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Truth & Tragedy are a 5-piece post-hardcore band from Bamberg, Germany, formed in September 2020. Their latest 3-track EP ‘Blood on Blood’ is a return to their heavier roots, through which Truth & Tragedy explore the duality of their music; the darkness of their track ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ in dealing with the suicide of a brother, and the light of ‘Neo’, T&T guitarist’s sweet tribute to the birth of his son. Truth & Tragedy are liked by fans of To Kill Achilles, Being As An Ocean, and Casey.
What are the origins of the band? How long have you been playing together?
As Truth & Tragedy, we are actually fairly new on the scene! All five of us are experienced musicians and have played in bands before this, but Truth & Tragedy is a fairly recent project for us! The band started as a duo between Aaron (vocals) and Freddy (guitar) back in September 2020, right at the peak of Covid lockdowns. The two of us were actually in another band together, but neither of us were really happy, and then lockdown prevented us all from practicing, so that band died a death there and then! So we began our duo side project, which we named Truth & Tragedy. Before we knew it, we had our first EP and single released, with a debut album on the way, and we realised – shit! We’re a band! Then, of course, we needed musicians, because, at that point, Freddy was composing and recording the music, Aaron was writing and recording the lyrics, and we had no way of playing our songs live once the world opened up again. So that’s where Kai (guitar), Vitali (bass) and Domi (drums) come in – all three amazing musicians in their own right, and they also pitch in with the writing and recording now! But really, as a 5-piece, we’ve only been playing together for just over a year, which is crazy to think – especially when we look at how far we’ve come!
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Truth & Tragedy?
We describe ourselves as ‘post-hardcore’, but we feel like we don’t really fit into one specific genre – we are mainly hardcore with a strong metalcore influence, but are also heavily influenced by other alternative genres, especially pop-punk. Our music is raw and unproduced, and our lyrics often deal with issues such as alienation, suicide, substance abuse, and PTSD, stemming from our singer Aaron’s own experiences serving in the US Army in the war in Afghanistan, and its aftermath. Musically, Freddy is our mastermind, and he usually writes the music for our songs (although Kai has written a couple of bangers too!). Freddy is a huge fan of bands like Being As An Ocean and Casey, so our music often transitions into different moods and tempos within the same track – usually with some nasty breakdown somewhere or other! Although a lot of our music deals with some pretty serious and vulnerable topics, we also have fun with our music, especially in our pop-punk-inspired numbers, and most definitely in our 2022 single ‘Kelvin’s Not A Rockstar Yet’, which is our tribute to Nickelback’s ‘Rockstar’ and Weezer’s ‘Beverley Hills’. If nothing else, you can guarantee our music is going to be very, very loud!
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
Our first gig was amazing, not only because it was our first gig together as Truth & Tragedy, but because it was everyone’s first gig since before the world shut down for Covid! We were really
humbled to be invited to play an open-air festival in our hometown, Bamberg, in Bavaria, Germany – which was a damn big show for our first appearance! So of course it was nerve-racking, but to be honest it was just such a good feeling to be back on stage again – especially performing as T&T for the first time! It was also an awesome atmosphere with the crowd – everyone was in such a good mood to be back, so no one held back acting stupid with us! Pretty sure Aaron spent most of his time in the mosh pit rather than singing on stage!
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
You’re right when you say the music scene is bursting with fresh talent – there are some incredible bands out there! And for all the faults of streaming platforms, it’s also never been easier for upcoming bands to distribute their music to every corner of the world than it is now! So of course the competition is huge. Bands can stand out in lots of different ways, and we think it’s all about finding a way to stand out without losing your authenticity and making sure you stay true to what it is that inspired you to write music in the first place. Also, it’s so important to have regular releases – gone are the days when people would wait a year and a half for your latest album! Unless you’re a huge band (but even then!), you basically have to be releasing music every couple of months, or you’re going to get left behind! And another thing, as always in life – you just need a little luck!
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
We’ve just released our latest EP ‘Blood on Blood’, which you can find in all the usual spots – it’s a homage to family love, both the happiest and most tragic times in our family lives, and explores the birth of a son and the attempted suicide of a brother. Check it out – we’d love to hear what you think! Currently, we are working on our next two releases – the first will be a pop-punk-inspired single, which has been really fun to write, and which will be released in the next couple of months with a music video. We’ve also just about finished the tracks for another EP to be released later in the year – it’s going pretty dark and brutal again, and we’re really excited to share it with you!
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel Truth & Tragedy would be best suited to open for?
We’d love to open for Being As An Ocean or To Kill Achilles – these bands have been hugely influential for us, and we share a close style with both bands, without being too similar.
Excluding yourself, which band would you like to see break out and become a success?
We’d love to see our friends at Coffee Talk take off – their drummer, Cotta, produces all our music, and this band is a fairly new project for him. They have an awesome pop-punk sound and they give a great performance – go check ‘em out and send some love their way!
What are your first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
All five of us have our own experiences growing up with music as kids, watching the greats like Freddy Mercury and Bon Jovi on TV, or lip-syncing to music on the radio. And all five of us went
through some sort of weird emo stage at school, with our hair cuts, tight jeans, and studded belts, listening to our pop-punk CDs because no one understood us! So it was pretty natural for
us all to fall into music, and we all grew up in teen bands doing awkward school performances that make us cringe looking back! In fact, although we’ve all been in bands before, even up until
a couple of years ago, one of the biggest lightbulb moments actually came with starting Truth & Tragedy – this feels like the real deal, and it’s the first time we’ve all looked at a band project and
decided to take it all the way!
What was the last gig you attended as a fan?
Aaron – Architects
Freddy – Coffee Talk
Kai – Intervals
Vitali – Knocked Loose
Domi – Blink 182
But we’re going to try and get to a gig as a band this year – it’s been too long!
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
Abortion in the US is the latest in a string of social issues we’ve all been outraged by lately. Aaron is especially affected by it, as he is originally from North Carolina in the US, so it’s particularly disturbing for him to see such a massive backward step in his homeland. It’s shitty to see a bunch of obsolete assholes making such massive decisions on issues they know little about, from a position where they will never feel the devastating repercussions. It’s easy to forget how fragile our personal freedom actually is, and it’s moments like this when you realise how close we can be to losing what we think are safe, concrete realities.
The album that you have on your Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
‘Sentimentally Yours’ (1962) by Patsy Cline. She’s as close to an angel as an atheist can get!
Although 2021 was another year to forget, there were some amazing new albums released, what would be your album of last year? And what new music have you been enjoying so far this year?
Our star album of 2021 is ‘Something To Remember Me By’ by To Kill Achilles – it’s a masterpiece! And we’ve really been enjoying music by Moments this year, with their new album ‘Tidal Waves’.
What do the closing stages of 2022 hold for Truth & Tragedy?
During September/October we will be hitting the road on our first international tour, with shows across Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Croatia – with more dates still to be announced! We’re also already in the planning stages of a UK Tour in February 2023, and have another EU Tour scheduled for next April! Check our socials for a city near you, and come party
with us!
How active are you on social media, and where can people connect with you?
We’re really active on social media, and you can find us in all the usual spots, including Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok (@truth_and_tragedy). Reach out to us – we’d love to hear from you! You can also find all our latest music, videos, live dates, and merch at truthandtragedy.com, or you can go directly via the links below!
As always, your support is really appreciated, and we hope to see you on one of our tour dates in the future!
Much love,
T&T
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truth_and_tragedy/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TruthandTragedy/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UQk6I2YapgoFKsUzvbjOg
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/truth-tragedy-hc
