We sat down with Berlin indie rockers Bromsen, who released a captivating third single, ‘We!’ on February 16, 2024 via Epictronic. The duo, formed by brothers Richard and Karlo Bromsen, made a triumphant return to the music scene after a long hiatus, releasing their debut album Brothers In Mind (from which ‘We!’ is lifted). Their first singles have received critical acclaim from notable publications such as Rolling Stone en Espagnol, EARMILK, Music Crown and Obscure Sound, to name a few. They have garnered airplay on indie radio stations across North America, the UK, France, Brazil, and beyond. Their latest release, celebrating the unshakable power of friendship showcases their unique blend of synth wave elements and guitars.
Stream ‘We!’ and read our interview with the pair below.
Set the tone for us. Why the arts?
Richard and I have both made music since we were little kids and I would say that the arts force an output, whether you are a passionist painter, writer or musician. We can even extend it to craftmanship. It is something very strong coming from the inside.
What gets your creative juices flowing?
It always comes from an emotion which can be created by people or a certain situation. Sometimes it takes a while and only comes out when you are relaxed in these moments, when you also have a chance to come to terms with difficult experiences from the past.
Tell us about the inspiration behind and creation of your debut album, Brothers In Mind.
Richard and I have known each other for more than 20 years and have experienced quite a lot together.. There was a time when we were part of a typical indie rock band (we’re still loving the 2 other guys but have splitted up a long time ago). ‘Brothers in Mind’ is very much centered around experiences which Richard and I have made, be it our constant struggles in the past when pursuing our dreams (One by One), or experiences, which we’ve made together with our old band (The Photograph). One of the key songs ‘We!’ is about our friendship and that such a deep and long-standing friendship can carry you through a period of weakness. Then we have 2 songs on the album ‘Read About It’ & ‘Someone’ which have been inspired by people/artists we admire and there are also songs like ‘Sweet Lies’ which just paint a picture of a certain atmosphere, so it is a mixed bag.
The recording, mixing and mastering of the album took quite some time (longer than expected), also as we were confronted with a typical system crash and needed to get everything back to life again. Needless to say that this was a challenging time for us.
Maybe this is how it needs to be for the first album – The greater the challenges, the greater the joy when everything is accomplished.
Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.
We have recorded nearly the whole album in our studio, the Bromsen forge, with Logic, SSL & Universal Audio hardware/ software. We record/mix our songs hybrid, i.e. analog and digital with plugins. Parts of the album have been recorded in the Suburb Studios Berlin (Cheers to Reatsch!)
What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?
We try to keep a rather puristic sound and to not overblow things with effects. Also there needs to be an optimal mixture between synthesisers and guitars – getting to this mixture for each song is like creating a unique spice.
Take us through a day in the recording studio.
A lot of coffee 😀 and a good atmosphere are the basics. Especially for the recording of the voices, you need to feel the spirit of the song and really get to the ground of it, which is only possible when letting all energies flow through without thinking too much. Often our recording days start at 11 and end towards 9 or 10 pm (from our experiences night sessions do not create a good output).
What’s on your current favourite playlist?
We can once again recommend Luka Bloom and his masterpiece album ‘Turf’ from 1994 to everybody, a true jewel. When it comes to playlists we can recommend our artist playlists on Spotify (Bromso Vibes & Top 10 80’s sound).
Any emerging artists on your radar?
Karlo: I know a German band – they are called Bromsen and have a raw & pure electro rock sound. Definitely one to keep an eye on. I also think the Luka State have great potential.
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.
We played an awesome lot live with our old band, but our Bromsen live debut is still outstanding, as we were so focused recording our debut album. This new live experience will be definitely exciting as we have quite some bangers in the package and are really keen to play & hear these songs loud ’n’ live in front of a big audience.
What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?
A slice of dried Mango. 2 cent and 2 strong espressos.
Any upcoming projects you’re working on? What can we expect from you this year?
There is something in the air. A song which was inspired by a famous cook… I can also feel some Ennio Morricone vibes. It will be interesting and new things will be coming up soon. Maybe we’ll just release a song via radio, not via DSPs, so keep listening to the good old radio…
How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?
We’ve refined our friendship and patience with each other – divided by magic but borne to broms!
Famous last words?
Looking forward to hopefully seeing many of you “live” (on festivals etc.) soon! Also we can announce an exclusive gimmick to all readers of PLAYY Magazine: you can follow us on IG (link below) and send us a DM with the words “Play Bromsen” and we will send you a private link to a yet unreleased song (the one, which was inspired by the famous cook ☺).
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