French Hardcore Band, Resolve, Talk New Music and Previous Releases

Photo Courtesy of Resolve

French hardcore quartet, Resolve, hail from Lyon, France— not the first place you’d expect this high energy, explosive group to call home. Despite forming only two years ago, Resolve has a dedicated following and has opened for impressive melodic bands including the Architects, While She Sleeps, and Every Time I Die.

Primarily considered a hardcore band, Resolve know how to float in and out of the genre, consequently allowing them to successfully reach diverse listeners. It’s an impressive skill that many artists never quite accomplish. We recently caught up with bassist Robin Mariat and vocalist Anthony Diliberto to discuss their previous releases, the band, and new single, “Carmela.”

In the summer of 2018, they released Stripped Down Sessions, an acoustic collection of previously released songs, as well as a Foo Fighters cover, “Best of You,” which received positive feedback from their fans, up until that point mostly familiar with their more raucous music. The success of their acoustic album has no doubt propelled them forward as versatile musicians, and laid the groundwork for future releases.

Their EP Rêverie was put out a little over a year ago, their first official album as a band. Talking about what inspired the songs, Mariat states, “Rêverie was sort of a melting pot of the different directions we wanted to explore with this band, whether it be very heavy or fast riffs, slow and atmospheric parts, or even songs very removed from the traditional rock/metal sphere. The goal with this EP was really to prove ourselves that we could create our own sound.”

Now, Resolve returns to their hardcore roots with new song “Carmela.” It, at times, teems with a seemingly angry, frantic energy, yet the root of the song is loss and above all, sadness, focusing on Diliberto’s grandmother who recently passed away. The band explains, “This is without a doubt the hardest we’ve ever worked on a single song, trying new things and aiming for different horizons, as well as doing everything ourselves, from the mixing to the video-making.”

Resolve has a solid handle on what they want and where they want to go, and we can’t wait to hear more new music from them in the future. Read the complete interview below.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us here at Gehen Press. Take us back to the very beginning and walk through how the band formed. Where did it begin, who was involved, were there any chance encounters?

RM:  Resolve was built on the ashes of the band I was in alongside my brothers Nathan and Aurélien. When it became apparent that this band was gonna come to an end, we sat down and discussed what we wanted to do in the future. We decided to start working on songs, and soon decided to reach out to our friend Anthony, who's band at the time was coming to an end as well. The timing was obviously ideal, so pretty soon he joined us in the studio and started adding ideas to what we already had been working on.

What did you think of the other members when you first met?

AD: We first met at a show both our former bands were playing. I remember Nathan lecturing everyone about ecigs, also Robin and I having a long conversation about Steve Lukather, one of our common revered guitar player. I had this feeling our paths would cross again, without really knowing what at the time.

What was it like growing up in Lyon? Was there a prevalent hardcore music scene?

RM: Lyon is a lovely city, very beautiful and lively. The hardcore/alternative scene is quite strong, especially compared to a lot of other french cities. Especially in the last 5 years, we have bigger and bigger shows coming through, and plenty of talented local bands, it's a cool community to be a part of for sure.

Has there been a significant moment in your life when you knew you wanted to be a musician?

RM:  For me, I'd say it was when I was ten years old, my dad took me to see my first actual rock show. My favorite band at the time was playing, and although they were quite far away in terms of heavyness compared to the bands I would start getting into a few years later, I was blown away by the energy, the lights, everything. The next day I was trying to convince my elementary school friends to start a band with me, which we did!

What has been your most memorable show so far? Has anything particularly weird or surprising happened?

RM:  We've had our fair share of weird shows for sure. I can't think of any in particular, although I can say that, for some unknown reasons, we always seem to have the least of luck when playing in Belgium... Our first show as Resolve was also a very special moment, especially because it was happening at the same venue I saw [my] very first show.

In the past, you’ve opened for Architects, Every Time I Die, and While She Sleeps. What bands would you love to tour with in the future?

RM:  So many! It's hard to narrow it down to a few names, but as far as I'm concerned, getting to tour with Gojira would probably be at the very top of my life's achievements list.

What has been the most difficult part of the music industry? What advice would you give to other artists starting out?

