Thank you for taking the time to speak with Progressive Rock Journal. Today we’re excited to dive into Paddang’s creative process, their upcoming album, the new single “Predator,” and what’s next for the band on stage and beyond.
What is the concept behind your forthcoming album, and how did you arrive at its title?
“Lost In Lizardland, is the soundtrack to a sci-fi road movie where mankind turn into some kind of mutants – reptile – after an industrial disaster. This album serves as a powerful warning about the pressing global challenges we face today in our current world (ecology, social issues, and wars everywhere). It is basically the story of Moros, a young woman struggling to survive in a world on the brink of collapse. For the name, being adults who grew up in the 90s, I guess Jurassic Park has been a huge influence, but we needed something sorta psychedelic, haha.“
Can you walk us through your writing process for this record and how it differs from your debut?
“Well for once, we started by what we wanted to tell and then turn this into music. At the time, Dune 2 (from Denis Villeneuve) was on screen in the cinemas and this had a huge influence on our approach. We understood that we could tell people about serious topics while entertaining them and making it fun! So we took all our ideas and started to find a concept around dinos, lizards and reptiles, then we wrote our own film script. Finally we created each songs as an act of the script and I guess Lost In Lizardland was there ! It differs a lot from our debut indeed, where we just writing music then find a subject. For this one, we wanted to maintain a very strong coherence in the narration but also between the songs and the way you go from one song to another. It is not songs gathered together, it is a microcosm, a journey by itself. Then I guess, now we are writing on subjects that matter for us, before that, we didn’t always feel legitimate to talk about this topics.“
Why did you choose “Predator” to lead the album rollout, and what themes does it explore?
“Actually we chose ‘Pressure’ and ‘Predator’ because these titles embodied everything that can be found in the album : raw fuzz tones blended with psych-pop vibes and a touch of garage rock. These two tracks give a good idea and visual representation of the universe of Lost In Lizardland, while not telling too much. While Pressure sets the stage for the album: a planet in decline, where empires and civilizations crumble under the weight of power struggles; Predator devleş into the fragile boundary between human nature and primal instinct. It is raw track about survival, fear and the predator that lies dormant within us all. In our script, it is also the key moment where Moros witnesses the consequences of mankind actions.“
In what ways has Paddang’s sound evolved on this new album compared to your previous work?
“I guess it is more compact, alive and modern. It is also super cinematic and wide because that’s what we wanted for the album and it is how how sound engineer Cédric Forestier like to work.
The challenge was to find the right balance between live and production. We wanted the listener to feel like they were in the room with us, while keeping the sound massive!“
How did you approach recording and production this time around, and are there any memorable studio moments you can share?
“In the team we are all nerds when it comes to our instrument, our sound. We wanted the better sound and full control of it. So we recorded everything live in the studio of our engineer but we kept only DI sounds for the bass and the guitar.
Then we searched for a specific studio with the good acoustic, a nice room for the drum and specific analog equipments (mixer, mics, preamps, etc). The studio was crazy, with dozen of different drums, it was like Disney for Rémi (our drummer) and the analog SSL mixer was f**king huge. We basically chose each components of the drum after testing it and build the best drum kit we could. And for the rest we did reamping of our DI recording, so we could try each settings, mics, pedals, amps… and decide what we liked best. I guess I’ve never seen that much amp sitting at the time recording in a room. The guys could not see me anymore through the glass of the recoding cab as I was surrounded by a mountain of amp! It was a funny ‘Lab’ moment !“
Your music balances aggressive riffs with melodic interludes, how do you achieve that balance in composition and arrangement?
“Well I guess we experiment a loot! But that’s what we like, if we can figure out in few seconds where the song goes, it is kinda boring.“
How do you plan to translate these new songs to the stage, and will you incorporate improvisation or special visual elements?
“Actually we already did few residences and played shows with the new album! It was a lot of work but we adapted the songs to the stage, and even added live music sequences to get that massive and cinematic sound. We created few moments that you can find only on stage, we also have lengthened some parts and created moments of interactions.
But basically we tell the same story on stage and try to get people in our universe. Currently, we have a stage decoration and a light show, but we are looking forward to experiment with video projection to go further.“
What do you hope longtime fans will discover on this album, and what might surprise new listeners?
“Tough one! Well I guess both of them will discover what we have always wanted to do without ever getting there until now. We just hope people will have a good time listening this epic.“
Can you reveal any upcoming tour dates or festival appearances where fans can catch you live?
“Yeah for sure, no secret. For now we’ll be playing mainly in France, we already
experimented the new show on few dates! Here are the next planned shows:
29 mai – Le Fotomat – Clermont-Ferrand (63)
30 mai – Velo Bar – Labergement Sainte-Marie (25)
31 mai – La Ferme à Jazz – Bourg en Bresse (01) – Release Party 98 DB
1er juin – St-Antoine – Mâcon (71)
4 Juin – Dijon – Deep Inside Klub (21)
5 Juin – La mécanique Ondulatoire – Paris (75) – Release Party Le Cèpe
6 Juin – Les limogés – Limoges
27 Juin – Brasserie de la Halle – Montauban (82)
28 Juin – Festival Perche en Rock (61)
29 Juin – AK Shelter – Nantes (44)
04 Juillet – Pause Guitare – Albi (81)
17 Juillet – Concert à la ferme – St Cirq La Popie
20 juillet – Fetes de Chapelle de Rousse – Jurançon (64)
15 Novembre – Los Bambasitos – Eauze (32)
We are also working on a EU tour with Spain, Portugal and UK.
More informations on that soon!“
How has the dynamic within the band changed since your debut, and how has that influenced this album?
“Actually, very few things have changed! Believe it or not! I guess the most important thing is that we do everything together more than ever: composing, writing, merch, marketing… etc. Everyone is responsible for something, but nothing is validated without everyone’s approval.“
What advice would you give to emerging artists who are venturing into music in a genre like yours?
“I guess we are still emerging so I don’t know if we are legitimate. But generally speaking, just be true to yourselves! If you do what you like and put everything you have into, people will connect with your universe.“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside music?
“We are very curious people, we are interested in a little bit of everything about life and nature. Some of us like surfing, hiking, drawing…Guirec (bass player) even create basses and guitars, he’s luthier… So I guess it would be a long list!“
Thank you for sharing your insights and time with Progressive Rock Journal. We look forward to the release of your new album and catching you live on tour.
Stream “Predator” on all major streaming platforms!