By John Wisniewski for MK ULTRA Magazine
The Washington DC-based Darkwave band the Neuro Farm have crawled into the consciousness of the dark music scene with a combination of haunting music and good old-fashioned hard work. The band recently released their long-awaited new album entitled “Voices,” an excellent and diverse album of epic Post-Punk songs that slithers through the chaotic beauty and darker sides of the mind, where imagination infiltrates reality in a swirl of blurred boundaries. Record companies have foolishly missed a golden opportunity with the Neuro Farm, but it doesn’t seem to bother the band, they continue to quietly and effectively collect more converts for their cause. Through a rare combination of male and female vocals, violin melodies, driving rhythm guitar, and ethereal sonic textures, the Neuro Farm have brought forth a fresh and intoxicating sound supported by a sensual live show. On the heels of their recent high profile appearance at A Murder of Crows Festival in New York City, the Neuro Farm is just now wrapping up their ‘VOICES TOUR ’24’ with a string of dates supporting NØIR.
John Wisniewski: What was it like going back in the studio and writing and recording “Voices,” your latest album?
Brian Wolff: It was a good walk downstairs into our studio, which is in the basement of Rebekah’s and my house.
Rebekah Feng: It felt very natural and almost effortless. By the time we started working on Voices, we had become very good at working together as a band. We each contribute something unique and the end result always turned out better than the sum of its parts. For example, Tim would send over a synth track, Brian would give it a structure and add guitar parts to it, I would then add vocals/lyrics or some kind of melodic decoration, and Colin would add rhythm.
DreamrD: It was another wonderfully creative experience, and to me, the best part of being in an ensemble of any kind. It’s like cooking the best meal ever as a group and seeing the dish come together in real time that we all get to eat and enjoy later (second helpings too!). All bands say this, but it’s our best work to date.
JW: Was making “Voices” a different experience than making your previous album?
Brian Wolff: For me, very much so. Most notably, I had been diagnosed with cancer in the spring, which was a lot to deal with, and it definitely slowed down the album production. Another big difference between this and our last album is that Tim was working with us the whole time this time, whereas for our previous album, Vampyre, he joined partway through, after many of the songs had already been written. For this new album, Voices, quite a few of the musical ideas for songs on this one originally came from Tim.
Tim Phillips: As Brian said, I had been around the second half of the writing process of Vampyre, so bouncing new ideas I had to the others was an exciting part for me in the creation of Voices. Hearing the interpretations and results of the collaborations using some of my ideas instead of the other way around was amazing.
DreamrD: Indeed, Brian’s diagnosis influenced the material and the recording of it in a more profound way. Things felt even more personal, more urgent, more meaningful than when we’d initially decided to pursue a new album endeavor.
JW: What has the reception been for the new album, from press and fans?
Rebekah Feng: We’ve been overwhelmed by the love and amazing feedback from both the press and fans! It’s humbling to hear our album described as a masterpiece. Our music is a little different from what folks are used to – we take pride in our melodic content and complex structure. It’s really nice to know that people appreciate this kind of music – stuff that makes you dance and also challenges you intellectually.
JW: Do you find any inspiration in occult subjects?
Rebekah Feng: Not exactly occult because it’s real science, but I love the idea that we all come from stardust, and to dust we shall return.
Tim Phillips: Musically, there may be some mystical inspiration as a mood. I definitely had some visions of the supernatural dancing around in my head when creating some of the ideas for the album simply to set the vibe. Ultimately, Rebekah and Brian’s lyrics transform those ideas into the songs and subject matters they tackle.
JW: is there anything specifically that you find inspirational?
Rebekah Feng: Brian was diagnosed with glioblastoma (grade 4 brain tumor) back in May this year. This diagnosis changed life as we knew it and forever changed the band. Brian underwent 2 brain surgeries in May and June, right as we were nearing the completion of Voices. Despite the intense pain and nausea, Brian worked tirelessly to finish mixing all the tracks before he went into surgery. Tim then stepped in and finished the final product.
