Exclusive Interview with Post-Hardcore Band landless

Slovakian post-hardcore band landless broke onto the music scene in 2015 with their debut EP Bluemist. Since then, they have built a solid fan base across central Europe, and are now looking to take the next step in their musical journey. I got to talk with the five members of the band — Ladislav Mikoláš (vocals), Peter Kozák (guitar), Patrik Heltko (guitar), Eduard Scholz (bass) and Nikolaj Hordin (drums) — about where the name of the band came from, whose of their musical influences are, what fans can expect from their upcoming EP, Moonflower, and so much more! Keep reading to see what they had to say!

For those who might not have ever heard of you, can you give us a brief history of the band and how it culminated into what it is now?

Hey guys! We’re landless and the year 2014 would be considered as “the one when the seed was sown”. It started off pretty quickly by releasing our debut EP Bluemist in early 2015. Right now, there are just 3 original members in the band, and the drummer and bassist are our fresh blood. We’ve been trying to come up with great music ever since, because as you well know, we love what we do.

Where did the name landless come from?

The very first idea we had was to have something “poetic”, something people can easily remember and pronounce. It also connects and points to the difference between materialism and other important things we have in our life.

I’m always genuinely curious about what artists want to convey to listeners with their music. You guys classify your sound as post-hardcore, but if you had to describe it without using genre names, how would you describe it?

Generally speaking, we just want to give people the best energy and melody there is. To try to connect breakdowns with emotive parts is what makes it special too. In regards to having different vocal links over the years, it’s just the year we currently live in. We’re trying to be open-minded and bring up new sounds to you all. We’re sure you’ll hear in May, when we release our new EP Moonflower.

Kind of going off of that, who are some of your musical influences?

This is kind of difficult question to answer, because our musical influences are really diverse. It sticks with us as well, but we listen to literally everything. If we had to give you a few names, it’d definitely be some you’re pretty familiar with: Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Iron Maiden, August Burns Red and Parkway Drive.

Let’s talk about your new single, “Blooming Mind”. What inspired that song?

“Blooming Mind” is about finding a balance in your life. Lyrically, the track is about not becoming a selfish person and learning how to control your ego. Inspiration comes in by living daily life. We often stop thinking about others and how they can help us in ways we cannot even think of. Only then [do] you realize how great of a feeling it is to have people standing behind you. 

What was the songwriting process like for this song specifically?

It was supposed to be the most “technical song“ we have, but it got changed somewhere in the middle to something we like to call melodic-emotion metal, especially at the end. Ironically, we’re convinced that part is what makes the song really great.

Do you guys tend to write by yourselves or do you like collaborating with other writers and artists in co-writes?

We write all the lyrics and music ourselves. We’ve only collaborated with other people for sampling and mastering.

Was there any major changes to “Blooming Mind” that happened once you guys got into the recording studio, whether it be in the lyrics or something sonically?

The simplest answer would be no. We did not change any of it. Once it was created and we were happy with it, we never “touched“ it again. All of us were in agreement with everything that happened there, so we didn’t feel the need for any wholesale changes or reproduction.

Your new EP Moonfloweris coming out at the end of May. Is it finalized enough yet where you know how many songs are on it and what people can expect from it?

You’ll get a chance to hear 6 new songs (well not all of them are new as some of you will have already heard like “Connections” and “Blooming Mind”)! Anyway, we know everyone will have their own favorite one, so we’re excited to see what people think & look forward to Moonflower growing.

You guys just announced that you’ve signed with Famined Records. First, congratulations! Second, what made you sign with them and where are you hoping they can help take your career as a band over the next year or so?

Thank you so much, we appreciate it! We’d love to share what we have with everybody out there and Famined Records is definitely the first place you’d need to look in order to get that chance. We’re so pleased to release this EP on a label who understands and buys into what we’re doing.

Lastly, we’re called Talk Nerdy With Us because we all have an inner nerd so what is something that you’re currently nerding out about?

Let’s see what’ve got here. First of all, Laci (singer) is the biggest marketing and music nerd you’d find. It’s simple as that; he’s like a Google. Lead guitarist Peter is so into traveling and building his own business (go get it boy) you cannot even imagine. Next in line is drummer, Nikolaj. Are you looking for IT specialist? It’s your lucky day cause you found him. Nikolaj’s your guy. If you’re looking for something to cheer you up after sitting long hours behind the desk? Eduard (bass) will cut it with his awesome cakes he makes for sure. Last but not least, if you happen to be sore, Patrik (second lead guitar) is here for the best massages you could wish for!

For more information, make sure you follow landless on Facebook and Instagram.