As they prepare to headline The Victoria on Thursday, 16th July, we thought we’d have a chat with Cologne’s pysch-pop outfit ACUA to find out a bit more about what you can expect…
"That's something I've carried over into music:creating it for nobody else,simply for the sake of making art,wherever it takes you..."
If you could share one thing with an audience before they first tuned into your music, what would you say?
Like every band would say: listen on vinyl, listen to the whole album, and put your phone away. That’s how a musical journey should begin.
What’s a non-music thing, a book, a place, a random job, a conversation you overheard, that actually changed how you create music?
We all have very different approaches to creating music, but I (Caroline) had a special experience at a Hilma af Klint exhibition. She kept her art a secret until 20 years after her death. All of her paintings were created without the intention of showing them to anyone — they were made purely for the sake of creating art. That’s something I’ve carried over into music: creating it for nobody else, simply for the sake of making art, wherever it takes you.
Give us a song origin story. Where did the idea come from, and did you know straight away that it was something, or did it take a while to reveal itself?
We had this sketch called ‘Floating’, and the title came from the feeling the piece evoked. We knew it was different from the songs we would usually write; it almost didn’t feel like one of our own. That feeling gave us the idea to invite someone else to finish it with us.
We found the perfect collaborators in jennylee and TT from Warpaint. They brought their unique sound to the song without changing its essence. The way all the different parts came together felt completely natural. In the end, it still sounded like an ACUA song, but with something special that makes it stand out from the rest of the album, even if you can’t quite put your finger on it.
Pick a song that you’ve released that could only have been written at that exact moment in your lives. What was going on, and is there any part of you that wishes you could still be in that moment?
‘Fearing And Facing The World‘ was written in response to a painful experience that our drummer Caroline processed through songwriting. It’s definitely not a moment she would want to return to, but the song wouldn’t have become what it is without that particular experience. It was very healing to write it and helped to find closure.
Tell us about a gig that went somewhere unexpected: a night where the room, the crowd, or just something in the air made it feel like more than a show. What happened?
Our first concert in 2024 as a four-piece was a support show for Sam Evian in our hometown, Cologne. All our friends and family were there to see us perform live with Maja on keys for the first time. It was a very special atmosphere, both on and off stage, knowing that this marked the beginning of a new chapter for the band.
What’s going on in the world right now, nothing to do with music, that’s quietly making its way into what you’re working on?
The more digital the world becomes, and the more AI sneaks into our daily lives, the more we feel the need to go back to things like taking analogue photos, writing songs on acoustic guitars, and writing lyrics on paper. What once was normal has now become an intentional choice you have to make.
There’s a sound, an instrument, a texture you haven’t used yet, but it’s there in the back of your head. What is it, and what’s it waiting for?
The sitar. It’s an instrument that fascinates us, and we’d love to explore it in future recordings.
Which artist, alive, dead, from any era, would you most want to play your music to?
Genesis, during the era when they wrote ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’.
Forget the big moments. If your music was the soundtrack to one small, ordinary moment in someone’s day, what would that moment look like?
Walking down the street on a sunny—but not too hot—summer day. The city is alive, the people around you seem happy, and you’re listening to ‘Flood My Eyes‘, feeling the energy of the song. You feel uplifted and empowered, ready for the day and whatever comes your way.
What’s next for you? Tell us what you’re working on and if you have anything exciting in the pipeline.
Our new album, ‘Flood My Eyes’, will be released on 4th September, and we can’t wait to finally share it with the world after working on it for almost four years.
We’re also looking forward to taking the new songs on the road, we’re live on the following dates:
15th July – Liverpool / The Cavern Club
16th July – Birmingham / The Victoria
17th July – Lancaster / The Gregson Centre
3rd September – Cologne – Popanz / Album RELEASE Concert
4th September – Berlin
20th September – Bremen – Litfass
Any final words to leave us with?
We’ve recently released our Live Theatre Sessions, where we perform our new singles live in a beautiful old theatre. Be sure to check them out!
ACUA is a psych-pop/alternative band from Cologne. After over 100 concerts and successful tours across Europe, Canada, the UK and Japan, as well as the release of two studio albums, ‘Head Under Water’ and ‘Is There More Past Or More Future’, ACUA is currently preparing the release of their third album.
Patrick (vocals, guitar), Caroline (drums), Maja (synthesiser), and Igor (bass) have built a remarkable reputation through their captivating, hypnotic live shows.
With atmospheric guitars, driving drums, swirling synthesisers, and melodic basslines, ACUA has shared the stage as support act for artists such as FKJ, Darwin Deez, The Japanese House, Sam Evian, and OMNI. They have also performed at prominent festivals like Melt! Festival, Reeperbahn Festival, Canadian Music Week and Herzberg Festival.
See ACUA live at The Victoria on Thursday, 16th July!
Follow online via @ACUAmusic
