Pure Sincerity in Art // An Interview with Hugo Carmouze (OPINION)

• Thanks so much for the interview. Let’s trace back to your personal roots. Where did you grow up and how did you get into music? Who were your musical inspirations as a young person
  

Hugo: I grew up in the countryside in the South of France. My parents are musicians, so I naturally developed an interest in music. I remember that the very first CD that made me want to make music was “From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah” by Nirvana. When I was younger,  my biggest inspirations were Nirvana & Ty Segall . These two bands/artists were very decisive at different moments in my life!

• Who are some of your biggest musical influences presently?
  

Hugo: Now, I listen to a lot of different things. I draw inspiration from Hotline TNT, They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Alex G, The 1975, black midi, mk.gee, Tyler The Creator, Serge Gainsbourg, The Microphones, My Bloody Valentine, Big Blood, Horse Jumper of Love, The Garden, Miles Davis, Jeff Buckley, and I’m also really inspired by the French indie scene (TH da Freak, Pretty Inside, SIZ, yyellow etc).

• Please tell us about the instruments you play, how you learned to play them, and what are some of your favorite and most unique techniques and pieces of instrumentation.

Hugo:  I play guitar, saxophone, bass, piano, and drums  – nothing else, I think. I learned saxophone in college because I attended a jazz music school. My very first concert was at Jazz In Marciac, a French festival. I think I was 11? It was a great experience to learn how to play and improvise in front of such a large audience. I started learning guitar in 2014 with a teacher and I took lessons for two years, but I had to stop when I joined a boarding school far away from my teacher. I began learning piano in 2020 while at University.  Learning piano really helped me write many songs for “Troisième Opinion.” Learning new instruments has been a huge help in pushing me to try new things and evolve musically. I don’t think I have a favorite technique – though maybe just creating feedback with a loud amp haha!

• You released your first solo album at thirteen years of age. Can you tell us what or who motivated you and gave you the confidence and courage to strike out on your own at such a young age?

Hugo: I was living alone in the countryside with my parents, and I really wanted to have a band. At first, my plan was to write as many songs as possible and record them with a band once I became an adult and moved to the city. But  one day, I discovered Ty Segall and I realized it was possible to make music alone . This discovery was a game-changer for me because I had been so frustrated about not being able to play concerts with a band or record music with other musicians! Creating my first albums alone in my room as a child helped me grow musically. It allowed me to do my own things on my own thing without waiting to move to the city or form a band. It also taught me so much about recording techniques and how to experiment on my own.

• Twelve albums in almost as many years of a career tell many different stories and facets but all are tied with an unflinching passion, desire and curiosity. Is there a lingering thread that tied and ran through your music or do you see them as separate chapters?
  

Hugo: Hmm… That’s a good question! When I started Opinion, all my albums were kind of interconnected . At the time, I recorded a lot of songs and wanted to release them as quickly as possible. Everything felt “fast”, with each song and album serving as a continuation of the themes from older tracks. Since 2020, though, I’ve been more focused on taking my time when creating albums and EPs. I also wanted to create better albums. By slowing down the process, my creations began to feel like distinct chapters. My first album, “First Opinion,” was created when I was still a child. it doesn’t really tackle anything special – I just wanted to make a garage rock album that I could listen to while taking the bus to school.
“Second Opinion,” my second album, is the first one where I started talking about real stuff that I was going through at the time. It’s an album about “teenage problems”. I was 16 when I made it, and from that album until “Molly” (released in 2020, when I was 19),  all my albums reflected what I call the “teenager-chapter” of my life .
That’s why my new album is called “Troisième Opinion” (“Third Opinion” in English). I consider it the third chapter of my life. I started working on it in 2020, when I was 19 and living alone in an apartment in the city, and I finished it in 2022 at the age of 21. This album marks the beginning of a new chapter for both my life and the Opinion project.  With this album, I feel my art has become more mature and complex than before.  I wanted to create something that truly represents me, which is why the title is in French and why the album is more inspired compared to my old “garage/grunge” albums.

