Formed in 2012, OVER is a five-piece female fronted alternative pop/punk-rock band from Italy. After a very busy year of playing just under 100 live shows in 2014, the band is getting ready to release their debut full-length, Is This Growing Up? worldwide on April 20th. OVER also just released the video for their inspirational new track, “The Promise,” about vocalist Linda Battilani’s journey as a musician. You can check out our full interview with OVER and the video for “The Promise” below!
Interview by Shannon Shumaker
You guys are getting ready to release your new album, Is This Growing Up? in April – what are you most excited about for this release?
Of course we are excited to finally release our debut album after many months spent in the studio because we can’t wait to let the people listen to it and have a feedback of it.(That is also a bit scary cause feedback can’t always be positive!) We are also stoked because Is This Growing Up? will be released out of our country (Italy) and this will allow us to hit places we hadn’t reached before.
How do you think the album compares to your older material? Do you think it’s more (for lack of a better term) “grown up?”
We definitely find a maturation on a musical level, comparing to the older material; this of course has happened without losing the authenticity and personal stamp that characterizes who the OVER are. We are more than satisfied with the results, and hope that the public can appreciate all the hard work we put in over these past months.
When you were working on the album, what goals did you have in mind?
We were looking for a different sound. A mix between catchy – pop vocals and distorted – heavy guitar riffs with some boosts given by the scream vocals.The intention was to reach a laboured product but at the same time we wanted to make it sound catchy for the audience.
Were there any messages that you wanted to convey with these songs?
Each lyric has its own meaning and theme, but there’s a recurring one which gave the idea for the album’s title. It speaks of asking oneself if the more we go on with life and its journey, the harder and more tiring it gets. Looking back, everything seemed so much easier when we were young and carefree. Growing up, we are faced with ongoing responsibilities, and the walk ahead of us seems ever the more fearsome.
When you are working on new music, how do you challenge yourself to keep growing and improving?
I always try to be open minded about what I’m working on. In fact sometimes I do force myself by listening to other music genres that I’m not used to listen to. These efforts are actually useful sometimes and help me to write some new stuff.
Can you talk a little about your new single, “The Promise”? The back story is really positive, so what exactly inspired you for this song?
“The Promise” tells the story of my past. When I was 15 years, old my dream was to be a part of a band. At that time my goal seemed impossible to achieve because I’ve lived in a small town where no one had my own dreams and I didn’t meet anyone who was interested in playing in a band. Furthermore, I didn’t truly believe in my capabilities. I confided this to my friend, and he made me promise to fight to achieve my dreams and helped me to believe in myself again. It’s also thanks to him that I made it here today.
What would you like people to be able to take away from the single?
Encourage them to reach their own purpose and their deepest dreams. Even if sometimes you feel lost and everything seems impossible and unreachable there will always be someone or something that will lift you up and help you understand that your inner strength is all that it actually means.
If you or your music could change anything about the music scene, what would you want it to be and why?
It happens that female fronted bands are not appreciated as much as the male fronted ones. It has also happened that we got some negative replies just because there wasn’t a man leading the band. So I wish that the music scene will change by giving more importance to bands like ours.
Now, you played a lot of shows last year, but do you have any big plans for 2015 after the album drops?
Sure we do! We’ll be hitting the road during the whole year. Here are some of our future plans and tours:
ITALIAN TOUR:
March 7th – April 18th
UK TOUR:
April 25th – May 1st
EUROPEAN TOUR:
May 29th – June 6th
Two other singles from our new album Is This Growing Up? will also be released during 2015.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for the interview! Keep in touch with us to read all the news about us and to know where we’re going on tour! Cheers!
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