By Nicholas Jason Lopez
A style reminiscent of bands like Green Day, Blink-182, Rise Against and Bad Religion, Zagreb, Croatia-based punk quartet Of Apes are at work on new material, which will follow their nine-track 2017 EP.
In their time together since their mid-2016 formation, they’ve performed at Backyard Festival, Zagreb’s KSET and Sax Club, Osijek’s EXIT Club and have opened up for Debeli Precjednik/Fat Prezident and One Step Away.
Of Apes is lead vocalist/guitarist Martin Hadelan, bassist Lovro Kunović, guitarist Anton Premec and drummer Iwo Klarić.
The Music Bugle had the chance to chat with the band about their new music and more.
Music Bugle – What do you miss the most about performing in front of a live audience?
Martin Hadelan – What I miss most about performing live is the excitement that comes before and during the shows. I love the drive and the energy that floats around us.
Lovro Kunović – Getting our music across other people, playing together as a team!
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide the band name?
Lovro Kunović – We went bananas, ape-shit on the name-choosing.
Music Bugle – What are some challenges that come with being a band with four different members?
Iwo Klarić – Scheduling.
Lovro Kunović – We don’t have enough tuners for the guitars.
Martin Hadelan – I think that harmonizing all of our ideas is really hard sometimes and there’s a challenge of making compromises between members of the band.
Anton Premec – Everyone has a different taste in music and would like to incorporate that in our style. That is, at the same time, a challenge and a virtue of our band.
Music Bugle – How would you describe Zagreb to someone who has never been there before?
Anton Premec – As a capital of Croatia, it is full of opportunities for everyone that has new ideas and a will to make things happen. City of culture, welcoming to one and all!
Iwo Klarić – Diversity of choice in the nightlife.
Music Bugle – If you had the chance to chat one-on-one with one of your musical influences, who would you choose?
Martin Hadelan – I would definitely pick Ed Sheeran to talk to. He seems like a guy who you can have a beer with and talk about music for hours. I think he could offer really good advice about songwriting and everything about the music industry.
Lovro Kunović – Rob Scallon.
Iwo Klarić – Keith Moon. I want to know what went on in his head.
Anton Premec – It would have to be Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park. The guy has a shit-ton of knowledge about music and composition.
Music Bugle – How would you describe your newer music as opposed to your older songs?
Anton Premec – We are currently writing a ton of new material and are looking forward to seeing what will come of it all. We will try to incorporate all our wants and needs. I guess you could say our new material will be more mature and less mature.
Martin Hadelan – I would say that our newer songs have more depth in-meaning, textually and musically. They are more mature and express more of ourselves personally, also reflecting opinions on society altogether.
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about your style of music?
Martin Hadelan – Our style of music enables me to express every sort of emotion I feel. I can be angry and frustrated, happy or sad, feeling awesome or fucked up and there is still a way to release all that energy out. Sometimes, punk is the way out of myself.
Anton Premec – The carelessness and playfulness that punk gives us, I feel really good live because it requires to be played loud and with all your heart.
Iwo Klarić – Even though most of the audiences don’t know our songs, we can get a reaction out of them.
Music Bugle – Where are some of your favorite places to travel to play?
Lovro Kunović – Donji Miholjac, for sure!
Martin Hadelan – Reading Festival is the number one thing I would like to play at, but England and the United States would be a great story for tours, even small ones. Those two countries are fundamentals of punk rock history and introducing ourselves to the punk audiences there would be exciting.
Music Bugle – Does social media make it easier or harder for a band to stand out these days?
Lovro Kunović – Both. It’s easier for your music to reach the audience, but it’s also easier for everyone else, so it’s hard to stand out.
Martin Hadelan – You don’t make your audience online, you make it by performing live. You don’t stand out posting most pictures or videos, you stand out by playing your best every time. After you’ve done that, social media is just a tool to interact with people further.
Music Bugle – Away from music, what’s something people might be surprised to know about the band?
Anton Premec – We can drink more than you.
Iwo Klarić – Come see us and find out!
Martin Hadelan – I like to let people explore things about us, both musically and non-musically. After all, where is the fun in ruining surprises?
*Photo Credit – Lukas Anticevic*
