Text: Constantin Jacobs
Photo: @klubkunst
There is nothing stopping the 23 year old Moritz alias Combat Beach!
In a very short time he managed to land a label, released two singles plus music video and the new album isn’t too far behind.
A fan of The Front Bottoms, Alex G or Pinegrove is likely going to find a new local favorite in Combat Beachs Lo-Fi Power Pop with lyrics right out of his personal life.
Nailhead Magazine: How did you decide on the name "Combat Beach"?
Combat Beach: It was important to me to choose a band name, which is firstly two-part and secondly projects a colorful picture into my head. When I get artists suggested on Spotify, I always listen to the ones with the most exciting name, which I usually see before the cover of the album. I tend to choose those bands that conjure up an image or an idea with their names. That's what I wanted for my project.
After a long back and forth, it became Combat Beach – a name that gives me (and hopefully others) exactly that feeling, paints a colorful picture and also carries the meaning of the coexistence of good and evil. I think that's great.
Nailhead Magazine: When did you start making music?
Combat Beach: Almost exactly 2 months before my 15th birthday my parents allowed me to start taking bass lessons. Quite quickly I started my first band with class or school colleagues – Sombrero Devils was our name, later The Backbooth.
From then on, I went from one band to the next, but always on bass. In 2019 I started to write my own songs and slowly the idea of Combat Beach started to take on more and more form. To do this, I simply transferred my knowledge from bass to guitar and also acquired new chords by learning my favorite songs.
With those chords I created my first songs and with those same chords they are still created today.
Nailhead Magazine: What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
Combat Beach: I'm not really a musician, I'm more of a minstrel, because most of the time I don't know exactly what I'm doing.
What fascinates me most about music are the lyrics. I also attach great importance to them in my own songs.
Apart from that, I haven't found anything else in my life that I'm so passionate about as making my own music and writing songs - hours fly by like minutes.
The best thing, however, is to make music with other people and to see a project given real life. A band is like a family and if you feel comfortable in it there is nothing more beautiful.
That's why it's so important to me to bring Combat Beach - actually a solo project - to the stage with a band as often as possible, because shared joy is double joy.
Nailhead Magazine: Did you play in other bands before Combat Beach?
Combat Beach: Phew, yes in quite a few – only how long is the question! At the moment there is Combat Beach and Better Run for me. The whole timeline looks something like this:
The Backbooth (Sombrero Devils) (ca. 2015 – 2017, 2019)
Some Days You Lose (ca. 2016-2018)
Bad Ascent (ca. 2017-2018)
Dregs (ca. 2018-2020)
Jeanny (ca. 2019-2019)
Skeleton Ivy (2020-2020)
Better Run (2019-)
Combat Beach (2019-)
Nailhead Magazine: You are very active on social media and have your own style, your music videos also match your presentation. Is this planned or coincidence and how important is your presence in social media to you?
Combat Beach: Of course, all of it’s planned. I'm a very visual guy, so it's always very important to me how everything looks, not just how it sounds!
However, I have never been particularly interested in music videos and it’s still not my preferred medium, so collecting ideas for it is usually very difficult for me.
Social media is important to me, because it has become indispensable and somehow a part of being a musician in our time. It's just part of it.
However, it is not always fun; I'd rather play more shows than worry about content for my next Instagram post to stay relevant, but baby that's life, I guess.
Nailhead Magazine: Your first two appearances at Triebwerk in Wiener Neustadt & Kramladen in Vienna were both a success, but both times you didn't play with a full line-up of the band, why?
Combat Beach: Since the release of my first EP, my plan with Combat Beach has been to design the songs in such a way that I never have to cancel a show, everything from solo shows to full band is possible.
At the time of said shows, Combat Beach was only available as a trio, hence the shows with only three people. Perfection isn’t important to me, but authenticity is.
At the moment (as of November 2021) I have a complete band. If this remains the case, you can look forward to even more power on the Combat Beach stage in the future.
Nailhead Magazine: At the end of November 2020 you released your first EP "Either Way, Why Worry" with 5 songs, did you record the songs yourself or in a studio?
Combat Beach: The first EP was completely created in the studio Gartenhaus Records with Alexander "Xandi" Grill in Trausdorf an der Wulka, Burgenland.
Xandi produced the EP, lent me his voice for backing vocals, expanded the sound with additional instruments, mixed it, etc. A good friend of mine, David Matweber, played drums.
