transcripts sent to me by discord user sleepwalker108, thank you!


Host: Alright, we’re on 93-point-something, the show Helter Skelter. We’ve just listened to a session from a band that, in my opinion, you probably don’t know—called Natural Snow Buildings. I have the two members here with me—“representatives,” though I don’t really like that term, but I couldn’t think of anything better.

So, on my right is Mehdi, who plays guitar and sings, and on my left is Solange, who plays the cello.

So, maybe you could start by explaining where the name comes from?

Mehdi: Well, it's actually just the title of a song we had, and we took it and used it as our band name.

Host: And who’s the song by?

Mehdi: It's one of ours. We’re actually called Snowbuildings, but we had this one track called Natural Snowbuilding—well, not exactly, but something like that. We played it and ended up adopting the name from it.

Host: So it means, like, "natural snow buildings"? Or buildings made of natural snow?

Solange: We just really like snow.

Host: Yeah, for the imagery?

Solange: Yeah, it’s kind of pretty. It brings a lot of things to mind when you think of snow.

Host: So, I had actually played your demo that you sent me—I think back in April or March. I really liked it. And it’s rare that I play a band in session after just a demo. But I really liked it, and I wanted to learn more about you. Especially since Natural Snow Buildings clearly enjoys a bit of mystery—you only sent a cassette tape. That’s rare now—everyone sends CDs. But I liked the approach. There wasn’t a bio or any kind of press text—just an email. I liked the mystery of it.

Is that something important to you? Because you really went out of your way to be mysterious.

Mehdi: Yeah, that’s important. The idea of an anonymous band that hides behind its music—it’s interesting.

Solange: We don't need to put ourselves front and center. The music should speak for itself. We don’t need to start out by saying, "Hi, I’m John, I have six brothers, three wives, and I used to play in this or that band."

Host: Exactly. And we won’t say who you know either.

Mehdi: No, we won’t say.

Host: Musically speaking, I know you’ve had previous experiences in bands. What made you shift toward this style? What you played today was guitar, cello, and vocals—so, songs—but your demo was more atmospheric.

Mehdi: Yeah, we’ve played different styles. What we’re doing now just kind of happened naturally, without really thinking about it.

Solange: Before, the band—or bands—we were in were more chaotic, less coherent.

Host: Do you want to stay a duo, or open up the lineup depending on the track?

Mehdi: We don’t know yet. Some tracks clearly need more people to play them live. So, yes, we’d like to bring in other musicians.

Solange: Actually, we’re recruiting—if you're interested.

Host: What kind of musicians?

Mehdi: A drummer. A second guitarist, maybe a violinist. Piano, too—since we had piano on the demo.

Solange: Yeah, we use a lot of overdubs. That helps.

Host: One group I thought of when I first heard your demo was Sylvain Chauveau—I love his album. It’s a heavy comparison.

Mehdi: We love him too. But we’re doing different things, especially in today’s session.

Solange: Yeah, what we played today was simpler to perform live as a duo.

Host: And how do you see the future of the band?

Mehdi: I barely know what I’m doing tomorrow.

Solange: We’d like to do concerts. But only if we can gather enough people to play with.

Host: But even with what you played today, you could already do a short concert as a duo.

Solange: Yeah, but that might not be the most interesting.

Mehdi: We really like long ambient tracks.

Host: Yeah, the cassette had lots of effects.

Mehdi: And we cut some out, too.

Host: You could work live with effects, on your own.

Mehdi: Yeah, if the setup allows it. We like that blend—songs with ambient elements.

Host: Why guitar and cello?

Solange: It just happened naturally. That’s what we played when we met.

Host: Okay, next question. What are your lyrics about? I didn’t really follow them.

Mehdi: It’s not difficult. They can be about anything—winters, whatever. One of the songs we played was a traditional folk cover.

Host: Oh yeah? Who originally did it?

Solange: We found the lyrics online. The music is ours. It’s an old gothic folk text.

Host: And what’s the story?

Mehdi: It’s about a sailor who sleeps around, gets a virgin pregnant, she kills herself in despair. She leaves a note asking for her body to be left by the roadside so other virgins can see what happened. Her ghost then haunts the sailor at sea and eventually drowns him in flames.

Host: Classic folk themes—I love that stuff.

Mehdi: Me too. It’s gothic in a good way—not campy or overdone, more like proper gothic literature.

Host: Speaking of that—do you read a lot?

Solange: Oh yes. It’s important to us.

Host: I agree—some books are just as important as albums, in terms of influence.

Mehdi: For sure. They shape our ideas and themes.

Host: Any books or authors that left a mark?

Mehdi: Recently, I’ve really liked Cormac McCarthy.

Host: Haven’t read him yet.

Mehdi: You should. Maybe Outer Dark or Child of God… His Border Trilogy is great too.

Host: And you?

Solange: I agree. As for older stuff, not Proust—but older gothic authors: Matthew Lewis, Ann Radcliffe, Maturin, even Horace Walpole.

Host: Ah yes, Walpole—one of the first gothic novelists. Interesting—most bands don’t bring up books at all.

Mehdi: Yeah, but it always influences us. We read a lot.

Host: Moving away from music—any favorite filmmakers?

Mehdi: That’s hard. Too many. But lately, Harmony Korine.

Host: Oh, I love him.

Mehdi: Not a lot of people do. But those who do, really do.

Solange: His films are visually powerful. He’s one of the few who really uses cinema as visual storytelling.

Host: I think he’ll age well—he’ll become a major filmmaker.

Solange: And he’s still young.

Host: What would you do if you couldn’t make music?

Mehdi: Serial killers, probably. [laughs] No, no, cut that.

Solange: It’s hard to imagine being anything else.

Host: Do you think you could just… live a normal life? Job, kids?

Solange: You can combine music and a normal life.

Mehdi: Yeah, but once you start making music, it’s hard to stop. You want more. It’s not just a hobby.

Host: And when you play, do you care how people interpret it?

Mehdi: We don't have a choice. People will take what they want from it.

Host: You kind of came out of nowhere.

Solange: We don’t think about that too much.

Host: When you played cello, did you miss doing more than classical?

Solange: Not really. I actually focused more on piano. I’d set cello aside for a while.

Host: And you got back into it?

Solange: Yeah, kind of by accident. I showed up with my records and turned everything upside down.

Host: Any classical composers who still inspire you?

Solange: Not directly. I love Schumann and Bach, but I don’t think there’s a direct link.

Host: Rachel Grimes (from Rachel's) is a big Bach fan—what do you think of her path?

Mehdi: We really admire her. And all of Rachel's. They have such a wide range musically.

Solange: Yeah, and we like a lot of the bands from that scene. Jason Noble played in Rodan too, right?

Host: Yeah. Very different from Rachel’s, but it still makes sense.

Mehdi: Exactly. It’s coherent in a strange way.

Host: And in France—do you feel isolated, or are there bands you connect with?

Solange: There are some French bands we like. Not many, but some. Recently, for example, Aphexion—we bought their album based on one track. It’s really great.

Host: Final thoughts? We heard a session from Natural Snow Buildings—guitar, cello, vocals.

Mehdi: Not sure it was that great…

Solange: We’re not used to playing outside our bedroom. Being so far apart—it’s strange.

Mehdi: We don’t feel in control yet. But we’ll get used to it.