It’s a horrible feeling when you lose your job. You feel all the emotions of sadness, anger, confusion and more, more than anything you feel stuck and unsure of what to do next. Now imagine that scenario in that you’re following your passions, you’re in a band and suddenly, one day, it’s gone. What would you do? Well in the case of Guernica Mancini when she received the email in being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, the choice was clear: not to give up and to rebuild by forming new band THE GEMS.
After Guernica’s departure, fellow band members, Emlee Johansson [drums] and Mona Lindgren [guitars, bass], also left and they immediately formed THE GEMS. Almost a year since that day, they went on to release their debut album Phoenix, a record aptly named given their goal of rising from the ashes. Speaking to Guernica a few weeks after the album was released, she recounted on the events that followed leaving THUNDERMOTHER.
“As soon as I got the email that I was fired, I talked to Mona and Emlee that same day and we decided that we were going to continue playing together no matter what. We were like ‘this is crazy, how is this even happening?!’ and for us it was just instant, we just knew we had to rebuild and regroup quick as hell, because to be able to take advantage of the momentum that we had helped build up in THUNDERMOTHER. So that was one of the driving forces in not wasting a second and just waiting around, like, we were working while crying, it was just intense!”
“It was very much therapy; music is the best way to get it out. Like writing the lyrics, some days you’re angry, some days you’re super sad and devastated, and other days you’re starting to feel hopeful again and actually excited about the future. I think that we captured all those feelings on this album.”
As said, the album title reflects their determination in continuing to push through unexpected circumstances. Not only is this displayed in the record, its name and its songs, but also the thought put into it behind the scenes. For Mancini, the vital thing was to create something that sounded epic, professional and something that they can be proud of.
When asked about what the album represents to her, Guernica says, “just the feeling of never giving up, and I just wanted it to be sonically well-crafted, like, just professional and levelled up from what we’ve done before. We didn’t want to take a step back with the production and all that stuff. So, we really made the effort to find a producer, Johan Randén, who did an amazing job with us, we felt good to be given a product of that level.”
“We still had a tight budget, and all that stuff, but we worked really efficiently, and we had most of the things prepared that we needed before we hit the studio, we really made use of all the time. I think most importantly, giving people music that is really well produced and showcases all of our talents. On my part with the singing, I got to really showcase my range and different styles of vocals, Mona did super interesting guitar solos that I saw her working so hard on, and Emlee too who’s always killing it on the drums. I’d also say we were creatively more free now, it’s been a really amazing journey.”
Phoenix itself truly displays THE GEMS’ talent, chemistry and no-nonsense attitude with endless guitar riffs, strong rock n roll vocals, and lyrics that will get you pumped and ready to take on anything in life. Determination has truly paid off here, yet what do they think of the result? Well, Guernica couldn’t be happier. “I still feel really proud and excited about it. Not to say we weren’t a real band before, but it now feels like we have something to show for ourselves with this album, and I’m really happy about that. It feels like now we can start booking shows for real and we can start planning our future in a different way. The feeling is just really good.”
“It’s been really positive, at least from what I’ve seen. I’m just grateful that people have enjoyed it, that they can relate to the topics that we talk about on the songs. You need uplifting songs; you need to be able to go through it whatever that emotion is and still try to be hopeful. You know, all that stuff that is life! I think it’s a relatable album and I’m very happy.”
Phoenix is out now via Napalm Records.
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