INTERVIEW: MOTH COMPLEX

Moth Complex - based in Dublin, Ireland - is the collaborative work of Aoife O'Leary and Gerry Owens. Their music combines Aiofe's gentle voice with the bruising power of rock and the sterile feel of electronic sound-scapes. It's a sound of contrasting elements - at times loud and intense, at others pretty and soft - with each element complimenting and highlighting the other.

Your name Aoife means 'beauty' from the Gaelic word 'aoibh'. In Irish legend Aoife was a warrior princess and it is sometimes used as a Gaelic form of Eve. The name Moth Complex suggest darkness is attracted to the light. These might just be names but we feel your music expresses that sort of feeling. Please tell us how personal you get when it comes to making music.

"That's right about my name! And about the "Moth Complex" name too. And yes, I agree that the music does express the feeling of contrasts and opposites - that was deliberate. I really love heavy loud music but in the next second, I'll want to hear something from a soundtrack, something really gentle and quiet and emotive in a different way. With Moth Complex I really wanted to involve both the heavy and the gentle, both the dark and the quiet. I wanted to use hard rock and electronics and let my voice be the through-line, but have it so that each element rested easily in the mix and didn't overwhelm the other, but rather complimented the other. So it was a big undertaking, but I'm really happy with how it has all worked! I love our band and our songs and making music is completely personal for me. I don't think I could work any other way.

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