German metalcore band Senna are set to release their debut full length album entitled Stranger To Love on May 23rd. The band’s guitarist Marcell Dürr spoke with Metal Express Radio about their upcoming album, about the formation of the band, their recent tour with The Devil Wears Prada, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: How did the formation of the band come about?
Dürr: Senna started as a studio project between Simon (vocals), Manuel (producer), and me. Our first few demos got a great response, and people were really encouraging us to form a proper band and give it a chance. We quickly found our other band members, Leon, Tobi, and Fabi, because we’d played shows with them before or had known them through our network in Mannheim. Tobi and Leon left the band in 2023 to pursue their careers as session musicians, and we were totally supportive of their other musical projects, so there was no bad blood at all. We found a replacement for Viktor on drums when he stepped in on the Being As An Ocean Tour in 2023. It felt really natural for him to join the band because we’d all toured with him before.
MER: Who are some of the band’s main influences?
Dürr: AJ Rebollos’ guitar work on Issues is a major inspiration for me. It’s heavily influenced by RnB music, but it’s super complex and unique, yet still very accessible and easy to listen to. Don Broco is another huge influence, especially their Technology album. It sounds huge, but it’s still very playful and fun at all times. In general, we try to blend accessibility and musical virtuosity and keep the listeners on their toes.
MER: You’re set to release your debut album entitled Stranger To Love on May 23rd, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Dürr: If you loved our EP A Moment of Quiet for its unique blend of genres, you’ll definitely enjoy Stranger To Love. It’s a whole new level of sound, with a lot more extreme variations in our music. It’s our most approachable work, but it also has some really heavy parts that are the heaviest we’ve ever made. And there are some really technical parts for music nerds too!
MER: How was it getting together to write and record your first full length album?
Dürr: It was not too different from writing A Moment Of Quiet to be honest. More so, it felt like the natural continuation of the writing process of the EP.
MER: You’ve released three songs from the album so far, do you feel they represent the album well?
Dürr: Yes and No. They’re definitely the most straightforward-sounding songs, and we definitely threw a curveball with some of the songs in the second half. But I would still say our album is very cohesive, especially considering the overall sound design.
MER: You just finished a tour with The Devil Wears Prada, how was that tour for you and your band mates?
Dürr: These were the biggest rooms we’ve ever played in, and the experience was totally different. There were so many more people involved every night, making sure the show went off without a hitch. As artists, we could focus more on giving the fans a great show, which made it even more intense. We’ve also met a lot of fans who’ve been with us since the start, seeing and connecting with them again was really rewarding. TDWP, Kingdom of Giants, and Ocean Grove are all amazing bands that I think sound even better live than on record. Playing with these incredible bands and seeing them perform every night was super inspiring as well!
MER: What are your plans for you and your band to continue supporting the album?
Dürr: We’re always on the lookout for gigs and perform our record live. Maybe I only think this because we started as a studio band, but we’re still young and I believe we still have to prove ourselves in the music scene. I have this dream that we become an amazing live band, and people will be like,‘You have to see Senna live!’ I also think this is the best way to support our albums.
MER: Who do you hope to tour with and why?
Dürr: There’s too many great bands to list them all, but I think Don Broco has always been very high on that list. Boston Manor is another great band from the UK. Not only are we big fans of their music, I also believe it would be a great tour package for the fans.
MER: Is there anywhere you’re hoping to play live and why?
Dürr: Touring through Asia would be super cool. I feel like people have a lot of appreciation for western bands that take it upon themselves to travel all the way to another continent to play a couple of shows. It would also be super interesting to see how their concert culture differs from ours.
MER: What are your hopes for your band’s future?
Dürr: I’m all for growing as a band and spreading our music to more people. But I’m super set on the idea that we become known as an amazing live band first and foremost. To me, live music is the purest and most raw way to experience music. I’d love for us to push the limits of what’s possible even for smaller bands like we are at the moment.
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