Interview with Day Clinic

Hello guys, nice to have you on Volatile Weekly! What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music, what would you be doing today?

• Boris: I believe it was the music I was listening to with my dad as a little kid. It was probably the first time me falling in love. Since then, that became a tool to make sense of the world inside and outside myself. I never gave too much thought to what I would be doing if not for music. I would probably have had to find another tool.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music, and how does that influence your creativity?

• Can: Of course, we all have a life outside of creating music; Jobs to do, rent to pay, books to read, and trashy films to watch. I love to do all those things, I especially enjoy my profession, but it has nothing to do with creativity and music. So when I’m not busy discovering new music or trying to find out what type of music my favorite musicians love to hear to get inspired, I usually try to shut myself off music or art. Not that I do it consciously, but it happens, and this triggers my creativity process unconsciously because I try not to force new results.

How long has your band been around?

• Boris: The band started in 2017 under the name Janis. Last year we decided to change the name to Day Clinic because we thought it better reflects our music and the way we see the world around us.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• Boris: We all live in Berlin. This city has a big influence on our music. The air here is special, and the light falls like nowhere else. There is a sense of melancholy that leaves its trace on everything created here. But also lightness and beauty are felt here everywhere. Besides, we all moved here by choice, so this feeling of being an ex-pat, which is very characteristic of Berlin, also shapes the music to some extent and gives it a welcomed heterogeneity.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

• Can: As Boris said, we were named “Janis” before, but we changed our name to ”Day Clinic”. 2022 was a rough year for us because it was mentally challenging. Our music experienced many changes, and “Day Clinic” really stuck with us. Also, is connected with some intimate and changing experiences one of us had, so we thought we should try.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

• Boris: Probably a live-streaming show we were invited to play in September 2020. It happened during the pandemic, and the city was in lockdown, with no live shows nor social life. At this time, live-streaming concerts that people could watch at home seemed like a good alternative, and a few crews and venues were organizing this type of concert. We got invited once to play such a show in a venue called Huxley´s Neue Welt, a pretty huge venue. Besides the camera and the sound crew, it was empty. The feeling of playing in a gigantic place with no audience was very surreal and strange.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• Boris: For me, Molotov Club in Hamburg. There always was some electricity in the air.

• Rafa: I’ve played in Lido once, a big important venue in Berlin. I’d love to play with Day Clinic there. Also Fusion Festival is an amazing place to play.

If you could play any show with any line-up, who would be on the ticket?

• Can: I’d like to play with Die Nerven or Fehlfarben one day because I like their style of music much. It would be an interesting combination.

What are some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• Can: Just go for it and don’t wait because you think you’re not good enough. Search the internet, look for people who love music as much as you do, and enjoy the shit out of it. It is scary in the beginning, very much so, but it’s all worth it. To connect with your people in the band musically is just a very wonderful feeling, and I would not want to miss that. And I think I would tell my younger self the same.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

• Boris: Try out whatever you want to try. Learn as much as you can learn. Don´t give a shit about what other people think is cool.  

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• Boris: For me, there is no such song. All of them have a special meaning. If a song stops feeling special, then we should stop playing it. It means that the necessity for this song to exist at this point is no more there.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• Can: My favorite song is „Secrets“ from our new album. Maybe it is also the one that gets requested the most? I hope so. I could play it every time.

• Rafa: As Can said, “Secrets” is also my favorite one and very fun to play, but during the production and mixing time, “As Above so Below” became one of my favorites too. The atmosphere and rawness we achieved on it make it special for me. Playing it live is also surprisingly very satisfying.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

• Can: It depends. Usually, Boris comes in with some riffs and lyrics he wrote on acoustic guitar, then we add ourselves to that, and suddenly a new song appears. Sometimes we just jam and get interesting ideas out of it. It is a wide mixture of jamming, listening, and feeling.

• Rafa: Sometimes, we add layers on top of a drum rhythm. That’s how “Not For You” one of our released singles was born. It was probably the quickest song we’ve ever made.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

• Boris: Many of our songs feel very personal to me. They come from certain experiences. By recognizing themselves in these experiences, I hope our listeners will get a sense of belonging, of a community, connected by a mutual feeling of wonder at the face of the cruelty and beauty of this world.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

• Can: We throw empty beer cans at each other. Alternatively, talk. I think talking works best for us. Disagreements are important to move forward. I think we manage that well by listening to each other. There is a lot of understanding in our band, and that is something I love.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• Boris: We are working on a music video for the song “As Above So Below” from the album.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• Boris: The best is to keep in touch via Instagram: day_clinic_music. But we also regularly post updates on our Facebook page: DayClinicMusic. And, of course, you're very welcome to check out our Spotify and Bandcamp pages