“MILS is a Swiss, Swedish and French rock band based in Montpellier and Geneva. Founded in 2008 by three composers, Olivier DENJEAN, Tristan MILIAN and Josephine HAMMAR, the group traces its inspiration to several genres: blues, heavy metal electronic and atmospheric music.
The result is a music that is characteristically introspective, contemplative and epic, so that each MILS title provides a contrasting universe. This range and variety (of moods) is a result of blending the work of musicians whose prime influences should, in theory, conflict.” – From the official website
Interview
1- “Man is a Lonely Soldier” is your debut album. What kind of reactions have you gotten so far from music fans in Europe and the world?
The reactions we’ve got until now are very positive. It seems to us that people have understood the atmosphere we are proposing with this album. We are particularly happy because the themes we have proposed in this album are very intimate with a universal dimension.
2- Tell us about the influences that shaped the sound of the band. There are certainly many genres that can be heard in your songs.
Yes indeed. Our influences are numerous and I think that you can hear that clearly in the album. We all come from different music universes that coexist quit well: rock, new wave, metal, trip hop, classic… In general, we try not to “impose” rules when it comes to style or composition. We let our inspiration come without asking ourselves questions, then our personal paths and our influences do the rest.
3- Which song from “Man is a Lonely Soldier” would you recommend to a first time Mils listener and why?
It’s always a difficult choice to try and find a title among others. We made this album like an inner journey where every song represents a stage. Straight on is very rock, Light for people is more of trip hop inspiration, King in love new wave, Neon life more indus… At the end, it’s the listener who is free to choose.
4- What bands you would like to share a stage with someday? If I had to guess, probably Paradise Lost and Depeche Mode.
For sure! We would love to be on stage with these two groups, and if they read us, it’s when you want guys! More seriously, those are two groups that really inspire us and that we would really get along with. We would also more than enjoy performing with Pink Floyd, Nightwish, Woodkid…groups with strong universes.
5- Finally, what’s next for Mils? Anything to say for fans everywhere?
Now we are going to concentrate on the stage and try to play the album as much as possible. We all believe that this album must be performed live. Then we have other projects. It’s a bit early to talk about it, but we are working hard and soon there should be news. For our fans, we hope to see them very often on stage because that’s really the place where the groups and the fans can meet to share the music.
