Clemens Rehbein of Milky Chance Shares His Real-Life ‘Cocoon’ Experience and How They Stay True to Their Sound on ‘Blossom’

Fans have waited with great anticipation for the release of Milky Chance’s forthcoming sophomore album “Blossom.” It is the follow-up to their successful debut album “Sadnecessary.” And now that it’s here, listeners will be able to see that Milky Chance has certainly delivered withe their second offering. Entertainment Voice had the opportunity to speak with Milky Chance’s singer Clemens Rehbein about “Blossom.” Rehbein opened up about how the group stayed true to their unique sound on “Blossom,” as well as how his personal life influenced some of the most emotional lyrics on the album.

Your sophomore album “Blossom” expands on the experimentation of your 2013 debut, “Sadnecessary.” How did the direction of the album unfold for you while writing and recording?

We just started recording. We realized that we really needed to go back to the studio and record new stuff after touring for the first album. We made a lot of good experiences in the last few years on stage that we just had to make this album sound more like a live one. We recorded a lot of songs with real instruments and in a bigger studio. I think that had a big impact on the sound of the album. I think that’s the biggest difference since the first one.

What is the most memorable moment you had while making the album?

I think we were pretty good with forgetting about all of the opinions from the outside when we went into the studio. We were kind of really in the bubble so that was really special to us. The studio was based in the countryside so that made it a lot easier to forget about the world, and connect with the music and be in the moment. That was really special. Plus, there are two songs that were developed in a different way – “Alive” and “Doing Good.” These songs were built in a jam session. I just picked up the guitar and we just started jamming together. After 30 minutes the song was built and that was pretty cool because there’s nothing like having an idea or a vision for a song with just two people in a room who just start jamming and then all of a sudden there’s a song. That was a really cool experience.

Since “Sadnecessary,” many fans have been anticipating your new music. Was there a sense of pressure to create a follow-up album to such a monumentally successful debut?

There was a lot of expectation from the people and from the fans. That actually brought us to think about it because when people ask you again and again, you think about it. We didn’t ignore it but we did kind of pushed it away. We just focused on what we wanted to do have with the personal success of the album. We wanted to feel comfortable after finishing it. I think that was the most important thing to us; to make a second album with how we feel and being able to express ourselves.

You and Philipp made an interactive documentary, “Blossomentary,” that gives fans an inside look at the two of you as artists and the behind-the-scenes action of “Blossom.” How did you come up with the idea for the documentary?

We felt that we wanted to have something that included the fans and the people. Something they can be a part of that’s not just us talking about music; that kind of gets boring sometimes. We wanted something that the people can dive into and do something with. The first part of the “Blossomentary” was a live session of “Doing Good.” People can mix the song and check out different parts in the song like the drums and the guitar and get more into the understanding of it so they can discover it themselves. That was the idea behind it.

Milky Chance has been categorized as a genre-bending fusion of folk, reggae, electronica, and pop. You absolutely have a sound unique to the band. How did you stay true to your vision while experimenting with “Blossom?”

We work really intentionally. We’re open-minded and have open ears to all different kinds of genres of music. This is how we stayed true to our personal sound. We just didn’t think about it too much. The only vision we had was to use more real instruments and that’s what we did. Everything else always came out very naturally so I think that’s maybe our secret. *Laughs*

The lyrics of several of your songs touch on love, and the hardships of love. The album’s first single, “Cocoon,” possesses that same vulnerability. What is your personal story behind the song? 

It’s about self-discovery. The personal experience for me was that I found myself in a situation where I didn’t know how I felt about things; especially about things I’ve done or that I’m doing. It’s about isolating yourself, getting yourself away from the outside, getting back to your middle and listening to your belly. That was a thing that wasn’t really easy for me in that moment. What we do now, all this touring, it’s always rushing through. So we see a lot of the same places and it’s a really tight schedule. But I’m actually more of a slow person. I need time to reflect, time to see how I feel about things. That was the desire I had to fulfill this need.

The music video for “Cocoon” shows a woman being held against her will. How did the video’s plot come to life?

The sound of the song is really upbeat and positive but the lyrics are the opposite. We wanted to have a video with pictures showing more of the content behind the lyrics; picturing the darker side of the song. That was basically the first idea. Then we started to look out for some music directors to understand what we wanted to have and started working together and this is how it came out. It just shows the darker side of the song and the main topic once you look beyond the surface.

“Ego,” the album’s third and most recent single, has been on repeat in our office all week. What is your favorite song on the album right now?

It’s really hard to pick one. I like all of them. All the songs mean a lot to me personally. All these songs have a piece of me in it. But I like “Doing Good,” “Alive,” and “Firebird…” those are very special ones. All in all, they’re from a page of our chapter in life.

There are now four you on tour right now, but you and Philipp write all of the music, and are essentially, Milky Chance. How did you two link up and start making music together?

We met in high school… seven years ago now. We just started doing music stuff tougher from the first day. We formed a band and we played a lot of old stuff like Ray Charles. We were really obsessed with jazz and that kind of style of music. That’s kind of our background.

You are playing to a sold-out crowd in New York City on March 17, the day the album is released. Anything special planned?

Maybe it’s a secret. For us, it’s special to have a show on our release day. That was kind of the idea. I think we’re pretty excited for this show; maybe even a little nervous. But we’ll play most of the new songs from the album so it’s a good chance to listen to the new songs.

“Blossom” is available March 17 on Apple Music.