INTERVIEW: Nikki Brumen – Pagan

Since bursting onto the scene with their stunning debut album Black Wash, PAGAN have attracted a rapidly increasing contingent of fans dubbed the ‘Pagan Cult‘. Following their first release, the band brought their disco-heavy, blackened rock and roll across multiple continents to wow fans at their headline shows, and appear at multiple high-profile festivals. Bringing the cult back to the UK on the Evil Eye Tour (read our review of the show in Manchester here), we caught up with vocalist Nikki Brumen to talk about the past, present, and future of PAGAN.

We’re coming up on a year since the release of your debut album Black Wash, how has it been received by fans?

Nikki: Yeah it’s been amazing. It’s been way more than any of us expected, that’s for sure. We went into writing the album with no real expectation other than just writing something that we were proud of. So to have people receive it so well, come to our shows and sing the words, want to buy our merch, and come out to shows all around the world is amazing. It’s more than any of us ever anticipated.

Going into the release of the album, what did you want people to take from it?

Nikki: Well, the albums that I’m always drawn to personally are albums that have something relatable to what you’re going through at that time. So at the time we wrote the album I was going through a breakup and I wanted to write an album that people could respond to if they were going through a similar thing. If they were going through heartache, or they’d been in a toxic relationship in the past, I wanted them to be able to find something to relate to and that maybe it could be something to help them through it as well because they’ve always been my favourite kind of albums – I think the amazing thing is that I have really achieved that. I’ve had people tell me the effect it’s had on them, so that’s really special.

Which tracks have been going down particularly well live?

Nikki: I think definitely Death Before Disco and Imitate Me are the two favourites and the ones that people know the most. I also think that the last track on the album Il Malocchio Si Chiude has been going down really well. A lot of people come up to me and they say that that’s their favourite song and I think that’s because it’s a little bit different to what we usually write and people enjoy it as well. But I think the singles go down the best, that’s for sure.

If you could pick one song from the album to give to someone who hasn’t listened to PAGAN, and that you feel embodies what PAGAN is, what song would that be and why?

Nikki: I think it’s got to be Death Before Disco because it epitomises PAGAN‘s sound in every way. It’s got the disco beats, but its also got blast beats, it’s got the hooky chorus, and it’s got something dancy in there. In terms of the lyrical content, it really sums up Black Wash in its entirety. The way I wrote it, it was about somebody gaslighting me in a relationship, being in a toxic relationship, and how it feels to be on that end of it and how it feels to come out of that as well. So I think that would definitely be the song that sums up the album the most.

Any news on the next album?

Nikki: Yeah, we’re definitely in the process of writing, we don’t have any solid release dates yet. In January we had a few months off after getting back from Europe and before we set off back on tour again, we were writing – we’ve written quite a few songs actually – and we’re going to continue to write when we get back to Australia, continue developing the songs, and hopefully hit the studio quite soon.

With you being such a young band, and gaining traction really quickly, do you have any particular goals or milestones in your sights for the future of PAGAN?

Nikki: I think definitely to play more festivals overseas like this run that we’re doing now. This is the first time we’re playing actual festivals over here: we’re doing Slam Dunk in a couple of weeks, Antifest in Belgium and the Netherlands, we’ve just done The Great Escape and that’s been an awesome experience to do something other than our headline shows – which are equally as rewarding obviously. Personally, I’d really like to go to the US at some point as well. Then yeah, hopefully release the second album and just make something that we’re proud of.

If you could blend PAGAN’s unique musical style with another artist or producer and collaborate with them, who would you pick?

Nikki: I agree that we are a really unique band because we don’t really try to sound like anyone. Personally, if I got to collaborate with a band I’d want to collaborate with someone like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, just something really poppy, I think that’d be really cool. In terms of producing, I really love the sound of Turnstiles, that’s the sound I really like in hardcore music.

So what do you guys like to do away from music on those rare off days?

Nikki: If we’re overseas, typically we love going for a nice breakfast or cooking together. When we have nights off in Melbourne where we’re all from, we will honestly just get a really nice bottle of Italian red wine, eat spaghetti, talk shit, that’s what PAGAN generally do. When we’re overseas on our days off, we like to do some sightseeing and going to visit something historical, or a gallery, or just drinking at a pub with friends who are in town. We are all actually friends outside the band too.

What is a moment in the band’s career so far that you’re really proud of?

Nikki: Well for me it’d have to be writing the album because it was something we never thought we would do, and from that definitely going to Europe and the UK for the first time. I also think a bit of a turning point for us was playing this big festival in Victoria called Unify – it’s like a three-day festival and they call it a ‘heavy music gathering’. Several years ago we won the opening slot for that through a big radio station in Australia called Triple J, and we won the Triple J Opening Unify slot. After playing that, it was a turning point because we went from more of a local band to a band that people started taking really seriously. I feel like we gained a lot of momentum from that point on, so I’d say that’s something that I’m really proud of and something that I think we did deserve to get, and from that point on we got taken really seriously.

What can we expect from you in 2019 and beyond?

Nikki: Well when we finish this tour, we’re going to be doing a lot of writing. Then we’re doing a national tour with THE AMITY AFFLICTION, so that’ll be cool. After that, we’re doing a few other shows towards the end of the year in Australia. But basically, it’s going to be a lot of songwriting for us and a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff at this stage.

Any parting words for our readers?

Nikki: If you come to a PAGAN show, put on your dancing shoes, be ready to drink lots of prosecco, and don’t be afraid to be yourself because that’s exactly what PAGAN is: we make the music that we love and stay true to ourselves. So that’s what I want people who come to a PAGAN show to be as well, just stay true to yourselves.

Black Wash is out now via Hassle Records. 

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