Cathedrale: „Post-punk has a rich history and continues to evolve, it's not a trend. ”

Me: Thank you very much again for accepting to answer my questions! Since I saw your band name, I was wondering where did the inspiration come from. Maybe the Cathedral of Notre Dame?
CATHEDRALE: The name Cathedrale came from our fascination with grand architecture and the powerful atmosphere of cathedrals. Also, back in the time, Jules (the lead singer) lived near the Cathedrale Saint-Etienne of Toulouse, and Félix and him used to meet there, so it's a little mix of all of these.

Me: Who founded the band? It is been a while since 2015. I am aware of the fact that any band has its own unique story about it.
CATHEDRALE: Cathedrale was founded by Jules and Félix in 2015, there were in the same class in university.
Then Robin, our first guitarist, who was the roomate of Félix joined them. And then Jules asked me if I would like to play drums with them and I said yes (Max, the drummer of the band answered this question). I only knew Jules because we played together with our oldest band in the same festival called "Les Brasseurs du Lac". And since then, it's been a journey filled with creativity and growth.
 

Me: Are you all musicians on a daily basis, maybe you have other musical projects as well, or do you have other jobs and do other stuff apart from being in a band?
CATHEDRALE: Each member of Cathedrale is deeply involved in music, two of us are professional musicians and play with other bands like Croy, Blind Delon, Julien Barbagallo, Crime Cordial...Some of us have other jobs, but music remains a central part of our lives.

Me: In 9 years and 4 albums released on the streaming platforms, what can you tell me about your journey as a band? Was it hard to be outstanding with your style? It is not common for a band to adopt a post-punk style nowadays and it is quite hard to reach the target audience, I think. What is your opinion on that?
CATHEDRALE : Over the past nine years and four albums, our journey as a band has been both challenging and rewarding. Our garage/post-punk style hasn't always been easy, but we believe in staying true to our artistic vision. While it may not be the most mainstream genre, our audience appreciates the authenticity of our music.  

Me: Your latest album ‘Worlds/Silence’ from 2023 is the one you promoted the most lately if I am not wrong (very cool by the way) and I won’t ask too much about it, but the main question circling this album is how much do you think you developed from the first one from 2016, ‘Cathedrale”? Or at least what is different when it comes to the style you had back then and the one you have now?
CATHEDRALE: Our latest album,"Worlds/Silence," represents a significant evolution from our debut, "Cathedrale," in 2015. We've grown both musically and lyrically, exploring new themes and pushing the boundaries of our style while staying true to our origins. Also we play with 2 new members, Thomas and Pablo, since Robin quit the band in 2020, so it was like starting a new band but with strong foundations.

Me: Who writes the lyrics usually? And what are the topics you mostly use in your songs? Post-punk is mostly about rebellion, right?
CATHEDRALE: Lyrics are most of the time written by Jules and Félix. Our songs touch on a range of topics, from personal introspection to social commentary, reflecting the complexity of the human beeing..but yes post punk music is a perfect style for express ourselves through the lyrics and writing about stuff we really care. We talk about how we see the world.

Me: I would like to know what bands or artists inspire you the most. Style, lyrics, or even image-wise it doesn’t matter. You low-key remind me of the Beatles with your way of dressing up, but even cooler than that….So, tell me, who is your main muse?
CATHEDRALE: We draw inspiration from a lot of artists, we all like the Beatles in the band, yes. But it's not the name which comes in my mind first. Maybe Wire, Devo, Blitz, Protomartyr...older and newer artists.

Me: Was there any time you felt like your music was not reaching the targeted audience or that you wouldn’t have your music listened to by anyone? Moments when you wanted to give up and quit doing music?
CATHEDRALE: I don't think we ever doubt about our music or our career because we never think of having a career. We don't make music for having a career or having some success. So what happens is always a good thing for us. We never stop touring since the beginning and never stop to make new albums, so for us this the real success.

Me: Any plans for the future? You are now on a tour if I am not mistaken? How was it so far? What do you enjoy the most out of the tour life? I know it can be quite challenging sometimes, but as an artist having gigs and performing live for people must be the most rewarding things.
CATHEDRALE:Yes, we are currently on tour, and it's been an incredible experience so far. The energy of performing live and connecting with the audience is what we love the most. In a near future more gigs are coming and we will recording a new album, we have a lot of ideas for the new record and we are impatient to start working on it.

Me: Are you not afraid this sub-genre of music will die in a few years and you won’t get the time to taste fame or do you think it will be popular again, just like dark-wave and new-wave? Because post-punk was adopted by goth culture in a way today. So, what is your opinion on this?
CATHEDRALE: Post-punk has a rich history and continues to evolve, it's not a trend. We are confident that there will always be an audience for authentic music and we will always play the music we like to play together. We never think of the fame or whatever.

Me: Last but not least, any words for your potential new listeners?
CATHEDRALE: We invite you to listen to ourmusic and we hope we will meet in concert, because it's the perfect place for enjoy our band.