SOURCE – My first musical encounter with the band was through the song Smile. Before we begin discussing the album and the band’s career, could you elaborate on the composition process behind this track?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – Smile was one of the first tracks we wrote for the album. We wanted to capture all of the rage and fury that we feel about society’s continued mistreatment of disabled people. So, inevitably, it ended up being a very fast and very aggressive track with almost no let-up. We launched the track as a single in collaboration with adaptive fashion brand Unhidden in order to raise awareness for the 30th anniversary of the UK’s 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.
SOURCE – For me, What If Better Never Comes? is a true musical explosion. For the band, what does this album represent, and what are the main themes explored throughout the record?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – WIBNC? is a conceptual exploration of sickness through many different lenses. We’re all familiar with the concept of becoming sick or having an illness. But we wanted to show that society itself is sick in so many different ways. We have built a society that does not prioritise the health and wellbeing of its people, and this manifests itself in many societal ills, including burnout, poor mental health, division, radicalisation, racism, misogyny, etc. When exploring these topics as neurodivergent and chronically ill artists, we found ourselves continually sitting with the question, “What If Better Never Comes?” And so, from there, the concept for the album was born.
SOURCE – Musically and lyrically, What If Better Never Comes? is highly expressive. How would you describe the album’s musical production, and how would you feel if, over the years, it came to be regarded as the strongest release of your career?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – WIBNC? is without a doubt the best thing we’ve ever made. There’s a level of consideration and intent behind this album that we had never reached before, and this applied to everything from the arrangement, production, and artwork to the sequencing and music videos. We were so clear on the concept from the outset that we really wanted this to be woven into the fabric of everything the band put out during the album campaign.
SOURCE – I may be mistaken, but I noticed possible Jewish and Middle Eastern influences in your vocals. Are there any specific cultural influences that the band draws upon when composing its music?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – Yes, that’s correct. I am inspired by the music I was immersed in growing up, incorporating elements of the Hebrew language, traditional scales, and ‘nigun’-style vocals. Mizrahi Jewish artists such as Leila Mourad have had a huge impact on me, inspiring me to weave my cultural identity into our music.
SOURCE – Mallavora has increasingly become associated with the advocacy of several social causes, which I find very compelling. Could you tell us more about this perspective that the band embraces?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – It’s always come from speaking our own truth based on our own personal experiences, and that’s resonated with other people. In recent years, this has led to our music reaching people who feel similarly to us, who feel different, and who feel othered or alienated in some way. As the community supporting Mallavora has grown, we have felt a responsibility to ensure that Mallavora is a safe space for people to show up as themselves without judgement or shame. It’s something we think about a lot, particularly when it comes to our live shows, and we’re so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve already.
SOURCE – Hopeless is a somewhat atypical song within the repertoire of What If Better Never Comes?, and it features a beautiful music video. How was the production of this video carried out, and what kind of impact do you hope it will achieve?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – There’s always been a vulnerable element to Mallavora’s music, for example, in songs like Echoes. But with Hopeless, we didn’t hold back at all. Larry wrote the instrumental for Hopeless at the bottom of a depressive episode that was really challenging to get out of, and the writing process was really helpful in doing that. Once the song was finished, we felt that we’d made something really powerful, and we wanted a music video that captured the intent behind the music and really transported you to another world. The video concept was inspired by “the void” in Stranger Things, and we worked with filmmaking wizard Murry Deaves, who brought the concept to life. It’s also important to give a shout-out to Help Musicians, who funded this video with their Next Level Award!
SOURCE – Bandcamp and Spotify are just two of the platforms where bands often earn relatively little revenue. How do you financially sustain the band?
Jessica Douek (Vocals) – It’s not easy. We keep as much of the band operations as DIY as possible to try to keep costs down where we can. We’ve been supported with grant funding in recent years from Bristol Beacon and Help Musicians, which we used to record songs and film music videos, and this has helped a lot. Funding like that is very hard to come by and makes a huge difference, and having Church Road Records working on the record and physical distribution has been amazing as well. It’s merch sales that really keep the band afloat, though.
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