Glossy Clouds are Jérôme Bralet (vocals and Guitar), Hugo Merle (Drums) and their three female choristers. The duo were introduced by their respective girlfriends and immediately hit it off, a shared outlook and energy for music, art, photography and life were channelled into their songwriting and performances to create the unique collective ‘Glossy Clouds’.
The result is not just a band, but a creative universe where the gentle humour and anything-goes lawlessness is utterly riveting. The inseparable songwriting duo are outsiders looking in, effectively rock kids in a dance town. It’s this that binds them.
Who inspired you to make music?
Jérôme (singer/guitarist): I would say Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Queens Of The Stone Age, The White Stripes and Arctic Monkeys.
Hugo (drums): I can say that it’s Jérôme, whom I followed as a photographer for his previous bands. I never had the personal ambition to be a musician. This is what happens when your best friend tells you, “Let’s form a band together!”
Have you got a ritual of sorts when writing and thinking about your music?
Jérôme: I take my guitar and I sing without thinking too much about composing. I just have to grasp the different inspirations; I call them the “bellows” that blow me what to write.
Hugo: When we create music, I always try to imagine myself among an audience listening to our song in front of a huge festival stage.
What lead you to become a music artist and what advice can you give to others aspiring to make a hit?
Jérôme: I love to create, I just want to offer something that drives me and share it with others, that’s what motivates me to make music every day.
For a hit, I would say don’t think too much about it, people will turn your song into a hit themselves if enough of them recognize it.
Hugo: I am a music lover and have a creative spirit. What could be more enjoyable than being able to reconcile your passions and skills?
Making a hit can’t really be decided… It’s a mixture of circumstances that gives birth to it, a kind of privileged moment where everything seems obvious, without excessive reflection.
How would you describe your music?
Jérôme: A rock music that is both abrasive and sexy, made with as few instruments as possible because creativity also comes from constraint.
I think music rarely appears to us as it is described… So, let’s be evasive… we make rock music in which we always strive to be elegant and intense.
Who are your top two favorite artists of all time? Why those artists?
Jérôme: Sorry I have to name 3…
Kurt Cobain for the visceral sincerity he puts into his music. Josh Homme for his raw, romantic and hypnotic music.
And Jack White, the minimalist mad scientist who advocates authenticity over perfect performance.
Hugo: Portishead have been my favorite band since my early teenage. For the intensity and elegance I was talking about just before…
Mylène Farmer (french artist) is the crush of my life! She is a complete artist: her music, her visuals, her stage performances are masterfully directed!
What are your musical plans for the next 12 months or so?
We still have 2 singles with their music videos to be released before the release of our debut album (scheduled for July). We also have a few gigs and festivals planned over the Spring-Summer period.
What inspires your writing? Do you draw inspiration from poems, music, TV, or other media?
We would say that you simply have to experience things, do something, share moments for inspiration to rise. It can be a particular situation experienced, a delirium between friends, a film, a book, any reflection. It’s essential to compose, you need experience, you need a sincere feeling, you shouldn’t force the composition otherwise it lacks inspiration.
Where was your last song recorded?
At the famous Toe Rag studio in London, one of the last with fully analogue technology. The studio has welcomed many of our idols including The White Stripes, The Kills, Tame Impala… Sound engineer Liam Watson taught us that “sometimes mistakes are beautiful mistakes”
If you could be a superhero, what would your superpower be and your superhero name?
Jérôme: I would have the power to time travel and my name would be “DeLorean Man”!
Hugo: It might sound creepy, but I would like to have the ability to enter the minds of others: to know how they think, how they feel, how they live… I would be the “Mind Burglar”!
What would be a good theme song for your life?
Jérôme: I would say « Time » by Pink Floyd because I’ve always been obsessed with time, I’d like to mold it, modify it, travel through it, I really hope it’s not linear. It’s present every day and passes as a progression like the instrumentation and the structure of this song. All the days of my life are governed by the same phenomenon: Time.
Hugo: Hopefully a Glossy Clouds track which will make us famous!
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Jérôme: Brad Pitt!
Hugo: Maybe Jake Gyllenhaal, it sounds like a great duo with Brad Pitt!
What makes you nostalgic?
Jérôme: All objects, films, VHS, music, clothes, cars and furniture from the 90s
Hugo: My parents’ photo albums, with their faded colors, frozen and forgotten moments…
What do you think the greatest invention has been?
Jérôme: The “tire-croq” by Amora !
Vinyl! What a beauty of sound and visual object!
If you were talking to a younger version of you, what advice would you give yourself?
Jérôme: “Believe in your dreams, don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible, hang on to get what you want, be patient, perseverance always pays off. Get closer to good people with whom it will be possible to share happiness in your life, that’s almost the most important thing.”
Hugo: “Yes, go ahead and do this stupid thing, you will learn a lot from it!”