By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Paderborn, Germany-based KID DAD recently released a music video for their new single “Limbo,” which will be featured on their debut full-length ‘In A Box,’ slated for release via Long Branch Records on Aug. 21, 2020.
The lyrics and video for “Limbo” deals with the feelings associated with being unsafe, hassled or even abused. The scene depicts a child who tries to escape domestic violence, a fantasy for some who, unfortunately due to the COVID-19 regulations, are forced to cope with it firsthand.
To help combat the rise in domestic violence amidst the pandemic, the band announced a campaign to raise awareness around child abuse and domestic violence, which you can find more info on here.
KID DAD, who’ve played shows with the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Marmozets and Fatherson, is composed of vocalist/guitarist Marius Vieth, bassist/backing vocalist Maximilian Alexander Zdunek, drummer Michael Reihle and guitarist Joshua Meinert.
The Music Bugle had the chance to talk with Vieth about “Limbo” and more.
Music Bugle – How did the band get its name?
Marius Vieth – Back in 2014, my brother who played the drums, an old friend of mine and I formed a side project band in our mom’s basement, which we named “KID DAD.” We wanted to vanish the atypical roles of being a kid and being a grownup. We were pretty punk, I guess! (Laughs) Then, after we split up, my main band was kinda reformed, as some members left and some joined, so we needed a new name. I think I liked both the name and the message of the side project and I asked the others if they liked it too. They did, so that’s how we became KID DAD!
Music Bugle – Given its overall message about child abuse/domestic violence, how do you feel your single “Limbo” has been received so far?
Marius Vieth – We received lots of love from many people out there. I don’t think or hope that everyone had their own personal experience with domestic violence, but the response shows how incredibly empathetic this generation is! It feels like most of the people in our scene – and mainly the young fans- spend a big portion of their life being in contact with abuse, mistreatment and depression. I have the feeling that unfortunately, more and more people are exposed to this. There are also many people telling us the song itself is cool and of course, this is also very important to us and makes us incredibly proud, but with this single release, we definitely want to focus on the charity side of things and we are happy that people are helping us in spreading the message.
Music Bugle – What were some challenges of making your debut full-length?
Marius Vieth – There were quite a few, to be honest. I think the biggest challenge was to decide on how it should sound. We wrote so many songs since 2017 and sound-wise, they ranged from progressive rock to singer-songwriter ballads, so it was really hard to find out “who we are,” you know? I think we learned something really important on the way to ‘In A Box’: songs, albums and all kinds of recordings are only snapshots. We don’t ever want to say or label what kind of music we want to make – we want it just to happen. The human brain wasn’t designed to do everything the same over and over again. There are bands out there that are focusing on writing a hit and often restrict themselves to imitating other hits and neglect the side of music where you simply let yourself go and follow your ideas freely. That’s what I personally love about artists like Blur, Tash Sultana, Courtney Barnett, The 1975, Bring Me The Horizon, late Beatles and Mac Miller – just to name a few. The thing that makes them sound like they sound – besides their voices – is their free and honest songwriting, their brains. For me, it is the purest of all kinds of songwriting: letting things happen.
Music Bugle – What made you guys want to start playing music together?
Marius Vieth – It sounds crazy, but this band is kind of a patchwork band. I started playing in a band when I was 13 and that was even before I could barely play a chord on the guitar while standing. I never left this band since then, which feels kinda crazy and addictive when I think about it! (Laughs) From time to time, we changed our band’s name when someone left or was replaced until we finally decided to form KID DAD on a sunny afternoon on the fifth of May in 2016 in front of our old industrial practice room. Our then-bassist left the band on that same day and we sat there in the sun nearly fighting about who had to switch from playing guitar to bass and neither me, nor our then-lead guitarist even lost a thought about giving in. You have to know that letting someone new join the band always feels strange and mixes everything up a little and since we became a very sensitive band at that point, we hated the thought of making ourselves vulnerable again, but we had no choice. We called up our part-time photographer Max, who became our bassist after just one band practice and it was the best decision ever! We had one “real” song back then, which turned into our first single “Rehab” seven months later and we started to put everything we had into this band and now we’re here talking about our first album – crazy times!
Music Bugle – How did you guys come up with the idea for the “Limbo” video?
Marius Vieth – Running away is a symbol we like to use in our videos because it describes best what this album is about: fleeing. Fleeing from loneliness, from claustrophobia, from decisions, from reality, from light, from darkness. We are all extremely moved by the terrible things happening in the world right now and we want to do something against this. We came up with the idea to actively do something and we thought about what we wrote about on our album and decided to help the purest and most vulnerable of all people – children. The fact that the corona pandemic imprisoned many families led to a drastic rise of domestic violence against children, which made the topic even more relevant these days. We wanted the video to directly draw attention to the campaign around it, so we kept it simple and direct by leaving room for interpretation. We wanted it simple, so we don’t trigger people who are affected or even harm people who have really been abused. In addition to that, we wanted to make it a video everyone – abused children included – can watch and understand, so the biggest number of awareness and also victims can be reached.
Music Bugle – How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you guys?
Marius Vieth – We had our struggles with it just like every other band I think. Gigs were postponed and even cancelled, strategies had to be rearranged and for a short time, even band practices were impossible. The corona pandemic destroyed venues and moments of joy, but there will be better times soon. We all truly believe this. It’s all about discipline and empathy, so take a look at each other and support your local artists and venues!
Music Bugle – Do you feel social media has played any role in your success as a band?
Marius Vieth – The internet is a crazy thing and it’s a tool you have to use nowadays! It has its evil sides, like bullies and monitoring, but especially, the socials can be a blessing for reaching out to people, getting connected all around the globe and finding friends! I think social media helped us getting heard in places a newcomer band could never have reached physically. We heard we have many fans in Russia and Israel, shout-out to them! That gave us a platform in spreading our art in every form possible. We are extremely thankful for everyone joining our channels, newsletters and profiles – especially in times of less contact, like now. To answer your question: yes, it plays an important role and we love that!
Music Bugle – What has been the hardest decision you’ve made as a group just yet?
Marius Vieth – That’s a tough one. I know this sounds crazy, but just recently, we had to pick the singles we want to release before the album comes out in August. That was pretty crazy. We all had different songs, orders and arguments, but in the end – after yelling, fighting and crying – we are proud of the decisions we made as we’re proud of every song, but in general, it’s the little things that are the hardest to agree upon being in KID DAD.
Music Bugle – Who are some of your musical influences?
Marius Vieth – All four of us are extremely different when it comes to music. I think there isn’t a single artist all of us could listen to all day long and I think that’s beautiful. When it comes to songwriting, I think the most important thing is to be openminded and to be open to different impulses. When you think about how many artists form the taste of one person, you can imagine how many artists had an influence on our band! (Laughs) If I had to pick bands that influence us in creating the album – cause they change from time to time – just to add a few to the list from before – I’d say Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Circa Survive, Billie Eilish, Incubus and Lil Peep!
Music Bugle – What’s something people should know about the band?
Marius Vieth – We are hypersensitive, introverts offstage, but lose control onstage quickly. We believe in equality, we believe in an openminded generation, we are aware of injustice, we care and most of the time, we make sad music. Furthermore, we are extremely thankful to be a part of this interview and we would love to meet you somewhere, sometime: at a show, on our socials or through your headphones!
