Alternative/Rock/Pop/Indie band Madame Psychosis consists of 5 pivotal members, all of which blend their artistic skills to create the very essence of their sound. As a band, they've already heard their tracks being played on major radio stations, such as 94.9 The Rock FM, which has played a large majority of Madame Psychosis' tracks. When listening to their music, it becomes so evident that their collective sound is completely new from anything we've heard before. Correction, we might have heard many of the elements in their singularity but never combined with one another. Madame Psychosis has our interests piqued and taking a closer look at their 2019, we know why our interests will remain piqued.
Madame Psychosis has had a stellar 2019 year. We saw the release of their album "Survivor" this year, which offered a variety of stylings from Madame Psychosis. "Survivor" was intense and aggressive with some tracks like "Kapow", and then transitioned into more of a lax atmosphere with tracks like "White Roses". Then they construct tracks like "Don't Care" from the album, which makes us feel reflective and reminiscent. Nevertheless, the same rock n' roll vibe we appreciate ever so much maintains itself during the entire album, which is an aspect that highly impressed us. Madame Psychosis embeds a variety of genres, seeming almost effortless in its execution. We seriously missed this kind of alternative rock that Madame Psychosis provides. The band has always come out with quality tracks, but "Survivor" offers more of a refined rock taste. The band is eloquent in the most rustic and raw way possible and has undoubtedly made it on our favorites list. Their 2019 was successful with the album alone, and now we're intrigued to see what the band will construct in 2020!
Listen to "Survivor" here.
Hello Madame Psychosis! It's great to get you on BuzzMusic to talk about your music within the past year! Can you describe how the band feels their sound was transformed throughout 2019?
Hello BuzzMusic! Great to be back, and thanks for all the support over the past year. It’s been a wild one. In terms of our sound and transformation, our sound has definitely matured over the past year and a half or so while writing and recording the songs on Survivor. It is very evident when you hear our two albums back-to-back.
Most notably, we took our songwriting to the next level. We were no longer satisfied with writing songs in the same way we did for our debut album. Though we love that album, we really wanted to be more creative with structure and composition on the new album. For example, we added keys to several songs on Survivor, giving it a fuller, more melodic vibe. We also played around with more effects during production, while our singer Michelle dove a littler deeper lyrically. Lastly, we paid greater attention to details. We were vigilant about technical precision while recording and getting the perfect balance during mixing.
In short, we took on more creative risks, and as a result, Survivor is much more layered and carries more depth than our previous work.
I think it goes without saying that your sound is completely refreshing and rejuvenating. Madame Psychosis brings forward a type of alternative rock sounding that doesn't get heard enough in the music scene lately! Where do the passion and rigor arise from the band in order to curate intensified albums such as "Survivor”?
Thank you for those kind words! We’re flattered. We believe that what you’re hearing on Survivor comes from the collective experience and passion within the band. First and foremost, we want our music to connect with listeners and fans. The best way to do this is to write and perform from a vulnerable place. This is bound to create a level of passion that can only be channeled through music – and people pick up on this while listening. Secondly, the songwriting on Survivor is based on real life experiences, which help cement an emotional connection with listeners. The whole album is based on the idea of surviving the obstacles we all face, so there’s a sense of familiarity with listeners. They can identify with what we’re saying. Lastly, each one of us carries a drive to better ourselves as songwriters and musicians. This focus on constant improvement translates into the intensified experience you hear on the album.
Out of 2019, what tracks have been personal favorites of the band to both record and perform live?!
Though we each have our own favourites, ‘Kapow’ is the undisputed band favourite to perform live. It’s high-energy and fun, and it features a catchy sing-a-long chorus that gets crowds moving during our shows. It’s the one song we’d tell people to listen to if we were asked ‘what’s the one song you’d want people to hear?’
‘Don’t Care’ also cracks the list, but for completely opposite reasons than ‘Kapow’. It’s a melodic track that builds musically and emotionally over the course of four and a half minutes. It seamlessly transforms from a softer piano melody to a big, bold chorus featuring an epic guitar outro. There’s a vulnerable undertone that is sustained throughout. Easily our most powerful song on Survivor.
‘Not Supposed To Be Here’ also sticks out as a favourite largely because it is much different in terms of structure than other songs on Survivor. The song was also first introduced by our guitar player Rene. This brought a new and different perspective to the table when it comes to songwriting and composition. Oh, it’s also a super fun song to play live!
Lastly, ‘It’s So Easy’, primarily because of the recording process. It’s the first time we allowed ourselves to jam freely without any constraints or pre-determined outcomes. We didn’t have an ending for the song so we just decided to do what felt right and see what comes of it. The result is an extended outro that we absolutely love. It’s no coincidence why it’s the last track on the album.
We heard you've been offered the chance to perform on Global's The Morning Show! That's incredible! Congrats! How does it feel to be offered chances of performing for large audiences such as The Morning Show?!
Thanks! It’s an amazing feeling, to say the least. Opportunities like The Morning Show are huge for us because it validates that we’re on the right track. It shows us that what we're doing really resonates with people, and as a result helps us stay confident and motivated. It’s an adrenaline rush.
As far as audiences go, it’s also a great opportunity to build our fan base and be heard nationally by people who wouldn’t have otherwise heard of us. We hope that the three and a half minutes or so we get with them – assuming they watch the full performance – is enough to make them stick!
It was an honour to perform twice on The Morning Show and of course on Morning Live. Big thanks to Global and to CHCH respectively for those opportunities!
After the release of "Survivor", the band released another 3 tracks! The drive of Madame Psychosis is admirable. Is there a special secret on how the band constantly keep up with creating, recording, and performing?
You guys are too flattering. Thank you, we appreciate that. To put it simply, we’re a very tight-knit family. Our bond continues to grow the more we do this. We love what we do and we love working with each other. Writing and performing music together comes naturally to us thanks to our chemistry, which we recognize is not easy to come across and we certainly don’t take it for granted. Each of us plays such a vital role, not just on the creative end but also in terms of all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into an indie band. It also helps having incredibly supportive and understanding family and friends, and that’s really what fuels our drive.
It was a real treat featuring Madame Psychosis' releases within 2019! What an incredible year for the band, and we're genuinely anticipating any new music within 2020! For now, what is Madame Psychosis planning on attacking next?!
Thank you once again for featuring us! Next up on our ‘to do’ list is playing as many shows as possible in support of Survivor. This includes booking shows outside of Toronto and of course more festivals. We actually have a show at Lee’s Palace on January 4th to kick-start the New Year. This venue is amazing. We’re honoured to get the chance to perform on that stage. We’re also ramping up our radio promotion and will be looking at pluggers to help us with this right out of the gate in 2020.
As always, new music will be a huge focus next year. We’ve already begun writing new material and just performed a new song at our most recent gig. We’ve talked about an extended version of Survivor, which would include a handful of new songs, an EP, or just releasing these new songs as singles throughout the year to bridge the gap between Survivor and our next project. Whatever we decide, you can definitely expect to hear new music from us. We’re excited about what comes next! For now, Happy New Year to everyone!