Interview: Getting to Know pointless

Berlin based melodic heavy rock act pointless will release their new EP ‘Tension for Closure’ on February 20th. In this interview we get to know them a little better.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

Hello there and thanks for having me! I am AaronB – bandleader and currently the only active member of poıntless. I’ve been into music for over a decade now, starting off with playing the drums in my high school band (as my teacher made me :D) where I first discovered my passion for band music and which later became the starting point to my first band project (Six Stroke Engine). I’ve always been into singing and started playing the acoustic guitar as a teenager, mostly strumming open chords and singing to it.

Around covid times I made the switch to the mic/guitar in the band context and founded pointless, together with my former drummer that I know back from high school. We got a lead guitar player and a bassist on board and started to take it more seriously, regularly releasing music and playing gigs in our hometown of Berlin and beyond. By now, music has become an important and meaningful part of my life that I would not want to miss.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

I really struggle with that question as I find labelling music hard, especially for people outside the specific genre. Generally speaking, poıntless is a rock/metal band so it’s guitar-based music. More specifically you could call it somewhere in between Nu Metal, Alt Rock and Post Hardcore although people don’t seem to agree on what any of these labels actually mean. Soundwise, it is based on a mix of distorted/heavy guitars, high and catchy vocals with dramatic harmonies and some 90’s grunge vibes in between.

3. What’s currently keeping you busy? A new album/EP/single release? A new video? Playing live, or planning ahead?

Right now, we are gradually releasing our new EP “poıntless #2 – Tension For Closure” with one more single release (Edge Of The Sea) coming up beforehand. Given our recent breakup, leaving me as the only active member for now, the future of poıntless is not entirely clear yet and to some degree depends on the outcome of the release. However, I never lack creative ideas, including new songs, visuals and live events, so stay tuned.

4. What is about this current period that is particularly exciting for you?

It’s a state of transition. I am still trying to figure out what the next couple of years will bring and what role pointless will play in that. To me it feels liberating to try out a lot of new things, having a lot of change to determine what will ultimately stick.

5. Tell me about the work that has gone into making it a reality and what it means to you.

Throughout the last two years, the four of us, and me especially, have been heavily investing into this project, including lots of practice and very critical reviewing of our songwriting. Given our different personal and musical backgrounds, it was very hard agreeing on a style of music – which ultimately led to our breakup. However, it taught me a lot and resulted in this EP as the final “compromise” that the four of us reached after trying out a lot of different musical ideas and practicing regularly for over two years. To me, this record means a great deal, as it represents an important part of my life as well as many (partly unresolved) feelings that went into making it.

6. Making music and being creative can be a very positive experience and can be very good for the mind. In what way has making music had a positive impact on your mental health?

Being creative, e.g. writing songs and playing them is a great way of transmitting/communicating your emotions, feelings and mental states to other people. It is a way of coping with inner conflicts and has always helped me in improving mental health as it is in a way a much more effective language than (lets say) English.

7. It can also be incredibly challenging, more so in the modern times. What have been some challenging aspects of making music and how have you overcome them?

For sure! It is often self-doubt, inner barriers (there is a track dealing with this on the new EP) or feelings of under accomplishing and “being cringe” that hold you back. Also, it is very hard to communicate well with other musicians as it requires honesty and courage that many people struggle with. Sometimes taking a break can help to regain motivation or to get inspired by listening to something completely new or watching instructional videos on concepts to play around with. Also, as with everything regarding relationships, communication is key when playing with others.

8. How do you handle the online aspects of being in a band? Having to put out content constantly, promoting across several different social media platforms, and having your success measured in likes and follows?

Getting into the (semi-)professional world of music and art is very hard as it is mostly all about vibe and marketing and less about actual skill in composing/performing. This is not meant in a cynical way but is just an observation. Before the internet, this part of finding a fitting vibe and selling it to the right group of people, was mostly outsourced to the music industry with the price of heavy gatekeeping. These days everyone gets their shot, but it is super hard to stand out and requires years of hard work, as well as some luck.

Luckily, I don’t depend on making a living with music/art which is very hard and requires harsh trade-offs. What helped me in this regard is establishing a quality over quantity approach. It is better to have one real fan, who comes to your shows, talks to you and to whom your music means a lot, than getting a million clicks on some bullshit that’ll be forgotten next week anyways. Online attention is superficial and fainting, while real human connection is meaningful and lasts.

9. How do you make this part of things enjoyable, and fulfilling, for yourself?

Any chore needs a routine. At first it’s just “doing it” and once you get better at it and see results it’ll be fun. Never succumbing to a “victim mentality” is very helpful as well. In other words: always look on the bright side of life!

10. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support you?

Listen to our music on spotify, react to our content on YT/social media and show it to your friends. At some point there might be new merch and you can then buy some if you like. Also don’t hesitate to get in touch and send us/me a DM or email if you wanna comment on the music 

11. Outside of music, what do you like to do to relax?

I go to the gym or run outside. Sometimes I play video games like civilization with friends, read books, listen to podcast or lay in my hammock for a while.

12. Where can people find you?

You can find everything pointless under: linktr.ee/pointless_band