I am responsible for the rest, as best I could at the time. If you are interested in the exact credits, you are welcome to read everything on my Instagram page.
Nailhead Magazine: When listening to your songs & lyrics it's mainly about love. Is that the case or is there something else behind your lyrics?
Combat Beach: All of life revolves around love.
However, in my texts I always try to pack a feeling into an accessible story, mostly from my own life, in order to make it easier to understand.
Said feeling is not always love.
My lyrics are always the first thing I come up with, then I build up the music and melody and change something if necessary. I am very careful with the words, because it is important to me that the listeners can understand the point I am trying to make, the feeling, or even draw something from it that fits their own lives.
Nevertheless, I often only know what exactly I have written about my soul when the song is finished – I write very intuitively.
Nailhead Magazine: How would you describe your sound?
Combat Beach: Easy lo-fi power pop.
Nailhead Magazine: You've been with SeaYou Records for just over a month now, how did that come about?
Combat Beach: Florian from Seayou contacted me after listening to my first EP on Bandcamp. We then met, discussed everything and here we are.
Nailhead Magazine: Your new single "Star Wars Episode VI" was recently released, how does the song relate to the film?
Combat Beach: Actually exactly zero connection. (*laughs*)
The idea for the song came to me when I watched my favorite series High Fidelity with Zoe Kravitz for the third or fourth time. The first few lines of the song came to mind and then it went on little by little, as already described in an answer above.
I'm a big fan of giving names to songs that aren't actually referred to directly in the song, or only briefly. That runs through my whole album. I'm not a big Star Wars fan myself. Much more important for me, for example, are the Jurassic Park movies, about which there will be a song on the next LP.
Nailhead Magazine: Your new album "Nowhere Feels Like Home" will be released on 03.12.2021, how will the album differ from your previous releases?
Combat Beach: I would say that the album sounds much better and is better thought out than the first EP, because this time I knew exactly what I wanted from this album, how I wanted it to sound.
The two singles released so far give, in my opinion, a good taste of the whole album.
Nailhead Magazine: How many songs will be on the album?
Combat Beach: 12 – the two singles "I Never Asked to Be Here" and "Star Wars Episode VI" + 10 completely new songs.
Nailhead Magazine: How and where was it received?
Combat Beach: I produced and recorded most of the album myself. The whole thing took place in our rehearsal room within 14 days in May 2021. Christoph Eymannsberger from Schall & Wahn Studios in Salzburg supported me. Exact credits can be seen on my Instagram page for all those who are interested.
Among other things, I had help from David Matweber on the drums and backing vocals, Anthea (Schranz) on the backing vocals and Käthe Löffelmann on the violin.
For me, a song is finished as soon as the lyrics, melody and guitar parts are done. Then I decide whether drums should be there or not. Once those things are done, I think about what the song still needs from my point of view and gradually expand the song more and more until I am satisfied.
Nailhead Magazine: Where will people be able to stream the album and will there be recordings to buy?
Combat Beach: Streaming everywhere. You know where.
There will also be vinyl records this time, thanks to Seayou Records. The album will be released digitally on 3.12.2021, but the records will not be released until spring 2022 due to Covid – exact date TBA.
Nailhead Magazine: On a scale from 1 to 9765, how good is your album compared to your EP?
Combat Beach: Well EP 2, album let's say 8 – there is always room for improvement.
Nailhead Magazine: Which international bands would you recommend to someone who likes your music?
Combat Beach: The Front Bottoms;
Neutral Milk Hotel;
Laura Jane Grace und Against Me!;
Slaughter Beach, Dog;
Alex G;
Diet Cig;
Pinegrove;
The Mountain Goats;
kidlol korey;
Amy Bruce Spaceshow
Nailhead Magazine: What are your musical plans for the coming months?
Combat Beach: I'm already working on Combat Beach LP2.
Otherwise, hopefully less Covid and more concerts.
Combat Beach plays anytime and anywhere, just contact me!
Nailhead Magazine: When and where are you going to be live next?
Combat Beach: Unfortunately not at all at the moment, due to the corona lockdown. I had to cancel all shows on the release weekend of the album, but I will make up for everything as soon as it’s possible again – then hopefully full band, as I said!
Thank you for the wonderful interview, all the love and many kisses.