Interview with MISSIO (Part 2 of 2)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

With “Love & Heartbreak,” Missio is releasing their sixth studio album. The story behind its creation is fascinating in itself: Most of the recordings were made in various Airbnb accommodations around the world. Matthew Brue and David Butler draw musical inspiration from their early work, without copying it. The result is a cinematic, expansive sound that blends dark pop elements with somber electronic sounds. In our two-part interview, we talk with Matthew about heartbreak, an Aztec death pipe, and much more. Did you miss the first part? No problem—you can read it here.

Orkus: The album opens with “Dreams,” a very energetic song. How did this track come about?
Matthew Brue: I wrote the first version of the song and sent it to David. I still remember listening to the recording before many of the melodies were even finished and thinking, “This has such a cool vibe.” Usually we get to the actual song pretty quickly, but what I especially like about this track is the long intro. It almost feels a little too long—and that’s exactly what I like about it. It lets you really immerse yourself in the mood before the beautiful vocal melody of the first verse kicks in. Little by little, we developed the song together, and today it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album.

O: Do you see “Dreams” as a reflection of how many love stories begin—with a little daydreaming?
MB: Absolutely. One of the recurring lines in the lyrics goes: “You give me something to believe in. You save my life and give me meaning. You make me feel like I’m dreaming.” When you fall in love for the first time, it often feels so overwhelming, almost psychedelic—as if you were dreaming. Sometimes it just seems too good to be true. I hope everyone gets to experience that feeling at least once in their life.

O: One song that really stands out is “Bleed.” Can you tell us how it came about?
MB: “Bleed” was written in Mexico City. We kept sending the track back and forth, and with each version, the song got better. I think that was the track we worked on the longest because every time, we felt like we could improve it just a little bit more. I think we tried out five or six different choruses before we settled on the final version. The breakdown at the end is especially fun to play live now because I use an Aztec death whistle during it. When I blow into it, it just sounds totally crazy!

O: “The Moment” closes out the album. Why did you feel this was the right song to wrap up “Love & Heartbreak”?
MB: At the end of a cycle of love and heartbreak, you have a choice: Either you become bitter and angry and carry the pain of a broken heart with you—or you sincerely wish the other person all the best on their future path. True love means that even when the other person no longer sees a future with you, you still want them to be happy and find all the beauty the world has to offer. “The Moment” was the perfect closing song because, after all the heartbreak, we look back on the moment we met and are simply grateful for that wonderful experience. To love and be loved is one of life’s greatest gifts—and we’ll never take that for granted.

O: You’re from Texas. How would you describe the alternative music scene there? What makes it special?
MB: To be honest, there isn’t really a big electronic or alternative scene there—at least not in Austin, Texas, where we’re from. Texas is best known for country music and Southern hip-hop from Houston. That’s why we often felt a bit like outsiders there. The great thing, though, is that the music scene as a whole is very close-knit. Even though there are many different genres, the musicians support each other. We have a lot of friends in the country scene, and we support them just as much as we support our friends in the alternative music scene.

O: You’ve played in Germany several times already and will be returning soon. Is there anything about Germany, the fans, or your experiences here that has particularly stuck with you?
MB: Germany is one of the greatest countries in the world. Our favorite cities are Berlin and Cologne. The massive Gothic cathedral in Cologne is an absolute masterpiece that, in my opinion, everyone should see at least once. Every time I stand in front of it, I feel a deep sense of awe for the history and the masterful craftsmanship that went into creating such an impressive structure.

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Watch the video for “Dreams”: