ASTARI NITE: Self-worth, ice-cold angels, lightness and a rollercoaster ride

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

In the first part, which you can read here, we talked to Astari Nite about the new album “Resolution of Happiness” and the difficult circumstances that accompanied it, as both Mychael’s brother and father had died shortly after each other …

Self-worth
Orkus: Let’s talk about your new album “Resolution of Happiness” in more detail. In “Double Feature Matinee” it says “The note I wrote, will put me underground”. What kind of note could this be referring to?
Mychael: The line “Sadly the note I wrote, will put me underground” was a clever way for me to remind myself that this song is about me and I shouldn’t be ashamed of it.

O: The line “Do what you want to, don’t change the volume” in the track “Tongue Tied Galore” is a blast! Are you planning any merchandise with it?
M: Definitely, just in time for our visit to Germany when we perform at the NCN Festival in September!

Healing imagination
O: “Bowie in Daydreams” immediately enchants the listener. But there is also a deep sadness in your voice. The song is a kind of homage to this unique artist, but also a loving greeting to your brother?
M: I miss my sweet brother Ryan a lot. The thought of writing his eulogy was on my mind when I wrote “Bowie in Daydreams”. Part of my healing process was to record my vocals for that track with the thought of him standing next to me. Some might say it went pretty well! I wish I could ask him myself.

Ice cold angel

O: “Cut Her for Dialogue” – sounds like a disco number from a bygone era. It conjures up wild images in your head, doesn’t it?
M: It’s a very playful song, the lyrics are very detailed and lively. It tells the story “What if I fancy you, do you fancy me? I think you do, I think I do.” Meeting a “muse” is great fun, getting over them is a tragedy. I don’t recommend eating dessert with someone like that.

O: In “Necessity Meal” you reflect on having sailed the seven seas and spoken Japanese. Have you really ever been to Japan?
M: Playing Nintendo was the closest I got to Japan!

Lightness
O: A rainbow also appears in two new songs. Do you associate something special with this natural spectacle?
M: As a child, I was never afraid to run towards a rainbow when I saw one. I never saw God or any of his friends that the Bible preaches about! I never met Santa Claus either. But a rainbow? Yes, I have seen many rainbows during my short existence on this earth. Rainbows are safe and happy, they represent innocence!

O: “We Are Still Siamese” – the final song has a dark, solemn effect and pulls you down into an emotional depth. It leaves you feeling sad. You don’t want to leave this feeling, so you listen to the album again from the beginning. What a clever move.
M: Yes, the last chapter of “Resolution of Happiness”. The final piece of a puzzle that was completely honest from start to finish. It’s strange what makes one person sad and another happy! Life is strange and beautiful.

Roller coaster ride
O: Tell us about a high and a lowlight in the career of Astari Nite.
M: I’ve never really entertained such a thought! Although, now that I think about it, the tour of the UK supporting Clan of Xymox was perhaps unforgettable. And just yesterday our album “Resolution of Happiness” was number two in the DAC charts, which was equally wonderful. Playing a gig a week after my dad died was quite a low point, or maybe that was a good thing, I’m not sure.

Live!
O: You’re coming to Germany for a festival appearance in September: at the NCN Festival in Deutzen. What can visitors who have never seen an Astari Nite show before expect?
M: Let’s see, between your headphones, Astari Nite sounds like a sharp, crystallized form! Our live musical performance embodies a dark yet dynamic essence that explores realms beyond the conventional. With each track played, we create a sonic experience that transcends traditional boundaries, inviting listeners into a world where the lines between genres blur and the unexpected thrives. Ultimately, it’s all for the love of the audience.

O: Is a joint tour of Germany also conceivable? Last year you toured England together with Solar Fake and Auger.
M: Traveling around the UK with Solar Fake and Auger was amazing! I learned so much from these two brilliant bands and all the people we met and took photos with at the gigs were so lovely. Touring Germany with Astari Niteand playing songs from the album “Resolution of Happiness” would be a dream come true.

Short and sweet: Mychael on “Resolution of Happiness”:
01 “Double Feature Matinee ” – Lyrically, I captured my everyday escapades, which completes the story. This jingle is honest and gives our listeners the opportunity to imagine a day in my life.
02. “Necessity Meal ” -Istay true to my sincerity and talk about feeling uncomfortable with strange and unusual events while normalizing innocence.
03 “Tongue Tied Galore ” -Fascinatedwith telling a story about a shameless friendship and my aversion to social acceptance, I found a way to preach positivity with lines like “Pretty this, pretty that, pretty fuck, pretty drag! Do what you want to, don’t change the volume!”.
04 “Bowie in Daydreams ” -WhenI wrote this song, I wanted to pay tribute to Bowie’s life and let this song float in the universe. With this moon time poetry I also wanted to say hello to my brother who passed away during Halloween month.
05 “The Inevitable Crocodile ” – Once again I have continued on the path of making seemingly real excerpts from my life understandable to the listener. I have also added a little of my childlike innocence and my reflections.
06. “Ashtray Ballet“ – I threw my heart into a night of debauchery in London and am fascinated by what can come out of it.
07 “Cut Here for Dialogue ” – Akind of farewell song about a muse I was dating at the time, at least that’s what I thought in my head. Needless to say, rejection can be pretty heartbreaking.
08 “What a Rainbow Feels Like ” – Mychoice of words raised the never-ending question of why and how. Strange as ever – so they say – I raged a little with words like: “Send my lover down a river of gold, I’ll be waiting in the chateau of hope”.
09 “All Else Is a Curse ” -Itend to hum ideas to the band, and occasionally it’s pure magic. No one has ever said that before. It was my version of “Fade into You” by Mazzy Star that I wanted to write, and I did.
10. “We Are Still Siamese” – Sorry, I completely forgot what this song is about. Please throw in twenty-five cents for the next extra minute. Hello, hello, is anyone there?