My relationship with Mind My Mind is a bit complicated. It was recorded during a period when things were not always easy, both musically and personally. I had spent a lot of time on the pre-production and had very clear ideas in my head, and in the studio I often felt that things didn’t quite turn out the way I had imagined. So I was probably more frustrated than I should have been. Some of those early recordings are included further down on this page, because they document how the songs slowly developed before we entered the studio.

Sascha and Christoph both had a lot going on in their private lives, so the recordings often happened in smaller constellations and I spent quite a bit of time in the studio working on things with Ritchy. When we were all together there were sometimes long discussions, which is normal for bands, but the whole process felt a bit heavier than on the records before and after.

Still, there were many really nice moments during the production and a lot of great people contributed to the album. For example my former roommate Chris Reardon from Plaiins sings the chorus on Aisles, a song I wrote after a very hungover trip to a rather depressing supermarket. Christoph also had the idea to invite a small choir of friends and musicians, so suddenly many people were involved in the recordings, including members of FRAUPAUL, Kommando Kant, Entropy and others.

After the album was finished we sat down together and talked about how to continue. I had already written a lot of new material that didn’t really fit Palila anymore. Everyone also had a lot going on, so we discussed whether I should record more Palila material on my own or start another project. In the end we decided to start Would, which was probably a very good decision and gave me a new outlet for other ideas.

Interestingly, the album was received much better than I had expected. We played many concerts, met a lot of great bands and people and had a really good touring year. Playing the Orange Blossom Special Festival was definitely one of the highlights of that time.

– Mattze