RM:  To be honest, I think it's the constant emotional rollercoaster of being offered something really cool, and then it not happening anymore for reasons out of our control. You get used to it after a few times, and although I would consider us a starting out band, that's something all bands should be aware of: you're gonna be disappointed a lot, you just have to stick around until it finally turns around.

Is there anything you wish you would have known when you first started playing music, or would have done differently?

RM:  Tough question. We've made our faire share of mistakes in the past, but that doesn't mean that I would change things if I could go back in time. Everybody makes mistakes all the time, and it's those who learn how to get back on their feet every time that ends up staying around in the long haul.

You’ve released a good amount of music since forming in 2017. What does your writing process look like?

RM:  It's usually one or two persons sitting all day in front of a computer, working on a full instrumental demo until whoever's working on it feels confident enough to show it to everyone else, and from there we all make suggestions, rework some parts and then take it to the studio to be properly recorded.

Your previous album, Rêverie, was released a little over a year ago. What inspired these songs?

RM:  I guess Rêverie was sort of a melting pot of the different directions we wanted to explore with this band, whether it be very heavy or fast riffs, slow and atmospheric parts, or even songs very removed from the traditional rock/metal sphere. The goal with this EP was really to prove ourselves that we could create our own sound.

Stripped Down Sessions showcases the softer, delicate side of the band. What has been the reception from your fans?

RM:  It's been mostly positive I'd say, especially with the Foo Fighters cover. We were a bit nervous about this one cause it's such an important song to a lot of people, but for the most part people seem to have enjoyed it!

Your newest track “Carmela” is about losing a loved one and the impact they had on your life, something a lot of people can relate to. How has your outlook on life changed? Is there anything you do differently?

AD: Carmela was my grand-mother's name, and the first loss that actually changed my outlook on life. I feel sort of lucky in the way that I had never experienced a loved person's death until last year. It's a very cliché thing to say, but it made me realize a bit more that everything can stop at any moment without any reason, so I try to cherish the ones I love even more. Although I'm still working on it, it brought a new found positivity and sense of fulfillment to my life as well.

What is your favorite song to perform live?

RM: “Abyss” maybe? I think it's the one most people will have heard prior to the show, so they always seem to get a bit more involved when we play it.

You are extremely meticulous in how you present your videos, photos, and social content. Everything is very high quality. Who is the driving force behind these creative elements?

RM:  Everyone in the band is very involved when it comes to the ideas, concepts and such for our visuals, and then Aurélien (guitar) is the one who makes it come to life.

Dreambound has featured some great melodic bands over the years, including Resolve. How did you become involved with them?

RM:  The director for our first two music videos (“Exposed” and “Abyss”) offered to put us in contact, as he had plenty of his work published on the channel. From there we just sent him the video for “Abyss,” which he seemed to like, and we stayed in touch for a couple more releases, simple as that!

Shifting gears a bit. What are some bands or artists that you are listening to right now?

RM:  The new BMTH song, “Medicine,” has been on repeat ever since it's release, I can't wait for their new album. Appart from that, mostly Radiohead, The 1975, and this french rap group called PNL.

What has been your favorite place to visit in Europe? And why?

RM:  One tour memory comes to my mind, back in April we had a couple shows in Italy and spent the better part of a sunny day wandering around the Lago di Garda, one of the most beautiful scenery we've seen as a band for sure.

What is next for the band? Are you working on any new material at the moment?

RM:  We've had a very busy 2018, with lots of shows over Europe and the UK, so for now it's mostly about getting back to the studio to write and record new music.

Do you have any plans to tour the US in the future? What other touring plans are in the works?

RM:  A US tour is still a very, very far away goal for us, although we would obviously love to go there, but I don't see it happening anytime soon to be honest! But we have exciting plans for 2019, not only touring wise, we have some new ideas that we want to try that should be a lot of fun.

Is there anything else you would like readers to know? What are the best swear words in French?

RM:  If you've made it this far down the page, thanks for the interest! If you've never heard us before, feel free to check us out on your favorite streaming platform, we have bits for everyone's taste over there.

I'll leave it with one of my personal favs, "putain de merde" which basically means "fuckin shit", you can cover all grounds with this one.