Just nine days after completing a grueling course of chemoradiation, we played the legendary A Murder of Crows festival, which marked the start of our fall tour. It’s been a lot of fun, but not without its challenges… I think that we have no idea what we are truly capable of until we face certain opponents in life, a glioblastoma diagnosis is one of those.
I am inspired by Brian’s resilience, his unwavering will to not just survive but thrive. I’m inspired by my bandmates for their talent and loyalty. Throughout this journey, I am inspired by the kind of human generosity that one might easily overlook in a cynical world.
Brian Wolff: Thanks for those kind words, Rebekah! I do fully intend to get through this cancer completely ready to resume the life I always wanted. And I agree, there has been so much generosity through this whole process, so many wonderful people out there who are eager to help someone who may be struggling. And one thing I have found particularly inspiring throughout the process are the lyrics you came up with for “Metamorphosis”, the album opener. They really resonated with me as i was working on an album and touring all while feeling like my body and brain were falling apart.
DreamrD: I think we all draw inspiration from each other as a musical ensemble. It’s a privilege to be in a band with others that you like, admire, connect with, and value as musicians and normal humans too. Happily and fortunately, we’re a talented bunch of folks and we recognize this and use that to the best of our ability while staying humble and grateful. Of course, the world around us remains a bottomless source of inspiration to draw from in terms of writing and presenting an artistic response.
Tim Phillips: I’m alway inspired to create new music with this band as I have complete trust in their talents and abilities to take even the most incomplete ideas of my own and flesh it out to something beautiful.
JW: Are there any books or films that have influenced the sound of the Neuro Farm?
Rebekah Feng: Metamorphosis, specifically, was initially inspired by Franz Kafka’s novel. This song is all about unanticipated changes in life. At times, the person staring back at us in the mirror may seem unfamiliar and hard to love. Yet, we can learn to embrace this new version of ourselves and learn to see its beauty.
JW: Can you tell our audience about any of your favorite contemporary darkwave or goth bands?
Rebekah Feng: Besides ones that everybody loves (the Cure, Cocteau Twins, etc), I really like Chelsea Wolfe. Also, this is not exactly goth, but Sigur Ros is a major influence for me, their music transports me to somewhere distant and beautiful.
DreamrD: I think a lot of our favorites end up being artists/bands that we gig with, and in turn, become friends with. There are SO many talented and unique goth/dark wave bands out there making beautiful music which is inspiring and assuring. Without calling out specific artists, I would just say support your local scenes! There’s wonderful work being done in the trenches and this deserves to be recognized and celebrated.
JW: Will you be playing any live dates? Do you enjoy playing live?
Rebekah Feng: We love playing live! There’s something healing about experiencing the energy from the crowd on stage. We are currently on our Voices ’24 Tour: we started off in Brooklyn (a Murder of Crows), then went to midwest (Bloomington, Chicago, South Bend), Dark Castle Festival (Louisville, KY), and then we’re wrapping up the tour on the East Coast.
DreamrD: Playing live is such a fun and unique experience that’s difficult to describe fully. It’s very dream-like, yet such a focused and intense, shared experience. I personally enjoy just meeting and talking with others in an environment where everyone shares a common interest all while the music is the star of the night. After shows are over, it’s hard to unwind because I don’t want to let go of those feelings that we all collectively cultivated and shared together. Please don’t end!
JW: Any future plans and projects you would like to tell our audience about?
Rebekah Feng: We have ideas for new songs that we may start working on once we are done with the tour. We’ve been playing around with the idea of doing an acoustic album as well. Stay tuned. 🙂
Tim Phillips: This is a dangerously open-ended question because of the infinite number of possibilities. We’ve already been talking about song ideas we want to do next while driving in our van on the tour!
-Bandcamp: https://theneurofarm.bandcamp.com/album/voices
-Linktree: https://ffm.to/tnfvoices