All Afraid To Fall – NERiMA (Interview + New Song)
NERiMA are a brand new band from Toronto, and they’ve just released their very first song “All Afraid To Fall”. If this is any indication of what’s to come, you’ll definitely want to put these guys on your radar! In such bleak times, it’s refreshing to see a new young group coming together and overcoming life’s obstacles to put out indie rock during all this. NERiMA pay’s homage to the punk-rock roots they grew up with, while mixing in elements from the modern alternative scene they’ve grown to love, and all the unique genres they’ve fallen for along the way. Click below to check out their first single and keep scrolling to hear about the meaning behind the track, the experience of recording their first song, their thoughts on the Toronto music scene as a new band and more!
What inspired the lyrics behind your first track All Afraid To Fall?
This song is definitely one that’s close to our hearts as a band, as it’s what I like to call our “motivator song.” All Afraid To Fall is meant to represent our band’s drive and passion to keep going despite all the setbacks, which have definitely been plentiful at our stage. You can also find a bit of a message to the people who don’t believe in us, a somewhat self-righteous one at that, and even though we tend to doubt ourselves as well, I wrote the lyrics in hopes of reminding us to believe in ourselves through it all.
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How did you come together as a band?
Our lead singer and rhythm guitarist Alexi was the one who brought the band together due to her passion for music. The first to join was her close friend and cousin Alex, who was also always interested in the band scene. Having minimal experience on instruments, she initially started on bass, but found she wasn’t able to pick it up very well and later moved to drums.
Soon after, Alexi asked school friend Connor to join, who, similar to Alex, had minimal musical experience. He initally started on guitar but found that he picked up bass much better, so he became the bands’ bassist.
Finally, Alexi asked Matt to join as she had known him from the school band and guitar club. He agreed, and due to his experience on guitar, he became the band’s lead guitarist.
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You noted you pay homage to the punk-rock roots you grew up with, while mixing in elements from the modern alternative scene you’ve grown to love. Who are some classic bands who have influenced your music and which new artists help to shape your sound?
All four of us had and still do have very unique tastes from each other, but one thing we all appreciate is the classic rock and punk scene, mainly bands like Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beatles. Later on, we’ve grown up discovering and falling in love with alt-indie artists like Paramore, Gorillaz, Twenty One Pilots, and Arctic Monkeys, and have found them inspiring us not only with their music, but with their journeys towards growing in the modern scene – the one we hope to break into as well.
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How was the process of recording your first song together?
Overall it was definitely a fun experience, since it was our first time doing something on the more professional side. It almost felt exhilarating to finally get to the stage where we’re creating something for people to know us by. There were many frustrating points and setbacks of course, since 1) we’ve never had experience recording and mixing instruments, and 2) we’re a young, small band with barely any funds, so we could only use the equipment we could afford. We definitely couldn’t have done it without the help of some really amazing people who are more knowledgeable than us when it comes to audio engineering and recording, especially Andres Isaac Carpio who mixed and mastered All Afraid To Fall!
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As a new band, what are your thoughts on the music scene in Toronto?
From what the band has seen so far, Toronto has a very active and talented music scene, so it’s both scary and exciting trying to join the ranks as a new band. It almost feels like we have to prove ourselves that much more and work that much harder to stand out amongst our fellow musicians. On the other hand, it’s also been such a friendly place, and it’s welcoming to see that there are so many others who share the same passion and love for music as we do, and that there are people in our own community who will understand why we care so much.
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What’s coming up next for NERiMA?
The biggest thing for us right now is our partnership with Shodement to host our own show on September 26th. Due to quarantine, it will be online, but as it’ll be our first headlining show, we’re all super excited nonetheless. We’re going to be playing all of our originals, along with some of our favourite covers, and it’s going to be our longest set yet! This is a huge opportunity for us and we’re really looking forward to it.
Other than that, we’re looking to rent out a studio to record an album, hopefully sometime next year; it’s currently our biggest goal. It’ll be a challenge financially as none of us have a reliable income; however, we’re hoping that we can save up enough money from shows and such to cover the costs.
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To find more of NERiMA’s follow them at https://www.instagram.com/nerimaofficial/
