Earlier this year I was looking at the Korobushka Records discography to listen to some of the newer records they had released. I clicked on the link for the sinks self-titled debut album cover, which looks like a rudimentary sketch of Cthulhu. Then I clicked on first song, Noir pt. 1. It was at once atmospheric and moody. Dystopian spoken word vocals drew me in and I was immediately hooked. Check out the song here:
sinks were kind enough to give me a little of their time for an interview.
Would you each please give your name and respective instrument?
Antonín – guitar, lead voc.
Vendula – bass guitar, back. voc.
Peter – drums
How did sinks start?
Antonín and Vendula started the band at the beginning of 2019 as a result of a few early arrivals to the rehearsals of their other band called Guilty Echoes. Peter joined sinks in the middle of 2019. Although Brno might be the second Czech largest city, the music scene here has the small town vibes – people stumble over each other on every corner – we have known each other for quite some time.
Why did you choose sinks as a name?
It’s a bit of an underwhelming story. We were reaching peak desperation coming up with a name, everything was either dumb or taken. And one day Antonín was having a wee at a toilet of a bar he frequently visits and above the pissoir was a tag that said Chloe Sink. It just seemed interesting that this word has two different meanings and it sounds nice. After you spell it out to everyone, cause they think it’s about singing, not doing the dishes.
Who are your biggest influences and who would you say that you sound like?
We went into it with bands like The Birthday Party and Slint in mind, but we were also influenced by the time’s post-punk scene. So count in the obligatory stuff like Shame or The Murder Capital.
Do you have a gas station journal?
Yes.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Apart from the lyrics, all the songs originate in the rehearsal room. There is a nice pub called Tenis, where we all meet and have a chat before we do the music stuff. Sometimes this takes even longer than the playing itself. There are not many discussions behind the music-making. The songs are composed organically – we all play as we feel it, listen to what the others want to bring into the music and eventually some songs are jammed out.
What are the lyrics about?
That varies quite a bit, usually they’re about something that either pisses Antonín off, or makes him sad, or is just a big part of his life. Other times though, it can be just a sentence that comes to mind and sounds kinda cool and is later made into an entire lyric.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
We guess we’ve been trying for it to be more sonically interesting. We’re trying to play and write more dynamically and we also think about the structure of the songs a bit more sometimes. Not everything has to be verse-chorus-verse-chorus-(chorus but modulated).
What are some things that inspire you to keep playing music?
A lot of stuff, for one, it’s therapeutic to have something else to do than just going to work. The lovely people we meet, who organise events and play in other bands, are a huge part of it too. And when you get into it, other music makes you sometimes go ”We should do something like that as well!’’
How is the music scene in Brno and the Czech Republic?
As famously said by the lovely guy who’s label is putting out our stuff: ”Everyone sniffs each other’s farts around there.’’ It’s true to an extent, everyone here knows each other and Brno is tiny enough for that to even be literally true at times. And the country as a whole is very active in making shows. There’s a nice festival happening in every little village, people are passionate about music and that’s really nice.
Who are some of your favorite bands to listen to?
Everyone is probably familiar with the foreign ones, so here’s a list of local bands we enjoy quite a lot: Snackthief, OTK, Or, Billow, True Fir, Lebanon (8 8 4 8), Favorite Obsession, Fotbal, Bibione, CHIKI LIKI TU-A,Tamara, Shallov, 52 Hertz Whale, Neighbours Burning Neighbours (not so local but still), the list goes on forever.
What are your plans for the future?
We have released our debut album in May 2021 – that was one of our biggest and most wanted-to-achieve goals. Playing shows, a tour, record an EP, mockumentary?
Here’s where you can find sinks online:
