Directed by Thomas Landrein and art director Jonas Genevaz, ‘Gone’ follows an armed resistance group through a number of apocalyptic views of the French capital being torn asunder by armed forces. Visceral and grandiose, Sierra’s tribute to France’s brilliant animators serves as yet another urgent reminder to dive back into the artist’s stellar back catalogue.

As for you European Synth-heads out there, be on the lookout for upcoming tour dates, as Sierra will be resuming the Leather Terror tour with Carpenter Brut next week for a series of European shows.

Tour date tickets are available here.

Check out Sierra on Spotify, Bandcamp and all major Streaming platforms.

What’ve you got to share and recommend to your fans and readers?

I picked First Man (2018) by Damien Chazelle. It’s a film that really touched me and that actually inspired me when I was writing my second EP Gone. I feel like it was really overlooked and it slipped under the radar despite it being a big-budget movie. Most people I mention it to haven’t seen it, so I figured it this would be the right occasion to get it out there. It didn’t stay very long in theatres either, it’s a shame.

It’s a really touching movie that really focuses on emotion and character psychology as opposed to flamboyant cinematography. It illustrates fear in all of its different aspects: fear of the unknown, fear of losing a loved one… There’s this one scene revolving around the missions that preceded Apollo 11. We learn about all of the people that lost their lives before we finally made it to the moon. It’s got this really gripping scene depicting the failed Gemini 8 mission.

The music is gorgeous and really touching. Again, it’s fairly subdued compared to many other blockbuster movies. It’s got a lot of themes played on the harp, which is fairly unusual but also really ethereal and smooth-sounding. There’s also some Theremin in there too, to tie in with the more traditional sounds of space. I though it worked really well; it always comes in during really emotional scenes. It made me want to write a melody a Theremin, which is how I ended up writing the main melody for ‘She’. I originally wanted to write an ethereal, spatial-sounding track without drums. I ended up with a two-part track; the first part being the ethereal section and the second part dropping the heavier sounds. I wrote the first part a few days after watching First Man. I was filled with the movies’ sense of melancholy and nostalgia.

It also ties into your musical world of escapism and voyages into the unknown.

I like the idea of having a cinematic feel to my tracks. I’m a big fan of Sci-fi and Thrillers, so there’s naturally a bit of these two genres that bleed into my tracks. I’d love to compose a score for a thriller or sci-fi movie. That would be a dream!

Do you remember what first opened you up to these worlds?

For thrillers, I’d say all of David Fincher’s movies. I’ve been a massive fan of his for the longest time. When I was little, I’d watch loads of films that weren’t for my age, and I remember that Se7en really shocked me [laughs], it really left an impression on me. I also used to read a lot of books by Jean-Christophe Grangé, like Blood Red Rivers. My interest in thrillers gradually grew over time.

Your music is pretty dark, even hostile at times, which sets you apart from a number of artists on the Lazerdiscs Records roster, who generally showcase a more overtly ‘nostalgic’ retro sound. Does nostalgia play a role in your creative vision for Sierra? Are you more inspired by the future or the past?

I always turn to the past when I write. I struggle to label myself as ‘Synthwave’, because I don’t exactly fit the criteria, but I love the movement and its relationship to analog sound. I love grain, I love pads and Blade Runner inspired sounds. I love the strong sense of melancholy and the fact that it’s turning to the past. It takes you back to the Eighties and early Nineties. My music isn’t exactly like that, but I always write with a nostalgic mindset. It’s probably why my melodies don’t always sound so happy. Writing music is this super psychological trip where I feel the need to dive back into things. 

To what extent does this sense of melancholy tie into the sounds of Synths? Having written Folk music before, did you feel a shift in your songwriting mood when moving from acoustic arrangements to electronic music?

When I was writing folk, I’d used all sorts of instruments like my guitar, ukuleles and other things, but I feel like there weren’t that many possibilities to add new elements. The cool thing about electronic music is that you can work with Synths or with samples. I love working with samples. You can create an entire world with the simplest sound you’ve dug up. The possibilities are endless and you can add tinges to your sound with the addition of the tiniest of sounds. It’s a lot harder to do this with acoustic instruments. I’d like to work more with samples on my next releases. I’ve been toying with the idea of including my mother’s voice in there, or recordings of my sister playing an instrument; sounds that will trigger flashbacks whenever you listen back.

You mean like aural memorabilia.

Yes, like a memory box. I haven’t done that enough yet, but it’s something I really want to do. I’ve been doing lots of field recordings in the street and during my travels, and I’ve been using this time in quarantine to organize everything into a soundbank. The people listening to the music probably won’t even notice these things, it’s more of a personal thing.

Finishing off, have you any announcements to make or updates to share?

I’ve been working on my live shows and on quite a few remixes. I released a remix of Alex and Tokyo Rose last month, a Lazerpunk remix, and I’ve got a couple more on the way. I’ve started writing again, too. I’m not sure what it’s going to turn into, but it’s in development.

I’m not the super productive type that writes one track after the other. Whenever I dive into the songwriting process, there’s usually a month or two where I basically take inspiration from loads of different things and test new things out, like plug-ins, new synths, new samples… I basically go on a scavenger hunt for ideas. These can be sounds but I mainly work with images. I create mood boards, too. Then, I start developing loops of song ideas. I start looking at which ones I like; which ones I feel like expanding on. I write all of my songs at the same time. That’s basically where I’m at right now. I’m taking my time, no pressure.

Interview translated from French.

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First, off, what’ve you been jamming lately?

Honestly, I’m a pretty obsessive person. I don’t keep up with new releases, I just listen to the same Spotify Playlists over and over. I can’t even name some of the stuff that I listen to.  Right now I’m into Owlvision, old stuff like Aglory, Swarm, Social Kid, the new Gesaffelstein album… I’ve been listening to the same playlists for a month straight, I need to mix it up. I don’t keep up to date, music-wise. It’s actually pretty time-consuming.  I also have a hard time finding stuff that I really enjoy and connect with.

So who is Sierra, to you? Does it refer to you? the artist? A specific character in your music?

I identify Sierra as a part of me. To me, Sierra is my angry side, my moody side, that part of me that wants to express the stronger parts of my personality, my violent side. When I’m Sierra, I’m in “warrior-mode”. It’s a part of me but I’m not always like that. With this project, I’ve got some pretty violent, heavy sounds but also some calmer passages, so there’s that side to it as well.

How was this project born? This isn’t your first musical project, is it?

I’ve had loads of different projects before this one. At first, I used to play folk music with a guitar, harmonica and a ukulele. I played acoustic music for a couple of years and I played a few live shows with some Loopstations in Barcelona and Paris. I started Sierra a couple of years ago. There was this music contest held by Seat and curated by The Avener where you had to submit a three-minute track. I was selected along with another French artist and I got sent to the finals in Berlin. The event was really awesome and so I basically made the decision to scrap everything, take a few lessons in electronic music production and go all in, down this new path.

Photo by Athys de Galzain

You hadn’t taken any lessons before?

Only a couple, but I was mostly self-taught. I mostly played acoustic music, but I was still using some sequencers to record my stuff and add some synth parts. It was really after this event in Berlin that I decided to go all in. It’s been three years now. I took some lessons for eight months and I’ve been working on Sierra for two solid years.

Where does the name come from?

It comes from a couple of things. The word refers to mountain ranges since I’ve lived in Barcelona for two years and six months in Mexico. Secondly, there’s also the fact that I’ve spent a huge part of my childhood playing video games, like, for instance, Maniac Mansion. Sierra also comes from the game developer of the same name. I used to play TIM (The Incredible Machine) a lot. I used to play a lot of Sierra On-Line games, so the name reminds me of my childhood years.

You’ll be playing the Retro Synth Fury event in a few days. Where do you place yourself, regarding the local “Synth-music” scene?

I’m into it. I’ve attended practically every Retro Synth Fury event. I attended the first edition at the Batofar, a couple of years ago. That’s how I met Absolute Valentine and how I eventually signed to Lazerdiscs Records. After the first RSF, I must’ve made an Instagram post tagging Absolute Valentine, Sung and all the other artists. Absolute Valentine hit me up and asked me for a demo. He must’ve snooped around my Facebook or Soundcloud page. I sent him the demos for Strange Valley and that’s basically how I got signed.

Is that how you got booked for this latest Retro Synth Fury event?

I was actually already in touch with Anthony [The booker for RSF]. We met up a few months ago at a Lazerdiscs event with Shredder 1984 and Introspect and I hit him up, later on, to tell him I had a new EP on the way and to ask him if he’d like to book me for a show.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about this new EP, Gone. I understand both of your current releases revolve around a specific concept. Are both EPs related, concept-wise?

To me, Gone and Strange Valley are totally separate, concept-wise and musically. I’ve had the concept for Strange Valley brewing in my mind for five or six years. I was picturing this Mad Max-like journey through this desert, with weird things happening. I had the title Strange Valley on my mind for years, way before I had any music in mind. So when I started writing my first electronic music tracks, I figured I should use this concept I had. I visualised the concept as a fantasy film. At the time, I was very much influenced by the whole Synthwave scene, the  Blade Runner aesthetic and those sorts of moods. Gone isn’t so much inspired by Synthwave or the retro aesthetic. Gone is actually more about a state of mind than a clear storyline. It’s about anger, revenge. ‘Gone’ deals with being broken, whilst ‘Unbroken’ is about refusing to be broken. ’A Matter of Time’ deals with building yourself back up with time and ‘Leftover’ is about the aftermath, what’s left of what happened, though what exactly happened is not specified. There’s a progression but no clear narrative.

Was there a difference in your writing approach compared to Strange Valley?

I wrote Strange Valley in six months because I was also learning the ropes at the same time. My sounds kept changing and I was learning about EQs, compressors and whatnot. I was learning and so it took me a while to also find what I wanted to do, too. For Gone, I actually hadn’t written any music for several months. I honestly didn’t really know what to write at first and I didn’t know in which direction I wanted to go, until one day I woke up and basically wrote most of the EP in a couple of days. I guess I had something to say, something needed to come out.

What is the starting point for your music? Does it always stem from a conceptual idea?

It’s more about the feeling. I wanted to create something violent. I really like being at a party and hearing that one track that hits you, that makes you want to fight someone *laughs*. I want to bring out these deep emotions. That was my starting point, my inspiration. For ‘Gone’ and ‘Unbroken’, I started with the beat. When you start on the beat before melody, it brings out a punchier side in the music.

Were there any keywords or concepts you wanted to implement, shifting from Strange Valley to Gone?

I wanted the songs to be less ‘busy’. Strange Valley was very track-heavy. I work on Ableton, and I have a tendency to add way too many tracks, which isn’t great when it comes to mixing or playing live. I didn’t consider the live aspect Strange Valley at all: the EP has loads of intros and breaks. On the other hand, I wrote Gone with the live show in mind. I also wanted to add more vocals on the second EP.

Sierra @Stunfest 2019 (Photo by Douglas Alves)

What is your approach to live shows, as opposed to composing?

I try to mix it all up. It’s not always easy, because some people want the music to keep going all throughout. The thing about my music is that it sometimes goes in hard and settles down with a big break before starting back up again. Some people might be into it and others not so much. Some people might want it to hit hard all throughout. I like to tell a story through my music, and so I like to go through different phases in my live show.

When I got to a techno rave, I get pretty tired of only hearing kicks, snares and whatnot. I like having breaks. That’s what I try to implement at my shows.

More of a “concert” gig than a “club” thing.

Yeah, somewhere in between the two, really. It’s not always easy but that’s what I’m trying to do. Then again, these are my first shows, so I might end up changing my mind down the line *laughs*. I don’t know.

What is the best context to listen to Gone?

First off, I’d say it’s more of a nighttime listen. It doesn’t work as well during the day. Having a good sound system always helps *laughs*. When the music has some big snares and kicks, it’s always good to have some decent speakers to listen to it properly. I’d say the best way to listen to it is live. Or at night, on your way back home from a party, around 4 or 5 a.m., when you’ve had a drink and you’re on your way to the Subway. I think it might work well for these moments.

Last question: can you name one of your favourite albums, movies and books?

One of each? It’s hard to pick only one.

Jurassic Park. I’m a huge fan of Jurassic Park. Or 12 Monkeys. That film really left an impression on me when I was little. I’ll go with Jurassic Park though because I have a poster in my room right over my synthesiser.

What did you think of the last few films?

I was actually really happy to see the first one. I don’t mind the fact that they decided to add more sequels. I could’ve been an angry fan and said “What?? They’re making more? Are you mad? Leave it be!” But I’m actually really glad they made more because even if they’re not amazing, I’m really happy to go to the movies to see dinosaurs *laughs*. But yeah, the first Jurassic World wasn’t great, but it was already. I enjoyed the second one though. It wasn’t bad at all. The fact that the first Jurassic World was in an amusement park on an island again was redundant. We get it! Amusement parks don’t work! Stop it! *Laughs*. On the other hand, they went down a new route, and I enjoyed it.

In terms of albums, I’m going to go with the first Gesaffelstein album Aleph. That album left a mark on me. There are a few artists that made me want to make electronic music. There’s also Vitalic with OK Cowboy and The Toxic Avenger with his first album. These are my three go-to albums. I listen to them all the time. When I say I’m an obsessive person I mean that I can keep listening to these albums over and over.

You said earlier that you’ve been listening to the new Gesaffelstein record a lot lately. What’s your perspective on it? It hasn’t been very well received, I must say.

It took some time to digest because when you think of Gesaffelstein your first thought goes to the music from his first album, which was amazing. It was heavy, but it also shifted from heavy to soft, and that’s what I like. I love these versatile artists that manage to keep a consistent feel between softer and heavier sounds. We were expecting him to come back with the super dark sound he’s become known for, so to have him come back with a more “commercial” approach is obviously bound to let people’s expectations down. It took some time to digest. At first, I was also pretty bummed, but I gave it another few listens and found it to be really well done. I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as the first album but there are a couple of tracks that I do really enjoy.

Book-wise, I read very little. I studied literature in High School and I used to read a lot but after that, I just stopped. I got sick of it. With that said, there was a time when I used to read a lot of crime novels, like those by Jean-Christophe Grangé, like Blood Red Rivers… I also read through the first three Millenium books in a couple of days. Those books really left an impression on me.

Special Thanks to Remy and to Sierra.

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“Gone” is easily some of the most interesting and forward thinking darksynth we’ve heard yet this year, bringing to mind Street Fever’s first release, the “Afflictions EP.”  Although “Gone” certainly has some similar tonalities, it feels slower and more methodical, deliberate and intense. The production on this EP is just exquisite as well, conjuring an atmosphere unlike any we’ve heard recently.

Click here for the full album!