P.S.:  Everything released before “Troisième Opinion” and after “Molly” was actually recorded during the same period as “Troisième Opinion.” So, albums like “Horrible” (2024) or “Muddlepiglottis” or “Earworms” are technically part of the “Third chapter era” of Opinion. The only exception is “Pumpkinland,” which was recorded during the same time as “Molly.” I only released it last year because I had completely forgotten about its existence, haha!

• How does your new album differ from the previous ones? Walk us through your creation process from its influences to final cut. What are its themes and inspirations?
  

Hugo:  I really wanted this album to be the complete opposite of everything I had done before. All my previous albums were like overly obvious stylistic imitations (Garage, Grunge, or Folk, always sung in English), which led to my music constantly being compared to others.  With this album (“Troisième Opinion”), my goal was to create music that represents me 100% and doesn’t resemble anything else.  Strangely enough, it wasn’t that difficult to achieve at the moment.
I also had a lot of fun experimenting with different ways of recording and composing. For example , this is the first album where I sing in French . This album opened my eyes to what a composition should be — something true and sincere, not just a “stylistic exercise.” My main objective was to create an album with texture and general atmosphere as dense as possible. I didn’t want to think of it as making a “rock,” “shoegaze,” or “pop” album, or anything else. Even in terms of production, I wanted the album to have a unique sound texture. I wasn’t interested in using cliché drum or guitar sounds; I wanted to create a surreal sound world. I just wanted to record the songs exactly as I imagined them in my head. In the end, the album will probably still be compared to other artists or styles, but that doesn’t bother me much because I know I pushed my creative boundaries with this album (for now).

• How do you feel when you finish an album: delight, relief or emptiness? Any dissatisfaction?
  

Hugo: It depends. I would say that, for me, it’s actually the part I find the most reassuring. Making an album is something really intense. And since I make all my albums completely on my own, I often find myself hesitating over details for a long time, which makes this process mentally challenging at times. But once I finish the album 100%, I’m always proud of it, and I just feel an immense joy.
For me, as long as an album isn’t on streaming platforms, it’s still open to changes. That’s why the release of an album is very different for me. I no longer listen to the album as a “modifiable draft” but as the final result of a lot of hard work. Since “Troisième Opinion” is an album I finished around 2022, now when I listen to it, I think I could’ve done better with some details, but it doesn’t frustrate me too much because I know the album is finished, and I’ve also learned a lot about sound techniques after making it.  I see each album as a sort of memory of each period, with my skills and experiences at that time. 

Band photo by @laltography

• A musician you know very well used to claim, ‘”My favourite thing is a pop song that has a surprising element of noise to it”, do you share the same blissful vision of melody/noise nirvana?
  

Hugo: I think that my favorite thing is just a good song, haha. I don’t know if I have a favorite way of writing songs or a specific type of songs. If a song is well written, that’s the most important thing for me. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pop song or noisy punk song.  My favorite thing is pure sincerity in art.  You can always feel when an artist is being fake in their art. So, my favorite part is simply listening to music that is as sincere as possible, in any way you want.

• How has your way of composing and recording changed over the years from the early home recordings? Is there always the same expressive straightforward urgency or has it transformed/evolved into something more refined, more subject to tweak and revisions?
  

Hugo:  I now try to take more time with the songwriting, recording and mixing.  Before “Troisième Opinion,” I really enjoyed doing everything as quickly as possible to move on to the next song. But now, I love working on a song as long as it takes to make it “perfect” for me. It’s also very new for me, as I’ve never worked this way before (because I am very impatient). But it takes a lot of energy, and sometimes it can be frustrating. That’s why I made “Horrible” in one night. Even though I enjoyed working on songs for a whole year to make them perfect for “Troisième Opinion,”  I sometimes miss recording and writing songs very quickly. The spirit is not the same, but it’s just as “honest” as an album that I spent four years on. I love both approaches. 

• Let’s talk about your DIY label Nothing Is Mine, devoted to ‘all kinds of music that comes from the heart’.
  

