behind the music with

Ġenn

'Drama follows us'

by Luisa - October 24, 2023

Hallo and welcome to Hashbrandnew's BEHIND THE MUSIC: Exclusive Interviews With Your Next Favourite New Bands!

Today you get acquainted with the anglo-maltese act ĠENN.

"UNUM," the debut album from the quartet, embodies the concept of oneness and unity. Comprising four distinct influences and identities, this album reflects a remarkable evolution. Following their 2021 debut EP "Liminal," which emerged from the challenges of the pandemic, "UNUM" symbolizes the long-awaited togetherness of the band's four best friends.

ĠENN's individuality has always been their strength. Guitarist Janelle Borg explores neo-psychedelic rock and post-punk, while bassist Leanne Zammit balances prog-bass and jazz influences. Drummer Sofia Rosa Cooper , with a background in jazz and blues, embraces a psychedelic approach, and Leona Farrugia's vocals channel Eastern vocal tones from her native Malta.

The band consistently grapples with the feeling of being outsiders, driven by their unique backgrounds. Their diverse identities are intertwined with questions of selfhood, identity, and ancestry. "UNUM" is a reflection of their quest for identity.

Founded a decade ago and now Brighton-based, ĠENN has established deep bonds as a sisterhood. Their independence is evident through lead vocalist Leona's creation of their visual world and the formation of the Liminal Collective for music releases.

In essence, "UNUM" is a captivating blend of distinct influences, a testament to unity, and a celebration of the band's determination to preserve their individuality while exploring their shared identity and the quest for selfhood.

Jordan Core

Your record charted in the UK's Top 100 Official Album Sales Chart and the Top 40 Independent Albums Chart. Congratulations! How do you feel about this achievement today?

Leanne: It's kind of crazy to be honest, it's been such a long road to get here. We've been working towards this release for like the last two years including recording, writing, etc and we did it totally independently. And it's been so much work and effort and it's kind of surreal to see it go somewhere and we're hoping only good thing from here to that because people seem to be enjoying it and that is very humbling.
And Pitchfork gave the record a positive review...

L: Oh yeah! When you put out something that you care about it's vulnerable. It's a bit like you're showing a piece of yourself people don't normally see so having Pitchfork's review it's a bit scary, but in a good way!
Artwork by Marc Francis David and AJN AKKA
"Unum" represents a significant evolution for ĠENN, where you've blended your diverse influences and identities into a unified whole. Can you pinpoint a track or moment on the album that best exemplifies this (musical) fusion?

Janelle: Probably the frst song of the album, the guide track that led us to write the rest, 'Rohmeresse', which has a lot of different influences, from different genres, different tempos, and dynamics as well. And then the last song, 'The merchant of'. I think they showed us what the rest of the album could be. Do you agree, Leanne?

L: Yes, first and last. I didn't notice that!
We truly appreciate the immense care and effort that you have put into every aspect of your album. This goes far beyond just the music. From the captivating cover art, to the videos, to the interactive online space called 'Unum 3D’! It was fun to explore the 'Unum§ house. One question, though: How do you guys have managed to create all this independently while also having full time jobs, right?

L: The secret is not getting any sleep (laughter)! We are creative first and foremost. For the house we worked with an architect digital designer (Marc Francis David) who made the 3D design and kindly let us use the model to make the house which I coded the functionality for. The house was two weeks worth of after work hours.

We asked ourselves, how can we make things a bit more interesting out of what we got? So we made something related to the song thematicaally that people can look at. I think it trailed off from the original question, but basically...we don't have a lot of free time!

J: We don't go out (laughter)!
We are curious to know, what the horse running in the second floor means...

L: I will be very honest: the input for certain details in the house came from Leona, who does the creative direction. Leo told me: put the horse and when you click on it it shows the tour dates.

J: Maybe it's linked to the last music video ('The sister of') where there are horses!?

L: Yes but I'm gonna give you a trade secret, probably it's a coincidence (laughter).
Jordan Core
The name ĠENN means 'craziness' in the Maltese language. Can you share the craziest thing you've experienced while being on tour?

J: Oh my God there's a lot! I think we kind of came up with Ġenn because drama follows us. We could have a Netflix reality show.

I think the 'JJ Situation' was the craziest. One time we ended up sleeping at this person's flat in the UK, where there is a culture of hosting bands, and this guy was recommended us from a friend. And as soon as I entered, my God, this guy was having sex with his girlfriend. And the night got stranger and stranger. The guy was full-on drug addict, he said that he had just been out of prison, that he was a gipsy king and other random stories. Leanne stayed up all night because this guy said he was trying to hack someone. And then two of us ended up escaping in the middle of the night...

L: ...and we went to the train station two hours before it was open just because it was easier than hanging around.

J: it was one of the worse night of my life!
You have already been to Hamburg! In 2019 you played at Hafenklang. Do you like the city?

J: Yeah! Unfortunately I didn't get lot of time to go around but I remember that we played Hafenklang, it was a fun show and after there was a Christmas market and we got some matching St Pauli bags. I have a friend who used to live around here (St. Pauli) for a few years and every time we talk about Hamburg we say that it's so cool to live and play here.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals or superstitions? And what do you enjoy doing after your gigs?

J: After the gigs eating, definitely! And sleeping! But we don't have any superstition. Do we have anything that we do before the show, Leanne?

L: Sometimes Janelle and Leona do planks and exercise.

J: And we all need to go to the toilet, one by one!
You wake up tomorrow and you’re an all male band: which band would you be?

J: Leanne woud be some metal band!

L: Well Gojira would be a good one actually. I've been a fan since I was 16.

J: Maybe someone who's popular enough not to do a normal job. And they're rich. Someone who has a message terapist after the show, lot of people carrying stuff and they can just chill on the tour bus.

L: The band of Keanu Reeves, maybe? Dogstar.

J: Definitely a rich band!
One last question: Do you have a keyboard shortcut for typing the letter "G" with a dot (Ġ)?

L: I'll tell you a dirty secret. Every time I have to type it I google us and copy paste.

J: That's a tactic to increase the Google search! Well you have to download the Maltese keyboard, at least on your mobile phone...