An Interview with Giant Lungs Ahead of Their Sophomore Album Release
Back in October 2024, German stoner rockers (and my favorite band on the planet) Giant Lungs rather quietly let us know that they were hard at work on their sophomore album. Now, after just over a year of production, mixing, and mastering (and a few bumps along the way), the band is ready to release the fruits of their labor to the world. This album will be dropping very, very soon, and to say that I'm excited for you to hear it would be the understatement of the century. Until then, to whet your appetite, Giant Lungs was kind enough to answer a few interview questions for me. Within their responses, you may find a few hints as to what's changed about the band's sound on this new release as well as some very cool and intriguing facts about the band. Enjoy!
An Interview with Giant Lungs
Q: Tell us the backstory: How did Giant Lungs meet up and get their start?
A: We all knew each other from different contexts, bands and projects. Don (Bass) and Flo (Drums) are neighbors. They went to see Sepultura at a festival nearby, where they ran into Jochen (Vocals & Guitar). After a few beers and enjoying Roots Bloody Roots, it occurred to them that besides thrash metal they also shared a longstanding passion for stoner rock. They met for a session and ...it worked. Padde, whom Flo had played with in other bands, simply was the perfect choice as lead guitar player and character.
Q: Your first album is a really strong representation of ultra fuzzy stoner/desert rock with a grunge/alternative rock heart. Was your intention to play in this style when you got started or was it something that just happened?
A: The blueprint was Kyuss, QOTSA and the like. Jochen added Krautrock, with its static beats and repetitive simplicity. Being kids of the nineties, the grunge and alternative rock influences just came in naturally.
Q: Although it still has a strong stoner/desert foundation, the new album contains a plethora of other stylistic influences this time around, as well as a much darker, layered atmosphere. What spurred the band to make these changes and try some new styles?
A: It basically just happened. Jochen wrote Resonora, which is more psychedelic and yet up-tempo but still fits our style. It was the first song after the first album. And it freed up a larger variety of our musical influences.
Q: Along those lines, where do you find the inspiration for your songs?
A: Can be anything. Jochen has a particular passion for absurdities. The lyrics of Girls with Fins for example, are spurred by the tragedy of a NASA-funded project in the 1960s, in which a woman attempted to teach a dolphin to understand and mimic human speech. Or it could be a riff or few subconscious vocal lines recorded during a session that set the frame.
Q: What was the writing/recording process for the album like? Did you hit any major snares along the way? Was this album easier or more challenging to create in comparison to the first one?
A: Songwriting came as natural as always. Jochen’s songs stem from his riffs and text fragments, on which we jam as a band. Flo usually edits the first recordings to songs and we take it from there. Sometimes he patiently puts a whole song (e.g. Aromatico) together from one of our endless sessions. So always press the record button! Padde brings riffs, sometimes also as thought-through songs. Don brings the bass riffs. Flo also plays some bass and sings and brings in his songs that way. The process of mixing and mastering was admittedly really cumbersome this time. In light of the more up-tempo and more complex structures, Flo wanted to go for a little more transparency, without losing the signature sound of the first record. Eventually we lost ourselves quite a few times along the way and had to work hard to get back on track. But we think it was worth the extra time and effort.
Q: What is a unique character trait or skill that each of you bring to the band?
A: Don stands for foundation, clarity and security. He’s the backbone and soul of the band. When it comes to music theory paired with passion and patience, that’s Padde. Flo tries to give everything a structure, while attempting not to be too German. He is definitely the driving force that puts everything in the right place. All the studio hardware and engineering is in his hands, which can be pretty demanding, as we record all songs live. Jochen is the true artist, poet, and sometimes a little chaotic genius.
Q: What does the future look like for Giant Lungs? What are some long and short term
goals?
A: We definitely want to play more gigs next year. Also, we constantly write new songs, which is arguably the most fun part of the process. Also, we really want to make the next production easier on ourselves.
More About Giant Lungs
You can follow Giant Lungs and listen to their music at the following links:
A super warm and fuzzy thank you to Giant Lungs for thoughtfully answering my questions, as well as for their ongoing support (and for being very cool dudes)!
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