Mixing guitar riffs, electronic soundscapes and harmonised voices, European trio Casilian (formerly Nations of the Soul) are back with their very latest release, If We Could.
Formerly known as Nations Of The Soul, the exciting trio have already graced the pages of Entertainment South Wales when they revealed their Music DNA choices last year. `If We Could` sees Casilian move forward with a bright uplifting release revealing a heart-rending story about wonder, doubt and growth.
Lucas J. Roussel of Casilian recently spoke to Andy Howells about the band and their new single.
Where are you from and how did you get into music?
Originally Mikaël and Lucas are brothers from France, and Liene is from Latvia.
Lucas and Liene were playing instruments from a young age. Mikaël got into playing in his teenage years but was always a fan of music. He was listening to a lot of different kinds of music as a kid and, together with being ´a bookworm´, it led him to be the best lyricist in the band.
How would you describe your musical style?
The CASILIAN sound is a mix of indie, electronica, pop and folk. Our strongest elements are the harmonies that are very much inspired by the english folk music.
Tell us about your latest release and what was the inspiration behind it?
If We Could is a great representation of the CASILIAN sound that was mentioned earlier. The song was inspired by a quite difficult breakup. It’s a dialogue, where there’s one person that wants the relationship to be over and the other one not wanting to let go, trying to find ways to make it work. It tells a story about doubt, insecurities, wonder and growth.
If We Could was actually written a few years ago, we weren’t even sure if we would ever release it.
In February last year, our manager brought it up again and wanted us to record it. So, we started it in Los Angeles and finished here in Bergen.
How have you handled the situation this past year with the pandemic?
We’ve handled it better than expected. When you know you’re powerless to make a change, all you’re left with is acceptance. Though this time has been very creative for us – we´ve been writing a lot and recording some new songs which we are beyond excited to show the world.
One thing we really miss is playing shows… We got a new booking agent from ´Runway´ in England right before the pandemic and were quite excited to play in the UK. It didn’t get that far unfortunately…
What’s been your best live experience?
We had a concert at INSIDE in Bergen, right before leaving for LA last year. That was our first official concert as CASILIAN. What an incredible evening that was! The audience was amazing and so present, we felt right at home. We knew that this is where we belong – on a stage performing in front of people.
Where can we see and hear you online?
You can listen to our music on Spotify we are also on instagram (@casilianband), facebook and youtube .
Will can we look forward from you in the future?
We’re releasing some new music veeeery soon. Super excited about that!
- Read on for Casilian’s Music DNA inspirations