Dear readers we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with an eclectic French Progressive Rock band. We welcome Liquid Bear.
Hi, it is a pleasure to host you among our pages, how are you?
“Hello there! Thank you for the invitation! This is our first interview in English so we are super stoked!“
The band was formed in 2018, how was the project and the scenta of your name Liquid Bear born?
“At the time, Kostia, Adrien and Gaspard had a prog rock band called Abaendon. Due to multiple line-up changes, Kostia, who initially played guitar, switched to bass and Ilya, who was a longtime friend was called to be the new guitarist. At first, we continued as Abaendon, but we very quickly felt that this was a whole new thing. So we decided to start from scratch and it became a whole new project: Liquid Bear was born. As for the name, we like the idea that our band is some kind of creature that we feed and raise all together. What is more fun and badass than the tardigrade? That cute little
organism that looks like a vacuum cleaner bag is so ridiculously indestructible. Its more common name is āwater bearā, so you get the ideaā¦“
You propose a Progressive Rock sound, how was your passion for this music born and what are your sources of inspiration at regard?
“As most people, we listened to the music our parents showed us, so we were exposed to a lot of ā70s bands. That era is so rich in experimentations! But the funny thing is that we also have very different music tastes, and weāre always super in when it comes to share artists we love with each otherās. As rock musicians, we are very often inspired by non-rock music, and thatās maybe what makes our songs their own thing.“
Your debut album āSecond Lifeā was released on Feb 07, 2025, how would you describe this work?
“This album wasnāt done in a week. We spent most of 2023 writing and fine tuning our songs. We made a prototype of the album, which was super close to the final product (production quality put aside of course). This was very different from our past works, where we were still writing while recording. Having a very specific and definitive idea of what we wanted to do was so convenient when we came into the studio. We could focus on every little detail because there was no uncertainty whatsoever.“
An interweaving of instrumental and sung parts, what themes do the lyrics deal with?
“We mainly are questioning and looking at different phenomena. Of course, not all of our songs are that serious, and some address much lighter themes. While āHeavy Groundsā (our second EP, 2021) was essentially focused on the outside world, āSecond Lifeā is more focused on the intimate, our relationship with ourselves. If there is an overall message in our music, it could simply be to take a step back from what we experience, both as individuals and as a society.“
A modern sound full of influences, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“Thereās no āLiquid Bear composition 101ā. Sometimes a track can emerge from just a concept, a weird noise, a riff, lyrics, and sometimes itās from a full song in the simplest form (lyrics, melody and chords). If the starting point is exciting enough for everybody, then we all put our soul into making it the best song possible.“
You have extracted some singles from the album, do you have any more planned in the near future?
“We planned to release more music videos for some other tracks of the album. As for new songs, we have a few unfinished ones that might be released as singles, or kept for another album. Weāll see!“
The band was formed in 2018 and makes its recording debut in 2025, how has your sound evolved over time and how did this album come about?
“We made 2 EPs (āUnwindā in 2018 and āHeavy Groundsā in 2021), as well as two singles in 2022 (āThe Bearā and āCloser to an Endā). We didnāt want to make a full length album right away because we felt that we needed our style to be more defined. First EPs were fully auto produced. But we knew that we had reached our limits, from a production stem point. So we try to work with a sound engineer (Arthur Gouret) by making the two singles with him. Itās not easy to find someone who understands your music and what you want to achieve. And Arthur was that guy! We worked closely all together for the album, and our music has never sounded better!“
Many of your fans and our readers are wondering whether there will be a chance to hear your music live, would you like to announce something?
“Weāve never played out of France, and weād love to! As for now weāre still in the process of booking shows for 2025. But if you happen to be in Paris on May 16th, come see us at the āBackstage by the Millsā for our release party with our friends of LISATYD!“
Do you have any memories or anecdotes you would like to share with our readers about your live experiences?
“Ilya would say that playing fretless guitar when thereās no light pointing at you is not pleasing, and weāre so sorry if you were at that gig.“
How difficult, if at all, is it to succeed in today’s day and age proposing a genre like yours?
“Succeeding is not related to the music genre. Itās just a matter of finding the people thatāll like and resonate with what you do. The truly difficult part is to reach them out, and to stand out of the multitude of music thatās being released every day. Internet is a both your best friend and your worst enemy.“
Technology can be a support but also take away space from the artist, how do you see this new technological advent in Rock music?
“Technology is a tool, not and end. Find your own way of taking the benefits of it while staying genuine and human. Technology cannot create, but it can help you doing it. First of all, you need to have a vision of what you want to do, and then youāll use the right means to achieve it.“
Do you have any other artistic activities or passions outside of music?
“We all have our things. Kostia takes acting classes. Ilya is an all-rounded creative as well as an acoustic engineer, Adrien is a professional video editor and is passionate by French cinema, and Gaspard is a music teacher, and he reads (a lot!).“
I thank the band, wishing them the best in the promotion of the debut album and the continuation of their artistic career.
“Thank you for having us here, it was a real pleasure!“
Purchase their new album on Bandcamp: https://liquidbear.bandcamp.com/album/second-life
