The Birthday Massacre first appeared on European stages five years ago. A new extensive tour is planned for late 2010 to promote their new studio album “Pins And Needles” out on Dependent Records September 17th. I got the chance to do an interview with Chibi, the female singer of the band and she talked about the new album, the process during the creation and also told me that she hate deadlines ;)

Continue reading for the full interview and be sure not to miss their new album “Pins And Needles” this September 17th. You can find my review of the album here.

Blackvector: Hello! How are you doing?

Chibi: Good! Thank you for this interview.

Blackvector: Please give the readers a short introduction of yourselfs.

Chibi: My name is Chibi and I am the singer for the Canadian band the Birthday Massacre.

Blackvector: Your new album “Pins & Needles” are soon to be released, September 17th to be precise. Tell us about it.

Chibi: I think it is a natural progression from where Walking With Strangers took us. We’ve grown a lot as people and musicians, and we have been through a lot of experiences, both positive and negative, as a band and as people. We’ve come a long way in terms of our perspective from the last record. I think this record definitely captures who we are, and reflects what we’ve gone through and how it has influenced us in the last few years.

Blackvector: Which will be released on Dependent Records for the European territories. What do you think of the label?

Chibi: Honestly, I am just getting to know a few people from that label at this point. It’s difficult to have much of a personal communication overseas with a record label! But I appreciate the belief in us, and I think we’re starting out here with a strong record.

Blackvector: What was your goal when creating it?

Chibi: I was very worried when we started writing, because I loved Walking with Strangers so much, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel with a new one. I have so much belief in that record. It was an arduous process, a stressful time with deadlines and lots of frantic activity and trying to pull things together. A lot of hard work went into this record. We just wanted to create something that our audience would love – and that we would love as much as we do our other records.

Blackvector: Are you happy with the result?

Chibi: Yes. Very much. I think this is a very strong album, and I’m very excited to see how everyone feels about it.

Blackvector: When listening on the new album, which however is the first one I’ve heard from you, I get the feeling that most of the songs, if not all, is about life, like ourselfs as human beings and the sadness of what we can experience in our lives. What is your own thoughts on that?

Chibi: We have been through some struggles as a band. We’ve gone through a lot and it has changed our perspective in some ways. You try to grow as a human being, as a participant in this industry, but it does affect you. And in our personal lives as well, which everyone can relate to. I think there is a maturity to this record that could only be the result of some of our experiences. We’ve learned some very hard lessons.

Blackvector: How long did you work on it?

Chibi: Over quite a span of time. Some of the songs on the record have been kicking around for a while, and some were literally finished in the last minute. Mike and Rainbow left Toronto for a few months to focus on the music, and we took almost a year off touring to write. They came back and then we had a few months to work on the lyrics and vocals.

Blackvector: Did you ran into any problems during the process?

Chibi: Working under deadlines sucks. It’s hard to try to motivate yourself to be creative when the clock is ticking and the pressure is on, and you have your other worries in your life. It can be frustrating. Very hard to just be free and creative under those circumstances. But when we were nearing the end, and I was really freaking out, a friend of mine reminded me that great stress can often produce amazing results. And he was right – we did some great work during the rush at the end. Thank goodness.

Blackvector: You have shot a video for the opening track “In The Dark”, which I think is one of the best songs on the album. Do you have any date when the video will be released?

Chibi: I really like that song as well! The video is supposed to premier on August 28, in time for the Festival of Fear – an event put on by Rue Morgue, a Canadian magazine devoted to horror. They also were involved in the production of the video. Mike directed it, which was really cool – it’s going to be awesome. I’ve seen parts of it and it looks great.

Blackvector: How do you see on the future for the music scene regarding the physical cd format, by also on the growing digital downloads?

Chibi: People need to understand how imperative it is that they support the artists they appreciate. It’s so important. Things are collapsing. It’s like – buy the record. Buy a shirt. Bands depend on this income. There is no other income for most bands! Times are hard, money is scarce, but music is so important. If the future becomes bleaker, then the only bands that will exist are those with pre-existing money or huge label-backed radio bands. And neither of those things necessarily equal talent. It’s a sad state of affairs.

Blackvector: What is the story behind the band name?

Chibi: We have always been interested in the concept of contrasts, both within our music and our imagery. The band name contains two very different concepts – a birthday and a massacre couldn’t be more opposite from each other. So it’s a good mix of ideas, and it illustrates who we are.

Blackvector: From where do you find your inspiration when creating songs?

Chibi: From our own experiences. We’ve often looked back on the ideas of a romanticized childhood, video games, horror movies, love and relationships, and the bands we loved when we were younger.

Blackvector: What are the plans now when the album is complete and soon to be out in stores?

Chibi: Focus right now is on getting the video completed, finishing a new website, and touring.

Blackvector: A rather strange question, but where do you see The Birthday Massacre in five years from now?

Chibi: I have absolutely no idea. Hopefully still being able to make a living and work with the band.

Blackvector: That was the last one. I thank you very much for your time. The last words are yours.

Chibi: Thank you for your time, and I appreciate it very much :-)