MODERN FAILURE INTERVIEW

Birsha:Aye dude,can we do a little DM interviewModern:SureBirsha: Alright bro, imma get a lil bit deep ok?Modern: aightBirsha: Bet, so when i’m struggling there’s a couple of places around me that bring me solitude, i know your out there in seattle, what’s a place that brings you peace you think other people would be able to get similar peace fromModern: Not even a place In Seattle specifically but I grew up by the coast, and I used to love going and sitting on these pipes that ran all the way like a mile out into the water before they submerged, I would go and sit on them right out on the edge and just watch the water hit the pipes, it was far enough away from the actual beach all I could hear were the sounds of the water and birds and wind, I’ve always felt my mind was very loud and being around a lot of noise is very overstimulating for me a lot of times so it was always niceBirsha: that’s super interesting because when i sit down and listen to your music there’s a lot of external noise on your tracks, and i know we’ve talked about this before, but do you think that’s a reflection of your internal being or do you think the art is letting you escape it momentarily, or am i just thinking entirely too deep into itModern: No 100% it’s a bit of both, it’s both a reflection of the sound in my head and a way for me to let some of it out, I have a lot of songs where there’s so much noise it starts to border on just atonal distortion, I love to scream and make these loud sounds because my world is very loud and I’m always looking for a way to quiet that, I’ve been obsessed with the wall of sound forever, I love building into these unhinged and unchained cacophonies of noise where everything starts to bleed togetherBirsha: that’s super interesting, so like cacophony of noise, as you call it, would you say that’s a internal thing that’s always been there, or have you ever been able to escape it, also for me, i would want to separate away from it in my form of art as a way to create peace and harmony in my mentality for myself, do you think that it causes it to be harder to make music, and along those lines, is it hard to accept the noise in your head.Modern: I have not really been able to escape it, it something that seems more to worsen with age for me, a million voices talking all at once pulling at me to do this or that or the next, however for me the release comes from the ability to present that into reality and to have others hear it and feel heard, as to acceptance, idk, for me it’s not really something to accept so much as it is something to constantly rail against till I have quieted them and I am the only person left talkingBirsha: now, this may be a bit of a segway, but i know you’ve struggled with addiction in the past, does substances quiet the noiseModern: It’s part of why even to this day while I have been sober from hard drugs for a while now I still struggle with alcohol and I’m in a constant battle against relapse. I would say it makes it easier unfortunatelyBirsha: do you think the quality of work now that your sober is of a higher caliber, because your recent work, has blown me out of the waterModern: I would say more of it is attributed to practice and a larger understanding of myself that has come with age, I can’t tell you if I started doing drugs right now that it would be better or worse and I don’t really aim to find out, I do know a lot of my best work in my own opinion has come from times where I’m on the brink of relapse or it feels as if my life is crashing down around meBirsha: that’s a really intense and raw thought, when you wrote the song heroine song that was really raw and intense and it touches on this very topic of conversation, did that song help relieve some of the negativity in your mind when you created itModern: Not especially, but I think it was still important to write, I think for me it was more about validating some of the things I had been through and talking more about reality on those things, it was about narrating a story from a third party view looking inward at my own experiences and describing them how they would have been seen. What ended up allowing me to write that song is, I was cleaning out my camera roll and I found a picture of me and friend of mine who had passed from an overdose, and I was just looking at how skinny we were and how fucked up we looked in the picture even though both of us were smiling and having a good time, and it just started to flow out of me yk. That song is me looking down at me narrating what I’m seeing and talking directly to myselfBirsha: bro losing a friend is the hardest thing i’ve ever been through im really sorry for your loss, for what it’s worth i’m really glad your still here bro, genuinely your music moves me.Modern: I am too most of the time, some days it’s harder to be glad than others, but I have experienced so much support and love from friends, and from my community I’ve built in just this last year here in this project, seeing the support has been something that I cannot describe and I’m glad I was around to do that and to experience itBirsha: seeing your impact on the community has been amazing, i still remember just being so fucking moved from your music i randomly hit you up from a reel. what’s something you would say to artists who struggle with active addiction and relapse and use music as a form of mental health and therapyModern: Keep grinding at your artwork, it was not my salvation but it was something that led me to the answers I would need to begin to fill some of the holes in me. Overcoming is not something everyone can do, but you will never know if you’re someone who can unless you do it.Birsha: that’s amazing advice, i think people tend to gravitate towards music and art as a end all be all to there struggles but it’s a tool not a solution, is there any music or content you’ll be dropping our audience should know aboutModern: Yes a few things, to start off, I have the first single off my upcoming album dropping August 9th, the single is called “no more lies” and it is about the parallels between trusting someone and being lied to and ensuing anger that follows those moments. I think so far it is representative of some of my better work and is signaling a change in my own art and the quality of it, also make sure you’re following for updates and more singles from the album there will be two more before the final 12 track album drop.Birsha: well bro, i’m super excited for your album, and for your new single, as always birsha loves you, we’re all gonna be on the look out for that new album