Sidonie: "We like to think that the eggplant represents our Catalan identity"

BarcelonaThey had been talking for a while. In 2020 they included a song in Catalan. Portable, on the disc The return of AbbaFinally, after 28 years in the business, after two albums in English and nine in Spanish, the Barcelona-based group Sidonie has released an album entirely in Catalan: Catalan graffiti (2025), published, incidentally, by the Madrid-based label Sonido Muchacho, the record label of Carolina DuranteThey speak with ARA members Jes Senra (bass), Marc Ros (vocals and guitar), and Axel Pi (drums), who take the opportunity to praise the fourth Sidonie, guitarist Jordi Bastida, an indispensable element in their concerts. "It's fantastic to have Jordi on stage," says Senra.

I'd like to know Jes and Axel's opinion when they first heard Marc's songs in Catalan.

— Jes Senra: It was really great to hear Marc singing in Catalan, to hear a different singer, new songs, a practically new band. It was an amazing feeling.

— Axel Pi: I remember a few moments over the years when a spark ignited the idea. And then one day Marc sent us some songs, some in Spanish and five in Catalan. At that moment, I knew it was about to happen, and that in the meeting we'd have to discuss the songs, we'd say, "We'll keep these, and the next album will most likely be in Catalan." The next step was that Marc showed us only the Catalan songs. And it was very exciting.

How has Marc's language change affected him? Is it similar to the change he made from English to Spanish?

— JS: I see it as very natural.

— Marco Ros: Yes, I've noticed that when I sing in Catalan, they respond differently, just as my voice projects differently when I sing in Catalan. To put it in culinary terms, more honey and less lemon. Spanish is very choppy, and Catalan is rounder, which makes the three of us play differently. It's very interesting.

Come from a previous album, Marco, Axel and Jes (2023), which was power pop, and this one is more pop or more melodic.

— MR: That's what I was saying. If we start speaking in Spanish now, I feel like a different person, someone who needs to be more vocal. When we're promoting in Madrid and we get back to the hotel, I'm voiceless and I haven't sung a single note; I've just been in a bar having beers with people who shout a lot, with all due respect. And here, when it comes to speaking and singing, I've lowered my tone and volume. Sergio Pérez, our Asturian producer, had to raise the volume a bit. makeros because I sang more quietly.

The cover is also quite gastronomic, because it features the eggplant from the album. Early morning chill from La Trinca, and it recalls the banana from The Velvet Underground's first album. How did this symbiosis come about?

— MR: It will be the first time that a single cover pays tribute to Early morning chill of the Trinca, the The Velvet Underground and Nico, which is the album with the Andy Warhol cover, and the Filiprimbecause the lettering It looks a bit like the one from FiliprimAnd it had to be an eggplant, because the album is like a hodgepodge. There's a bit of everything: English pop, which is our DNA, and things that come from American teen pop. And we're from Barcelona, ​​we're Mediterranean.

— AP: Symbolism is important, and we like to think that the eggplant represents our Catalan identity.

And how is this Catalan identity received now that they have performed songs in Catalan outside of the Catalan Countries?

— MR: Generally, very well. Just like Sidonie, we have our own unique DNA, and I think our audience does too. They're used to radical changes. Now that we sing in Catalan, some people might think they won't understand the lyrics. That's okay, they'll find them on social media.

It was a very intelligent reflection he made in an interview with Jordi Garrigós at the ARA FestivalHe explained that he had seen some spectators making the gesture of cutting their throats, but that we usually focus on the negative comment when in reality there are thousands of positive comments.

— AP: It wouldn't be fair to dwell too much on negative moments or the reactions we knew might occur at a concert or on social media, reactions that someone, whether due to prejudice or whatever reason, might distance themselves, dislike, or criticize us for singing in Catalan. Right now, we also have ample reason to say that our audience is wonderful, and how beautiful it is to be receiving such lovely messages and celebrations regarding the language shift. We never imagined so many fans would tell us they're learning Catalan to understand our songs. It's incredible. And this makes us think, humbly, that it's our small contribution to our language: that people from outside Catalonia are embracing a song sung in Catalan and want to understand it thanks to what we're doing. It's truly beautiful.

