Dublin rockers Empathy immediately stand out as an unusual and powerful band. The launch of debut single ‘Jeffrey’ – a somewhat delayed recorded appearance on the back of a series of live shows – highlights what makes them interesting: a band designed to make you feel good, as hinted at by the name, but nonetheless launching a debut single that delves in the psychology of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
The debut single is just a hint at what’s to come, with an air of perfectionism hinted at by the way the band have almost two albums worth of tracks ready to go, but are still fosused on getting that debut single just right. I spoke to guitarist and vocalist Dean about what it’s all about…
First of all, can you tell me a little bit of the background of Empathy and how you came to be?
We are a 4-piece alternative rock band from the Northside of Dublin. Adam (Drums) and I (Dean – Guitar/Vox) had been playing together in various other projects and found that the two of us had great musical chemistry, so we decided to start playing and writing together until we realised we had to make this a permanent thing – so we formed Empathy.
Everyone in the band grew up a stones-throw from each other. Sam (Bass) and I went to school together. Adam & Sam were childhood friends, and Dan (Guitar) and I hung around the same group of music-heads when we were younger. So, we all knew each other growing up, and had very similar tastes and ideas when it came to music.
The name is a relatively unusual one for the genre, which tends to go more ‘agro’. How did you come by it
There are two ways of answering this question. The first is that the name is what we intend to achieve when sharing our music with people.We want to create music that will leave an impression on the listener, and if we’re doing our job right, make them feel what we are feeling. Whether that be via the lyrics, or the general aura of the sound.
The second answer is that 15-year-old me thought the name sounded interesting and the meaning of the word was easy to attach a story to. Overall, my feelings when it comes to band names is that the music and the people make the name. If the music is good, if the music speaks to you, makes you move or makes you pause, then the name takes on a different perspective.
‘Jeffrey’ is your debut single. What’s the story behind it?
I would describe the song as an interpretation of the thought process and internal monologue of one of the most infamous serial killers of the 20 th century. I’ve studied Dahmer’s background, and I thought it would be interesting to try and create a song that encapsulated the internal thought processes and moral wranglings that one would supposedly go through to justify the type of crimes perpetrated by Dahmer.
The music is heavy and violent but shifts to match the processions of thoughts. When you listen to the song, the verse, pre-chorus and chorus all have specific themes. The verse represents Dahmer indulging in his memories and inviting his sadistic thoughts. The pre-chorus is his moral struggle, nearly trying to justify his past-actions, and the chorus is Dahmer finally “letting go” of his doubts and relishing in his repulsive nature.
I think it’s fair to say we do have a cultural fascination with serial killers. Is this a broader interest of yours?
I would say that statement is more than fair. It feels like every week there’s a new documentary, film, or TV series about the escapades of some twisted person. I get the fascination. My background is psychology, so my own personal interest stems from watching his interviews and studying his background, family life and crimes in a psychoanalysis class. It wasn’t the serial killing part that was interesting, but everything in between that. When I came up with the riff, it informed the topic, as the melody was vile. At the time, I just
happened to be studying an extremely vile man.
In some ways it feels like the single has come late, in the sense that you’ve already played some fairly big shows. Do you see yourselves as a live band first?
I think every band should think of themselves as a live band first. That said, we are also very much a studio band as we have been recording for a few years now. We are just starting to release our material as we put every song through intense scrutiny before its ready for release. We leave a lot on the cutting-room floor, and only record and perform our best work.
We hold ourselves to producing music of a certain quality and we bring those same critical standards into the studio with us. Admittedly, we can sometimes be guilty of over-scrutinising what we record; but at the end of the day, we will only release what we deem good enough. Jeffrey is something we are proud to finally release.
The studio video gives a real sense of your mood. Do you go out trying to make a specific impression on an audience?
We do and we don’t. There is most definitely an intention behind how we present ourselves at certain points in time, but we don’t have boundaries. All four of us are on the same wavelength when it comes to trying to create something that is fresh, but we try our best not to pigeon-hole ourselves either. We all have our own personalities and that makes for interesting collaboration, both musically and visually.
How much music do you have ready to go at this stage?
Jeffrey is only the start. It’s our first single, but in reality, we probably have about 2 albums worth of original songs in the bank as we are constantly writing and coming up with new material. We never stop the creative process.
What are your plans going forward?
Our main focus right now is to get “Jeffrey” out to the world. We plan to release more music before the year ends. We are still writing, recording and hope to play a few more shows before 2024 wraps up. We’re really excited for what’s next. There’s still so much more to come.
