Hugo Mariutti This Must Be Wrong on September 5th . Entirely produced by himself, the album follows The Last Dance (2023), his first work after the end of Shaman .
In a conversation with Wikimetal , the guitarist spoke about the influences, concept, and inspiration behind the new work. He also discussed what it was like to delve into sounds that distance themselves from heavy metal, for which he is widely recognized, and explore more introspective compositions.
This Must Be Wrong is a ForMusic Records . The CD will be available soon at the Wikimetal Store .
WIKIMETAL: Why do you consider This Must Be Wrong your most important album?
Hugo Mariutti: I think it's because it's the most complete artistic work; I think it mixes more things from all my influences. Also because I took great care with everything. And because it's also an album I didn't expect to make. When I finished the last one, * The Last Dance *, I felt I wasn't very happy, I was having some problems, and I thought that would be my last album, that I wouldn't release anything else. So I think that because of all these things together, it ends up being very important. That's why I decided to make another album because it has so many influences.
WK: In what ways do you feel you've matured between your last album and this new one?
HM: First of all, I think it's the lyrics. As time goes by, you learn more things. In the production part, in the mixing part, in the composition part… You're always learning something. With the things you go through, with the people you interact with… I also notice this evolution in the way I sing; I think I'm singing better on this album than on the others, so… There are several little things, I think it's not something so noticeable, but some things, some details, I'm sure are things that I managed to improve during this period.
WK: Was there a specific theme or feeling that guided the creation of the album?
HM: I think that's how it was, actually. We were living through a very… I'm a guy who gets upset by the news, a lot of things affect me, they really get to me, you know? And I think the best way I can say something or get a message across is by putting it in the lyrics, in the music. It was a very natural thing to come out that way. I didn't think, 'oh, I'm going to make an album talking about this and this and this,' they were issues that are part of everyday life, and that you start thinking about, so you go and write something about… It wasn't planned, but in the end you're right, I had never stopped to think about it…
WK: What is the concept and meaning behind the album cover?
HM: The story behind this cover is really cool, because I was doing a workshop in Maringá, I met some people there and started following them on Facebook and Instagram… And one day, I already had the album title in my head, and I was watching the stories of someone from there, an artist from there, and I saw this photo. Wow, the moment I saw the photo, I said, 'this has to be the photo for my album'. So, I started messaging her saying, 'would you like it?'. She was super happy because she liked Shaman, she likes Angra, and she was super happy… The cover reflects that, I was thinking about why it has a person alone on the beach, sitting there with several steps, it was as if people were leaving, as if she were out of place there, not doing anything, just watching. And the colors, being black and white as well, really portray what's on the whole album. So, I thought it would be the ideal photo for the album cover. And it worked out, thankfully. The artist's name is Gil Dias, if you want to follow her on Instagram… She's very talented.
WK: Many people know you for metal. This album explores a more post-punk side. Why this change in sound?
HM: Actually, the first album of this project came out in 2014, and my idea was always to do something I hadn't done before elsewhere. It's because Heavy Metal has a characteristic: no matter how much you incorporate your influences, you can't put everything you want into it. And another thing, you also have a band, which is made up of other people. So you have to discuss ideas until you reach an agreement, until you find a middle ground for everyone. And this work, I always think of it this way, it won't have any barriers.
I'll put whatever I feel like putting in. But the purpose was to do something totally different. Because when I came out with the solo album, people expected it to be a guitar-only album, which is something I've never listened to that much, so it wouldn't have been natural for me. So, I did something that's natural for me, without many rules. That's why there are many different influences; there are things you mentioned from post-punk, things from the 60s, from the 70s, it mixes a lot of things.
WK: The lyrics have a great emotional weight. Are they based on personal experiences? Is there a story behind any of the tracks that you can share?
HM: Some yes, others not so much, but I think the heavier ones, yes. For example, the album's title track and the album's concept were conceived in the way that… I always found myself thinking about how we live nowadays. When you're doing nothing, the world pressures you to always be doing something, you can't just stand still doing nothing. You put pressure on yourself, you say, 'Am I going to just do nothing?' And it's important not to do anything. I often thought about that, why do I have to do something? Why am I obligated to do something when I'm relaxed?
So we're always in this cycle of producing something; this way of life we have is very chaotic. That's something I thought about a lot. For example, the song "Out of Time" talks about depression, and I still deal with it today. I had it many years ago, and I still manage it. And I think that's important too, because it's a taboo that many people end up not talking about, and people sometimes have this view that you never have anything, 'Oh, the guy released an album, I don't know what,' when many people do.
It's a much more common problem than people think. And it has improved people's willingness to talk about it more, but it's still not enough. I think it's important that we always show this kind of thing, trying to talk about it. To also help those who go through it and sometimes stay quiet, don't have the courage to say anything, that kind of thing.
WK: Which artists or bands still inspire you today? Do you follow the new music scene?
HM: I'm always trying to discover a lot of new bands. There are some that aren't so new anymore, Fontaines DC , Wolf Alice , I think they're a really cool band too. I like The Last Dinner Party , I think they're really cool as well. These are influences that change from one album to another, you get more influences, you listen to them unconsciously, they stay in your head. So, besides all the classic bands from the 60s, plus that whole UK scene that I like more, these new bands have also become part of it.
WK: Do you see a difference in how the public consumes music nowadays? Does this influence how you compose and release your work?
HM: It's very different, I see it with my son, he's 15 years old, he's probably never listened to an entire album, to stop and listen to an album. So, it's something you have to adapt to, but it's also a bit difficult for us. When I'm making music, I don't think much about how I'm going to market and promote it. We try to adapt to some things, releasing one, two, three singles beforehand, then releasing the album… We try to adapt to that kind of thing, but it's also difficult, because the album works like a book, you choose the order of the songs, when you talk about the themes, they're kind of close to each other. It's something we shouldn't abandon either, because there are many people who still listen that way, who see the point in listening to the whole album, a complete work. I think we try to adapt in some parts and in others we do it the way we learned.
WK: What are the next steps after the release of This Must Be Wrong?
HM: I just did the release show at SESC Santo Amaro, in a really cool theater there. And the trend now is to do a few more shows, there aren't any scheduled yet, but there are already several inquiries about dates. And what I want to do is promote this album a lot, more than I promoted the others.
With the others, I always had something else on the side, either Shaman, or André [Matos ]'s band, or VIPER , so now, with this album, I really want to focus on promotion. Promote it a lot, because I think it's a work that deserves to be worked on more, in a better way.