On this album, he did something that reminded me of what Leiva and Mazoni do: instead of hiding their influences, they present them in a way that makes them very recognizable. He does this in the first song on the album, a cover of The Cure, in You are Italy with the Smiths and Los Planetas, in Baby, baby Maybe with Phil Spector. It's the same as Leiva does with Lou Reed in Shock and adrenaline and Mazoni with the Beatles in Sad song.

— MR: In fact, we have a song on the album called The BeatlesDirectly. I love that Mazoni and Leiva are among the examples you cited; I think it's the first time in history I've ever heard those two names mentioned together. And I love it because we're fans of both of them. We love talking about music, and the more we can talk about music, the better when the artist doesn't hide their influences, because what a silly thing to hide is something you come from that's so evident on the album. We always play with the audience: we want you to know that this riff This one comes from The Smiths, and this other one comes from The Kinks. We want to talk about it because talking about music is an incredible pleasure. The other day, talking with Jes and Axel, we were saying that every song reminds you of a band. I can hate you much more It's The Cure; moreover, they are the same agreements as the Just like heaven.

— JS: Robert Smith, call.

— MR: The second song, Songs that killIt's the Byrds, their signature sound. The third, HEIt's Oasis. The fourth, You are ItalyIt's Smiths. One of the latest, Tonight is the nightYes, it is the most Planets. The BeatlesObviously, the Beatles. Baby, babyYou mentioned Phil Spector, but I'm leaning towards the Brill Building sound. Each song has its own reference point, but we're realizing that at festivals, taking advantage of the fact that they have the same agreements as the Just like heavenWe do it and nobody catches it. I sing Just like heaven, "Show me, show me, show me..."And the people don't know her. Either we're getting too big and the role models are too far removed from their experience, or you're all ignorant and need to get your act together."

— AP: Or it's both.

On the previous album, some lyrics reflected on the passage of time and used irony. In contrast, the songs on Catalan graffiti They have a more youthful spirit.

— MR: All the songs deal with the eternal theme of pop songs: love. What I've done is inject a bit of nostalgia, which for me is an exercise in imagination because the past is a lie. We've gone back to adolescence, to the days when we looked The crystal ball and The TV clownsBecause the Spanish influence is there. There's a song called UFO 84"It's a song from my teenage years. I suppose it's because of the Catalan. Until I met Jes, I didn't know how to speak Spanish. I went to a private school in Sarrià where the Spanish class was taught in Catalan. I learned to speak Spanish by talking to Jes and starting to travel to Madrid with the group."

— AP: With the songs sung in English and Spanish, written in the first person, I saw Marc, and when I projected myself into the lyrics, I tried to identify with them. But that Marc, that person who was speaking to us, I remember him as part of a character who was the protagonist of the song. And now, when I hear the songs that this friend sings in the language he and I speak, I see Marco as a child, I see Marco as a teenager, and I see Marco as a young adult acting like the character in that song. That's something I hadn't experienced before, and I liked it because it felt more real.

Marc, when composing and singing, did you unconsciously draw on influences like Lluís Gavaldà or Gerard Quintana?

— MR: This has been really interesting. When we switched from English to Spanish, suddenly there were songs that sounded like they were in Los Secretos, and I can assure you that I'd never heard of Los Secretos before, and now they're a band I adore, but I only ever listened to music sung in English. And, interestingly, the same thing happened with Catalan. I liked Sopa de Cabra and Els Pets, but I hadn't listened to them much. And suddenly there are songs that sound clearly like they're in Els Pets and Sopa de Cabra—it's incredible. And songs that we think are really cool. Thanks, friends.

In the interview with Jordi Bianciotto in EnderrockTalk about music as paracetamol, it heals. Do you have a song that's like paracetamol for you?

