Interview: The Resurrection of Die Mannequin

By: Olivia Goheen – 

Die Mannequin.

Take a moment and think of the reasons why it’s hard for people to accept change. The future is unknown and is terrifying for some. However, uncertainty is used as a tool to help rise above and stand out. Toronto punk band Die Mannequin’s new album Neon Zero (out October 28) resurrected the band, and they took on change to diversify their sound. Since their last studio album, five years ago, the time away has generated a fresh mixture of a dance, rock and metal sound. This album is something you can hear at a club or in a mosh pit and still be able to connect with the music.

Die Mannequin’s sound, which is characterized as “Evil Dance Music”, is dance-punk that you can both head bang and dance to. While frontwoman Care Failure is widely known to be a rock musician, did you know that she’s also a DJ? Failure started DJing before she was even legal to enter bars and still continues to do so. Her talent as a DJ comes as a reminder that she’s more than a rock and roll queen, especially when her dance influences can be heard throughout Neon Zero.

“Just being able to knock down that door and barrier and cross over into doing something I’ve never done before,” says Failure.

The songwriting process is yet another change. Failure’s usual process includes writing crafting a few demos prior to heading into the studio. However, with Neon Zero, Failure decided last-minute to scrap all ideas and start fresh. The only conclusion was to go in blindly and start producing new music. After months in the studio, the group produced 26 songs, which they eventually whittled down to the 11 songs found on the album. Producers Nathan Quinn and Arion Anderson provided support throughout the process, which allowed Failure to have a large amount of creative freedom towards the creation of the album.

Die Mannequin’s new album, Neon Zero, is their first new studio album in five years.

“They were pretty good at letting me do my thing and sitting back and letting me drive the ship,” says Failure. “When you hear about artists like Lykke Li, that once you let them drive the ship you can get these really different or interesting things to happen.”

Having supporters is one of the most important elements to a band. Failure takes this into consideration and believes that her music continues to improve. She wants fans to grow with her music as she tries to better herself as a musician. In addition, the band’s evolution through each album represents becoming one step closer to knowing what she wants. Failure wants to take fans down this musical journey and to explore new things musically with them.

“Growing with your fans is kind of like a neat relationship,” says Failure. “When you see bands like Radiohead that can grow with their fans and change and evolve and you kind of grow up with them and go down this crazy trip, down the rabbit hole musically.”

With Neon Zero, Failure committed to creating an album that would give fans a further taste of her musical diversity; it isevident that spending a few years away from the studio has allowed Failure to focus on what she wants to offer her fans. Die Mannequin fans can expect to see the group perform all around Canada early next year. To prepare oneself for this concert be sure to put on a pair of dance shoes and be ready to get wild.

And don’t worry about waiting another five years for a new Die Mannequin album as they’ve already begun work on a follow-up, and it’s safe to say that the evolution of Die Mannequin’s sound will continue.

“I’ve already started writing the next record just to be able to do the weird shit that I want to do on that.”