All For Rock N’Roll: An Interview With Do I Smell Cupcakes?
German Alternative quartet Do I Smell Cupcakes? have been around since 2005 but seem poised to firmly plant themselves in superstar status.
The four Cupcakes consist of Dennis Depta (Guitar), Jon-Jakob Gendner (drums), Maximilian Tischler (bass), and Can Monarc (Vocals). Naming themselves after a quote from Homer Simpson, protagonist of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the band who hail from Berlin has laid the foundation for quite a unique sound that blends Indie Pop / Rock and harks back to the early days of Franz Ferdinand and The Killers in the 2000s.
After making a huge debut with their EP ‘Chronicles’ they have already had gigs in Israel, Japan, Holland and Hungary. In 2014 they rocked in front of 2000 screaming fans in Aoyama Park while last year was spent giving concerts to promote their EP ‘Chronicles’. With an unusual passion for Mariah Carey and Killswitch Engage, Can Monarc’s vocals lies somewhere between Jared Leto, Freddy Mercury and Adam Levine.
As the band gets ready to write new songs and releasing their debut full length album next year, they took time out to talk to FMD. Enjoy the chat below.
What does fashion mean to you?
Can: Next to music it has become one of my biggest passions. I mean, I’ve been working in the fashion industry for 5 years now and it constantly keeps me on my toes. I used to play around with outfits and styles. Just exploring and finding my own thing with clothes and their meaning to me. I don’t let it rule me though, there’s no plan, I wear what I feel like.
Jon: We are closely working together with 2 brands at the moment. The first one is called TIGHA. All 4 of us constantly wear their leather jackets. We love them. And we’ve also just discussed a cooperation with Munich based brand ‘LIVE&LOVE’.
Dennis: Fashion is such a game.
What are you working on right now?
Can: we are currently in the midst of writing new music and recording our very first album. We had a blast performing this last year with our EP ‘Chronicles’. Giving concerts everywhere and meeting all these amazing people was very inspirational because you see so much from every city and you learn so much about yourself and about your band. We’ve grown together and we understand certain things about each other you could only learn when you’re traveling together for a long time.
Dennis: Exactly. And we’re all beyond excited. We’re working on these new songs and and it just sits right. It feels like this is what we are supposed to do.
Max: And we’re planning an international tour with gigs especially in Japan.
What genre are you playing?
Jon: We all prefer different styles of music. I personally prefer more Rock and Progressive stuff, while Can is a huge Mariah Carey fan. Dennis is more into psychedelic music, Max loves the Beatles. we combine what we love and what we hear and whatever happens happens. That is why I think our sound is different and maybe even unique.
Dennis: And this unique sound creates lots of electricity on stage, with the crowd. There is a lot of energy in the room and in the songs, a lot of noise and sex!
What are the plans for the future?
Max: Besides releasing our debut album next year we are ambassadors for IMG STAGELINE and are very happy to keep working with them. We’re in talks with them for our own signature collection. So maybe there will be an IMG/CUPCAKES Collection. We are very particular with our sounds and having the chance to be involved from the very beginning of producing a live microphone for example is just mind blowing.
How do you feel about the internet in the music business?
Can: On the one hand the music industry is of course suffering a lot due to streaming but you know what? I probably wouldn’t know about all these amazing artists that I love so much and listen to everyday without certain streaming platforms. If people don’t buy our music, it sucks of course. I think I can speak for all of my bandmates when I say: what really matters to us is that they enjoy listening to our music and keep coming to our shows.
Max: Nowadays the internet is the most important and influential media. You can become sort of a star with millions of views with just one video. Beside the disadvantages, that Can already pointed out, the internet is a great place for unknown musicians to reach many people in a short period of time.
What are your musical icons/influences?
Can: Mariah Carey! She’s been my biggest inspiration. I loved her songwriting since I was a kid. Her melodies and lyrics always amazed me. And the passionate stage performance of Michael Jackson and Prince left a deep impression on me.
Jon: My personal heroes are the Foo Fighters, I have never seen anyone else control a huge crowd like Dave Grohl. Taylor Hawkins is my favorite drummer.
Dennis: Helge Schneider and Radiohead.
Max: The Beatles, Peter Gabriel, U2 and R.E.M.
What new music do you like?
Can: A lot of different stuff, I love the new LP ‘Real Emotions’ from Paper Route and also JoJo’s new Record ‘Mad Love’ is amazing. Whenever Jon drives he is listening to Mumford and sons ‘Wilder Minds’. Dennis basically lives for ‘Future Present Past Ep’ from the Strokes. Max’s fav currently is Antony and the Johnsons ‘The crying light’. We actually just featured some of these records on our Instagram page as well.
Pictures by Dylan Kronen
H&M by Julia Krohse
Styling by Konstantinos Gkoumpetis
To learn more about Do I Smell Cupcakes, check them out on www.doismellcupcakes.com and Facebook. Meanwhile check out some images of the band below
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