‘Soft Fantasy’ by Spell Trouble | Interview | “I certainly embrace Berlin’s chaos”
Exclusive video premiere of ‘Soft Fantasy,’ the latest mind-bending creation from Berlin’s own renegade sonic alchemist, Spell Trouble.
Berlin’s indie scene just birthed another sonic concoction in the form of Spell Trouble, the brainchild of Maximilian Seifert. This project effortlessly juggles catchy indie sensibilities with the raw, nostalgic grit of new wave. Seifert’s latest offering, ‘Soft Fantasy,’ is set to drop worldwide on September 6, the second in a string of releases planned this year under Swiss label Irascible Music.
‘Soft Fantasy’ is a moody trip through the fog of alternative darkwave, with nostalgic synths, melancholic lyrics, and a drum machine that hits like a heartbeat in a dimly lit room. The track starts off as a tender, almost romantic daydream, but before you know it, you’re tumbling deeper into Seifert’s soundscape. Reverb-drenched vocals and delayed synths build and build, until you’re swallowed whole by a finale of pulsating feedback and staggering synth leads that leave you spinning long after the last note fades.
Spell Trouble is like stumbling into a neon-lit abyss where the past and future collide in a swirling haze of analog synths and drum machines that scream forgotten ’80s sci-fi epics. The name alone crackles with mischief and magic, hinting at a soundtrack for cosmic misadventures and youthful rebellion. Our artist is a lone voyager in this chaotic soundscape, weaving raw, unfiltered emotion into every track, making solo work both a liberation and a solitary confinement. ‘Soft Fantasy’ pulses with a dreamy melancholy, as if Caspar David Friedrich traded his paintbrush for a synth and a reverb pedal. The Berlin backdrop adds a gritty, unpredictable energy, transforming the mundane into a playground of sonic exploration. Expect a future littered with singles and a live show that might finally crack open the sonic Pandora’s box—if they can ever escape the labyrinth of their own making.
“I certainly embrace Berlin’s chaos”
‘Soft Fantasy’ feels like it was made for a slow-motion sequence in a dream where everything’s both beautiful and tragic at the same time. When you started working on this track, were you already deep in the rabbit hole, or did it slowly drag you down as you built the layers?
Maximilian Seifert: I’m usually deep down the rabbit hole when I work on new music, haha. But honestly, I feel like that moment – when you enter the “musical rabbit hole” and just completely forget your surroundings – is what I’m always striving for. I get that feeling from my favorite music as well as when I jam with other people and it just clicks. That’s probably also why my tracks usually build up to a more and more intense moment, resulting in a clash of different instrument layers and effects.
Berlin’s got this reputation as a city where you can find a rave in a techno bunker at 5 a.m. or an impromptu poetry reading in a crumbling squat. How much of Berlin’s chaos and creativity seeps into Spell Trouble? Ever find yourself walking those streets and thinking, “Yeah, this city is the soundtrack”?
I certainly embrace Berlin’s chaos, even when it can feel overwhelming from time to time. I’m very curious and always looking for new or old things to discover, which is why I love the nonstop change that makes day-to-day life just more exciting. Creatively, it’s very inspiring how much is going on and how many great artists live in the city. Seeing other people creating motivates me to go to the studio and get creative myself. Also, you can really find a niche for everything you’d like to do.
Nostalgia’s a tricky thing. Some people drown in it, others just use it like a spice. Spell Trouble has this vibe where you’re almost resurrecting the ghost of new wave but with this totally modern twist. How do you avoid falling into the trap of just being another retro act? Or do you even care?”
I definitely care – I think it’s very important to be unique and distinguishable from other artists. That applies to being a retro act, but also to established acts and new modern artists alike. I always experiment, and I’m fascinated by new tools, techniques, and niche genres. I feel like implementing spontaneous hunches while in the studio or state-of-the-art production details really helps to create my own personal sound and not just imitate the track of a retro act that I really admire.
You took this punkish, DIY approach to your latest record, playing all the instruments yourself. What was the most absurdly difficult moment in that process? Did you ever just sit there, surrounded by synths and drum machines, thinking, “Why the hell am I doing this alone?”?
