CIERŃ – New Single – The Emperor Rx
We are loving this new driving anarcho track from CIERŃ. The vocals are ethereal and haunting, with lyrics all too poignant for the current moment in time.
“The Emperor Rx” single is influenced by the tarot card The Emperor when it is reversed in a reading. It signifies abuse of power, totalitarian states, corruption, loss of control, weakness in stability and megalomaniac tendencies.
100% of your purchase of this double single is being collected as donations for people in waring countries around the world. Click here to purchase.
With this donation you will receive a discount code for -20% off the purchase of the full length album “The Emperor Rx” once it is released.
We must stand unified.
CIERŃ Interview with Devi
Devi was kind enough to answer our questions and share a bit about CIERŃ. Check it out!
Would you please give the name of each CIERŃ member and their respective instrument?
~ Devi – Vox & Lyricist | Edu – Drums | Laura – Bass | Justin – Guitar
How did CIERŃ start? How did you all meet? How long have you all known each other?
Devi ~ Our first guitarist and I had known each other for a couple of years. He said to me one day that we should start a band and that I should sing. I laughed at him. A couple months later I made a joke about “when are we starting our band?” and he said write some lyrics, I know a drummer. 2 weeks later we had our first practice. That’s when Edu & I met. A year has passed since we started CIERŃ and now we have Laura & Justin. Justin and I have known each other for a couple of years through the scene here in Berlin. We were talking about the state of CIERŃ at the start of 2021 and he volunteered to join the group. It was perfect timing and we are lucky to have him. He introduced Laura to us some months later and we had our first practice together in March of 2021.
Why did you choose CIERŃ as a name?
Devi ~ Our first guitarist was Polish, he chose the name CIERŃ and to be honest, it was pretty funny how he went about it. On our first practice he slides a piece of paper over to me with CIERŃ written on it and says, this is our name. There was no room for discussion, just, this is it. He said it meant “thorn”, and I thought, okay that’s pretty on point (hahaha) so we agreed. I’m the only one in the band that can mostly pronounce it correctly. We decided not to change it because we were already getting a following and we are starting to build the name up… and we like the name.
Since being a band, what is your favorite band story or experience?
Devi ~ For me, I’d say playing our first gig in Warsaw. The promoter Tomek of Old Skull Warsaw, Klub Pogłos, other bands (KSY and Future) and the people there really received us well. It was a great first concert experience, and the first in my entire life. I never performed like this before. Now we’ve played in Warsaw with the new line up, and we had an amazing time again. The people there are so great. We are always thrilled to have the chance to return to play for them. Nov 10th we played in Berlin at Wild At Heart and we were so thrilled with the reception of our second show in Berlin. This experience for me is on par with our first gig in Warsaw.
Who are your biggest influences and who would you say that you sound like?
Devi ~ My biggest influences are Siouxsie, Rubella Ballet, Xmal Deutschland, Malaria, Kas Product, 1919, Wieże Fabryk, Siekiera, Joy Division, Zounds, Flux of Pink Indians… maybe if a few of these bands had sex and made a baby… I think we’d be that baby.
What does peace punk mean to you all and what do you think of the current start of peace punk/post-punk/anarcho-punk?
Devi ~ Peace Punk to me means making a statement, educating, spreading knowledge, standing in solidarity and speaking out, not for, but with those in marginalized communities. It’s not for us to speak about the experiences that marginalized people and communities face, because we ourselves don’t live it, but I believe it’s our responsibility to be loud and speak out with them.
How do your beliefs and politics factor into the music that you are creating?
Devi ~ Lyric writing for me has always been a way to express my perspectives and beliefs, but they don’t just reflect my thoughts, we share the same views in the band. It’s important to share messages of what is really happening out there, no matter how dark and dystopian they are, and not spin candy coated utopia ideals. That serves no one. There is enough propaganda out there.
What are the lyrics about?