Hugo: Nothing Is Mine is a record label I created in 2021! I started it because I really wanted to release music from my friend who couldn’t find any record labels.  I wanted to be able to release all kinds of music I liked, not just focus on one genre like Indie Rock.  I want this record label to be as free as possible. I just want to release music that I love. That’s why we release “Experimental” stuff, or simple “Indie Rock” albums, or “Avant Folk” or even “Grindcore”. I would love to release some “Free Jazz” with Nothing Is Mine one day!
The first album we released was “Capharnaüm” by Noise Kollektief (a noise album recorded by 22 people at the same time). I love being able to release Drone/Noise albums like Lal Tuna’s “…Not Until The Innocence Lost Is Found” EP or “Black Metal” albums like Déçu (my black metal solo project). But I also release “Garage Punk” albums. I like and want to defend any style of music I love!

• Has there been a gig or a record that changed the way you perceive Rock & Roll?
  

Hugo: Oh yeah. So many records.
 “From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah” by Nirvana : this album is the one that made me want to learn guitar and start a band.  This album literally created Opinion .
 “Melted” by Ty Segall : even though this one was recorded in a studio, it was the first Ty Segall album I listened to, and it introduced me to the concept of having a home studio and doing everything by yourself. Because of this album, Opinion became a solo project, and it’s because of it that all of my albums have been recorded by me.  I loved the idea of being able to create your own musical universe with just random mics and a bad amp. I recently found out that this album was actually recorded in a studio, but it’s okay I don’t regret anything!
 “Schlagenheim” by black midi : this album  pushed me to surpass myself musically and create albums that are much more unique and rich in inspiration.  I saw them at a French festival in the summer of 2019, just after the album was released. They played very late on the smallest stage. It was the best concert I’ve ever seen in my life. No joke.
 “Nineteen in Love” by Hotline TNT : this one reminded me, like “Raw Power” by The Stooges (Iggy Mix), that  I love very lo-fi and raw albums . Sometimes I get lost in the endless doubts of mixing and production, and these kinds of albums are like warm blankets for me. It also reminds me that  the most important thing is just the songwriting . And it proves that sometimes “extremely raw lo-fi” albums are perfect with this kind of production. It’s just aesthetic. Everything can work if you are open-minded.

• Let’s take a brief musical trip through the historical decades that inspired and nurtured your rich and changing sound. Which decades did you go back to? The 60s and 70s?
  

Hugo: I have no idea!!! I would love to go back to the 90s to see Nirvana in concert. Or maybe try recording in a studio in the 60s or 70s. The sound of this era is so warm and beautiful. But I also love the sound of the 80s. I really have no idea, haha.

• Who is the musical artist/band that you always return to?

Hugo: Obvious answer: The Beatles. The only band I think I will love for the rest of my life I think (along with Nirvana, of course). Their entire discography is perfect.

• What do you enjoy the most about performing live? Your highs and lows so far?

Hugo: I love sharing a unique and beautiful moment with the crowd.  Playing my songs live with a real band, with a big sound and an attentive audience, is one of the best things ever.  Our highs were during last year and this year. We played some of our best shows ever, in both small and big venues, with a perfect crowd and an amazing, loud band sound. We also had the chance to play with a lot of bands I’ve been listening to since high school, like Horse Jumper of Love and Meatbodies, so it was very emotional for me.
Our lows were probably during the very first concerts of the band. At the time, we didn’t have a single tuner pedal, so on stage it was atrocious, every musician was out of tune, and we also had bad amps and pedals. The concerts ended up being more like very punk and energetic performances. At one point, we all decided to buy our own pedal tuner and better amps, and after that, all our concerts were so much better!

• What are you listening to at the moment?

Hugo: Actually,  I listen to Chappell Roan non-stop . I love her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” so much. All the songs on it are pure perfection. I also listen to Mk.gee’s album “Two Star & the Dream Police.” I really love it too. It’s such an inspiring album, I think. These two are the artists of 2024 for me!

• Are there any big plans in the foreseeable future?

Hugo: I don’t know, haha. We plan to tour as much as possible in 2025, maybe play outside of France and do festivals (it’s actually my biggest goal). And of course, releasing new stuff!

• Any parting words?
  

Hugo: We have one life. Believe in yourself, don’t listen to haters. Take care, bye!!

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Photo by Raymundo Del Sofa