I just started playing guitar a few years ago, and I have no idea how to play the piano or the keyboard area of a synth. Sometimes I get to a point where I can feel that a musical idea doesn’t work or a melody isn’t complete, but I just can’t figure out where the problem lies. That’s usually my “Why the hell” moment. But in the end, that’s what also makes my music personal and unique. When you start out experimenting with no goal, it sometimes ends up in a pretty interesting and unconventional result, leading to a piece of work that really sticks and that I feel super comfortable with.
“Melancholic darkwave just seems to be the sweet spot for me”
From shredding in the East German metal scene to crafting melancholic darkwave—how does that even happen? Do you ever hear echoes of your metal past in Spell Trouble’s music, or did you leave all that behind when you dove into Berlin’s electronic depths?
I always listened to a lot of different genres, and all those genres certainly influence the music I’m creating. Melancholic darkwave just seems to be the sweet spot for me, combining the elements I love when making music: dreamy melancholic melodies, fast beats, and synths, as well as distorted guitars alike. Besides, I’m still playing drums in a Stoner/Doom Metal band, which definitely influences my solo music as Spell Trouble and the other way around. Especially my new track ‘Soft Fantasy’ ends in a blast of delay and reverb effects—pretty typical for a psychedelic stoner band, don’t you think?
Your lyrics tap into that murky pool of self-care and social anxiety—pretty heavy stuff. How do you take these personal, almost claustrophobic themes and turn them into something that listeners can get lost in? Is there a particular moment in your life that these songs keep coming back to?
There isn’t a particular moment in my life that represents all my lyrical ideas, but I think these topics are pretty common struggles nowadays and something a lot of people can relate to. That’s probably why it’s so appealing to me and to listeners alike. I see these feelings as obstacles you have to tackle again and again to get where you really want to be or to get in sync with yourself. That’s something I spend a lot of time thinking about lately.
“Imperfection just has this character that you can’t emulate”
You’ve got this love affair with vintage drum machines and synths that sound like they’ve been pulled straight out of a forgotten ‘80s sci-fi flick. What is it about those old, imperfect sounds that gets you?”
Imperfection just has this character that you can’t emulate and hence creates a distinct vibe and mood. That’s something I’m always looking for when I make music—a vibe that’s interesting and that delivers a specific familiar feeling. Using those vintage machines and sounds is also about pulling references to the movies and music I grew up with and that fascinated me. My girlfriend and I have a pretty big collection of vintage toys, comics, and, of course, vinyl in our flat, to get inspired and to get lost in.
You’ve played in bands, and you’ve gone it alone with Spell Trouble. When you’re creating music solo, how does that compare to the give-and-take of being in a band?
Making music on my own has the benefit that I don’t have to make any compromises. I sometimes also start with a specific idea, where I already know how the final track should sound, more or less. It’s also about something quite selfish: I wanted a project where I can realize my very own vision, starting from the music to the visuals and the live show. On the other hand, I also miss being inspired by other people when I work on music alone. It’s just a completely different songwriting process when you work on new music as a band; it’s more intuitive and emotion-led.
If ‘Soft Fantasy’ was a painting, what would it look like? How do you see the relationship between your music and visual art?
Probably something melancholic and dreamy like the “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” by Caspar David Friedrich or a dark and fantastic piece by Francisco Goya. In the end, it’s probably different for everyone who’s listening, and I don’t want to take that away. Visual art is super important to me to create an immersive and holistic world, something where listeners can really get lost in and discover references and details. Visual art can amplify the vibe that originates in the music or add an additional dimension to the existing piece, provoking new interpretations.
“Spell Trouble” as a name is both ominous and intriguing. What’s the story there?
I heard the proverb “someone is spelling trouble” somewhere, and it just got stuck in my head. I really like how “Spell Trouble,” as in “someone is up to no good,” implies adventure and excitement. A romantic feeling that’s representing youth culture and coming-of-age. A mood I always wanted to capture with my music. “Spell” adds a supernatural layer, hinting at something fantastic and wonderful. Also, it sounds pretty cool, and it wasn’t taken on streaming services yet, haha.
What’s next for you?
I have two more single releases scheduled with my label, Irascible. Besides that, I haven’t played live yet, as I didn’t know how to translate my music into a performance. I’ll catch up on that soon. I also have a lot of drafts and ideas for a second EP already that I want to finish in the next few months.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Danny Feng
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Irascible Distribution Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp
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