— MR: With LuxRosalía's album... I've had the experience of not listening to one of those albums that I can listen to from beginning to end and that serves as a refuge. So, I'd say that a song like... Magnolias. Yesterday we were playing her music in the rehearsal space because I find it beautiful. Rosalía is once again reaffirming the importance of the work itself, the album, the concept, and I stretch out on the sofa in my pajamas, put on some good headphones, and listen to Rosalía's album like I used to. The dark side of the moon [of Pink Floyd].

Do you have any refuge songs?

— AP: I've been saying the same thing for many years: What's going onby Marvin GayeIt's a song that has the power to amplify sadness when you're sad and to amplify joy when you feel and experience it. It's a great virtue, to exalt things, your feelings.

— JS: Any Lana Del Rey song or album. What I love most is Lana Del Rey's music. When we leave a concert, I get in the van and we go to the next city, I listen to Lana Del Rey and I feel alive again. I'm a huge Lana Del Rey fan; she's changed my life. I love her so much.

— MR: To all viewers and readers of the ARA newspaper, if you have any problems and need this paracetamol or this shelter, we have a magnificent one playlist which is called Songs that killLana Del Rey is there.

This list should include the songs you put on when you're feeling sad, like you sing in Songs that kill.

— MR: Exactly. The song Songs that kill He talks precisely about those songs we put on to feel sadder, but which at the same time serve as catharsis and afterwards we feel better. That's what Axel was saying about What's going on From Marvin Gaye: how can the same song exalt that moment of sadness or contemplation and at the same time make you want to dance? Only truly great songs and great artists like Sidonie can achieve this.

Have you ever felt like murdering, in quotes, someone who's really tiresome talking about music? I'm asking because of the parody they did of me in the song. The Beatles.

— MR:The Beatles It's inspired by myself. It's about a psychopath who says, "I couldn't be with anyone who didn't like the Beatles." But I'm actually kind of like that. I couldn't be with someone who hates the Beatles. What kind of miserable person are you? I don't want to be with that kind of person. I don't feel like murdering anyone, but I do want to be with people who like the songs that move me, or at least respect them.

What doesn't change is the way you perform live. I saw you recently at the Live Music Market and the other day as the opening act for... Leiva at the Palau Sant Jordiand don't get tired of this direct contact you have with the public.

— AP: It is surely the desire that we have always had, have and will have to give our all and make the public happy and entertain them.

— MR: We're a bit like actors, bad ones, not very good because we're in a theater, but competent on stage, and the key is seduction. This has been the case from Greek theater to the present day. What I like as a spectator is wanting to sleep with the artist. That's what we try to achieve, to make them want to sleep with us. We've also learned from the best. We've been students of the Rolling Stones, who are surely the most sexual band in the history of rock, and we're fans of David Bowie, and we're fans of Bad Gyal and Madonna, who are people I'd like to sleep with.

And what about La Ludwig Band, who also play that game with the audience?

— MR: Let's just say Ludwig Band isn't the sexiest band on the planet, but yeah, I'm also keen... not to have sex with them, but a few... little kissesThis sexy edge they have comes from a place you wouldn't expect, because they appear on stage dressed in t-shirts... At first glance, it wouldn't do anything for you, but they work their magic and perform songs that make you think, wow...

— AP: We admire them immensely. We love them. And we also really like the way they give their all on stage. They are undoubtedly a new benchmark for music made here, and around the world. Their commitment to giving everything, beyond the purely musical aspects, is something we truly admire.

— MR: Thanks to La Ludwig Band, Dan Peralbo, Remedio de Ca la Fresca, Power Burkas, Alérgicas al Polen... the Catalan music scene has reached a point where it makes you want to get up on stage and play guitar. They're creating some really cool stuff and writing some great songs.

One last thing. The album is titled Catalan graffiti because of the movie American graffiti by George Lucas, but I can't get the album out of my head Physical graffiti by Led Zeppelin.

— JS: Holy shit, that's true.

— MR: Look, it's obvious... We hadn't noticed the Led Zeppelin reference. Well, look, it's a graffiti More, perfect.

— JS: And we love it.

— AP: We are huge Led Zeppelin fans, very big.

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