thank  you for this interview  and for reviewing our new album.
I’d also like to remind that Everlasting will be out worldwide on February 19th. and you  can  go to
Inverse Records’ online store where it is already on pre-sale if you  want to support us by buying it.
We have a lot of respect for the people that no matter the times that we’re living in want to have
the real thing and still buy  physical  albums, especially  from independent bands.  t It  is something
that isn’t that hard to do as a music fan, but it means the world to the bands, so, I’d just say that if
you like it, you should try  your best  to support it.
And lastly, please don’t hesitate to contact us through Facebook or Twitter if you want to say
anything to us.  Happy 2016, people!