Exclusive Interview with ‘MFRSM’

Straightforward Post-Punk Trio MFRSM is from Tel-Aviv, Israel. Middle Eastern melodies are mixed with the band’s hard, fuzzy riffs.
They have two studio albums under their belt and have never stopped playing live shows, building a devoted fan base that comes to their shows all over the nation. Since 2015, MFRSM has been operational. Their latest release, “Lie, Lie, Lie,” strikes the perfect balance between personal, hurtful, and wrathful lyrics, filthy guitars, and a mood that immediately transports the listener to the shadowy nooks of contemporary city life.
The album’s songs, which were born out of outrage against a world controlled by hype, a world full of disguises where it is impossible to tell what is real from what is not as time keeps slipping away, portray the deep repugnance of a morally degrading culture in many ways.

The album reveals MFRSM’s influences, which range from early post-punk revivalists like Preoccupations, IDLES, The National, Parquet Courts, and Protomartyr to classic foundational bands like The Cure, The Clash, and Wire. They also keep the middle-eastern influences that have adorned their music from the start. Check out their latest album and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

MFRSM: Hi Illustrate Magazine! We’re very glad to be here. So, we all live in Tel-Aviv and neighboring towns at the moment and we’ve been playing together for a long time now. Avidan and Yuval went to high school together, and started playing together around 2015, and Omri joined shortly after.
The band was actually already working when Yuval joined, but it only formed into a serious act when Omri joined and the current trio took shape.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

MFRSM: We are mostly self-taught and we actually think this is actually a blessing, since music schools in Israel are pretty conservative and mainstream-oriented.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘MFRSM’?

MFRSM: Our current music is heavily influenced by both old and new post-punk. The current new wave of post-punk bands around the world – like Idles, Protomartyr, Parquet Courts, Dry Cleaning, Viagra Boys – is really a revolutionary thing to behold.
And of course Classic acts like The Cure, The Clash, The Jam, Buzzcocks, Wire, Faith No More, The kinks and many others early punk bands. Besides that, each one of us bring various influences to the table – Avidan bring the singer-songwriter vibes, Yuval has lots of electronic things going on and Omri is also very into Hip-Hop and groove.

The name MFRSM has a very long and weird history, it is somewhat derived from our previous name that has a meaning in Hebrew, MFRSM stands for ‘More For The Same’.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

MFRSM: We think that the two things that stand out the most is the raw energy and deep emotions our music delivers, and of course the influence of the region we grew up in, so the middle-eastern influences is very well present and come up musically in many of the songs. We like to see it as a Middle-Eastern Post-Punk act.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

MFRSM:

First thing’s first – music IS a political, cultural and social vehicle.
Even playing genres that are outside today’s mainstream is a political statement.
We choose to play what we play because we put personal and social expression before everything else.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

MFRSM:

For sure, we’re just starting. So It’s hard not to want more, and we naturally have lots of plans and dreams.
.Every new song we manage to write and record, and every successful (in terms of vibe and music) show is extremely fulfilling.
We sure dream of more touring worldwide, more album releases.
That is all in the making and will surely happen

8 Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

MFRSM:

Most songs start with Avidan’s lyrics and melodies, he records his ideas and peaches them to the band as a demo. At that stage, we usually meet and start throwing in ideas for an arrangement. Sometimes this happens in one of our home studios, sometimes we do it at the rehearsal space, and each of these methods usually brings distinctly different qualities to the songs.

9. An unforgettable gig you had?

MFRSM: We come from the Middle East, so when we were just starting out, we had a gig – and got payed with hummus. That’s how things roll around here.

10. What would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

MFRSM: We think that our greatest, most fulfilling moments as a band were actually things that happened “internally” – We are very proud of the music we make.
Every new song we complete feels like a triumph, and the time around the release of our last album was very empowering.

The same thing goes for some very good shows we had. When we had a great show every thing was running smoothly, and we get back the same good vibes and energy from the crowd, that’s the best thing there is.

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Photo credits: GEFEN REZNIK