Devi ~ I write about politics, folklore and myth to express my (our) feelings about contemporary topics and how we can stand together to overcome difficult times. Such as the current state of the world (evictions from homes – Køpi or Liebig 34 in Berlin, for example) colonialism, fascism, war, religion, sexism, feminism and basic human & animal rights. I also write about inner struggles that we likely have all had at some point in life. Also, I’m unapologetically a witch and a professional tarot card reader so often you will hear witchy inspired lyrics in the songs too.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process? How does CIERŃ write songs?
Devi ~ This is always interesting. I usually just write my lyrics with a bit of structure, but usually they are pretty loose. Sometimes what I write as a verse ends up a chorus, and vice versa. We usually start with a bass line or guitar idea, and Edu is a wizard with drums, so he just jumps in. I usually wait for the others to figure out some sort of flow and while they do that, I start creating melodies in my head, then I jump in with some vocals. Our flow is actually pretty cool, all the songs we wrote together for the upcoming album “The Emperor Rx” came together after a few hours of trying them out. We would write one new song per practice, then refine it. We are always experimenting so that keeps the flow going.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
Devi ~ We’ve had a couple line-up changes, so with new members, we get evolution. We definitely were more rooted in 3-chord punk in the beginning, which I personally really loved, but now we evolve in a direction where the drums and bass are more the focus, for a primal kind of sound, with witchy vocals and atmospheric guitars on top. I don’t think Edu or my styles have changed too much, except we push ourselves harder to try new things, and Laura & Justin are great for that exact reason. We all have very different influences, so what you hear because of that, is very interesting.
What are some things that inspire you to keep playing music?
Devi ~ For me it’s the creativity, the freedom, the release. Being able to write and belt those lyrics out in practice or on stage is cathartic for me. I never knew how much I needed it until I started singing. I love the rush of playing live, being with my band mates, travelling and meeting others. It’s magick. Yet another thing that keeps us going is the world around us and the people in it. We want our message to ring loud and clear. I make the videos of the songs too, and this is another way we can use creative freedom to get our messages across to a wider audience.
How is the music scene in Berlin?
Devi ~ The scene in Berlin is pretty huge. Always something to do weekly and often too much to do on the weekends. Always good to have options though. Berlin is a techno city, and even some of the post punk nights I loved to go to shifted in a more electronic direction. However, there is live music of all sorts every weekend, so there is always something to do, whether it’s punk, post punk or synth driven. There is a lot of support in the punk community too. We all help each other out and work together.
Who are some of your favorite bands to listen to?
Devi ~ Oh dear… there are so many!!! Many are listed above, so I’ll try to names some others: DÏAT, Sievehead, Blitz, Pawns, Keluar, Sad Lovers & Giants, Iron Curtain, Dead Can Dance, Fleetwood Mac, CRASS, The Danse Society, Japan, Tears For Fears, Christian Death, Cocteau Twins, Fad Gadget, LITOVSK, Tumbas, OMD, 1984… I’ll stop there.
What are your plans for the future?
Devi ~ In November 2021 we recorded 8 new songs for an LP – The Emperor Rx – which we are so excited to share with the world, and we are very grateful and thankful for this interview with you, Aaron, and your support with this interview to help share what we are doing. We would love to tour South America next year – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, as well as Mexico, so fingers crossed we can make that happen. Also a tour through Europe would be amazing. We have a lot of wishes, so let’s see what we can pull off considering the current state of the world.
The Emperor Rx – Lyrics
Your tower is on fire.
We watch your walls come tumbling down.
It all seems so dire.
Still we watch it all come tumbling down.
Domination.
Subjugation.
Abuse of power.
Oh father, what have you done?
Your empire falls.
Mother has gone.
And everything’s wrong.
And everything’s wrong.
Just hold your tongue.
Don’t speak, those words you say are perverse.
Upside-down and in reverse.
Still we watch it all come tumbling down.
Domination.
Subjugation.
Abuse of power.
Oh father, what have you done?
Your empire falls.
Mother has gone.
And everything’s wrong.
And everything’s wrong.
It’s all a game to you.
You wait to make your move.
Two-faced and countless charades.
It’s just a game to you.
Oh father, what have you done?
Your empire falls.
Mother has gone.
Mother has gone.
Mother has gone.
And everything’s wrong.
And everything’s wrong.
What have you done?
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