Photo & Text: Constantin Jacobs
Laundromat Chicks is a four-person indie band consisting of Tobias Hammermüller, who writes and records his own songs, Theresa Strohmer, Felix Schnabl, who you might know from his garage punk project "Salamirecorder" and Lena Pöttinger. One year after the first album, the second finally follows!
It will be called "Trouble" and will be released on June 17th, 2022.
We were allowed to listen to the album beforehand and exclusively ask Tobias Hammermüller a few questions about it
Nailhead Magazine: Hi Tobias! Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions! Your new album "Trouble" will be released on June 17th, 2022. How are you feeling ahead of the release?
Tobias: Of course I'm very curious how people will react, especially how they perceive the songs as a unified album.
Nailhead Magazine: The artwork and idea for it is very strong. Who created the album cover?
Tobias: Sophia Mara Egger-Karlegger did that. She drew the sketch for it when we were working together as cinema cashiers last summer and we got bored.
Nailhead Magazine: On your first album "Often in the World" you wrote and recorded all the songs yourself, i.e. instrumentals, lyrics and vocals. You also mixed and mastered it yourself. Is that also the case with the new album or did you get help?
Tobias: This time Wolfang Lehmann mixed the finished recordings. I think that made sense because he looked at the songs from a completely different perspective. The album was mastered by Dino Spiluttini.
Nailhead Magazine: "Often in the World" has 9 songs, "Trouble" "only" 7 songs, why did you decide to keep the new album a bit shorter?
Tobias: I always just stop when it feels right for me. What I wanted to create with the album was already there after seven songs this time.
Nailhead Magazine: What also struck me while listening to the album was that on the one hand there are very energetic tracks like “You're On The Line” & “Now It's Winter” and on the other melancholic songs like “Incomprehensible World”. Did you already have this range of songs and the album in mind when you started writing it?
Tobias: Yes, totally. For me, the two directions are not separated at all, I think all songs have something melancholic as well as energetic, that's what I wanted to achieve.
Nailhead Magazine: On June 23rd is the release party of the album at the Rhiz in Vienna, where you can also play the new tracks live. Will this be different than before?
Tobias: At the last couple of concerts we played most of the new songs live. But for the listeners it might be something different now that they already know the songs from the recordings. Also, in my DJ set, I will showcase the biggest influences on the album.
Nailhead Magazine: Are there already, aside from the gig on June 23rd, planned live performances around the album? A tour maybe?
Tobias: We will play a few more concerts for the album in July, in Ebensee and twice in Germany. We're also playing a Fractal Night with Crack Cloud and Nature Swim on July 10th.
Nailhead Magazine: As a single you have previously released "You're On The Line" and "It must be the stars". Why did you choose these two specifically?
Tobias: "It Must Be The Stars" was a good reflection of where my music is going at the moment. And "You're On The Line" was the "hit" of the album for me right from the start.
Nailhead Magazine: You shot a video for “You're On The Line”. The video for "Catch it" is also very coherent and suits you, you & the music. How do you create such a video or the idea for it?
Tobias: With "Catch It" we had a real concept in mind at the time, it was supposed to be a homage to the runaway films by Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch and co. With the new video, the personality of us as a band should come across clearly.
Nailhead Magazine: You have a very interesting lyrical style. What are your creative sources of inspiration when writing? Can you tell us something specific?
Tobias: It's more important to me that my lyrics trigger a feeling or a reaction than that they make sense. I mostly write in montages and mix different content that has nothing to do with each other.
Nailhead Magazine: If I forced you to tell me a favorite track from your new album, could you pick one?
Tobias: Yes, yes. Probably “Phone Rings”, I like the mood that comes through in the lyrics and the song feels very sincere to me in hindsight.
Nailhead Magazine: "Trouble" is released on Siluh Records. How did you join Siluh Records? How does the collaboration with such a label work?
Tobias: Siluh Records was the first label I sent the album demos to because I'm a big fan of some of the artists on Siluh. Working with Bernhard Kern from the label is very relaxed and pleasant, we make all decisions together.
Nailhead Magazine: Where will your album be streamed and will it be available for purchase?
Tobias: Everywhere where you can listen to online music. We also made cassettes and CDs that you can buy on the Siluh website. My recommendation is the cassette, the warm but flat sound strengthens the mood of the songs.
Nailhead Magazine: Finally, the obligatory question about the future. I know you're just about to release your new album, but maybe you already have new, more musical plans?
Tobias: I wouldn't call it a plan yet, but I'm always experimenting with ideas. At the latest when it gets cold again I will work on new songs again.
Nailhead Magazine: Thank you Tobias for taking the time to answer our questions, I wish you all the best in your future work.
Stream the artists music on
Bandcamp: https://laundromatchicks.bandcamp.com
Keep yourself up to date on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laundromatchicks/