Lone Assembly Talk Debut Album, Their Voices And More
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Margaux Fazio
Swiss quartet Lone Assembly have released their debut album, “Knots & Chains”. We chatted to the band about the record and more:
Who is in Lone Assembly, how did you meet and what do you play?
Glenn : Raph & I met at high school when we were 17. We used to talk a lot about music and the bands we liked to listen at that time, then after a few years we met again and he made me listen some songs he wrote for a new project, as I always wanted to have a band with him and that he wanted us to work on these tracks together we decided to create Lone Assembly. Jim and Romain arrived later when we wrote our first EP. Which gives us : Raph on the keys & vocals, Jim on the bass, Romain on drums & myself on the guitar.
What is your earliest musical memory?
Raph : I clearly remember discovering the Michael Jackson’s song “Bad” on my little tape player when I was a little boy. I was mesmerized by it all and never stop listening to MJ since then.
Glenn : I remember listening to AC/DC in the car with my dad when I was 8 years old. As far as I can remember this is the first memory I have, it was fun to blast the album very loud in the car with the windows open !
When did you begin songwriting?
Raph : As far as I can remember, I’d say back when I was 15 probably. I started out with a small M-Audio MIDI keyboard and GarageBand, then moved on to Logic Pro afterwards. I feel very nostalgic of that time and the innocence & naivety I had in the creative process, which, incidentally, I still have.
You have your debut album ‘Knots & Chains’ out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
Glenn : For this album we wanted to put the best that we can do in one opus, we wanted to have different ambiences and work on different sounds, we also wanted it to sound like a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end with all the emotions and the ups and down that makes a trip experience special.
Raph : All the songs are about control, in whatever form it takes. The record moves from a form of mental and spatial claustrophobia to deeper breaths, just like a living organism in a sense. At least I like this idea. In any case, the album’s format is very dear to our hearts, both in terms of the tracks order, of course, and the narrative.
Where did you record the album and who produced it?
Glenn : We had the chance to work with our friend Leo Zrehen at DTR studio in Chavornay (Switzerland) which is pretty close from our hometown. It was convenient for us to be close to the studio where we had to record our instrumental parts (as guitars, bass and drums) but we produced it on our own.
Raph : I recorded all of my vocals & keys parts in my apartment.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
Glenn : I remember being there for the recording of the drums and see us play the conductor with Romain our drummer every time we were doing a new part, because we began recording the drums with almost no backing tracks. I also remember myself twisting buttons on my effect pedals to find weird and funny noises to add on the tracks which was very funny.
Raph : You can most probably hear my cat meowing stuff in the recordings’ background, so there’s that. Also, and this might be the case of all lyricists out there (or not and I’m just weird), but I’m never totally sure of the words’ choice once I record the final takes. I can change just about anything if I find that one word sounds better than another.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
Glenn : For this album we were lucky enough to record the guitars with a cool analog set up, thinking about what effect pedals to put or working with different amplifiers and guitars to have the right tone. I remember that I recorded some guitar lines with a very aggressive X shaped guitar, that our sound engineer uses with his Death Metal project.
Raph : I usually record my parts whit gears that I trust and know how to use. Which in this album’s case was my very versatile Sequential Take 5 (all synths from K&C are coming from this bad boy) and a Shure SM7db.
Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
Glenn : My happiest I’ say « in the open », the angriest « my life’ solid » and the most reflective probably « Call of the Swift » which is one of my favorite track.
Raph : I’d go with the same answer, good selection.
Was it a difficult album to write?
Raph : My lyrics are usually overshadowing very deep and personal stuff, so I’d say yes just because I want those emotions to be perfectly transcribed in our songs. In comparison, and in my opinion, words are harder to write than the music to be composed.
Who designed the album artwork?
Glenn : I designed everything myself helped by my friend Victor Carranza for the photography (artwork cover) and Touka Fatemi for the graphic design.
One of the tracks is the single “ Pulling at the Same Strings” which is also out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?
Raph : This song is based on a true story and explores power dynamics within a relationship, as well as the tactics people sometimes use to manipulate one another. In the song, everything is seen from the perspective of the person who is manipulated and who, despite everything, is trying to make sense of it. Which adds a very wanted dramatic feel to it all.
The track is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?
Glenn : For this track (as I’ the art director of the band) I wanted something more white as all of our videoclips were pretty dark. Also I wanted something that could match the album cover. We worked with our friend Manon Stutz on the video. She directed the whole video clip based on my ideas and aesthetics. We wanted to illustrate this idea of control and chose to have a character dancing as the main act of the videoclip.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
Raph : We all decided that our band was from Geneva, as it was the location of our first rehearsal room, even though Glenn is the only one to actually live there. I’d go for lakeside, international, jet d’eau, Rolex & L’Usine, which is my favourite venue in the city.
How do you look after your voices?
Raph : Sage leaf tea & wildflower honey on the mixtures’ side. Warming up before a performance is pretty common, but I’m starting to get into the habit of doing a post-concert routine to soothe my vocal cords and recover better. I basically gently hum while massaging my larynx for 5–10 minutes. You’ll never see a sprinter come to a sudden stop after a race; here, I try to follow that principle to some extent.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026?
Glenn : Yes ! We’ having a very exciting UK & Europe tour in May where we go to Germany, the Netherlands, England and Scotland. Then we have a festival in Hungary, one in Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Germany again this summer.
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
Glenn : Make a good performance and see the people enjoying it. For me it’ very important that the people coming to our shows are receptive to our music and have a good time.
Raph : I agree. And once we try to put a lot of emotions during our shows, we just hope that it will reach the audience somehow. That’d be mission accomplished for me.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
Glenn : Probably my black Gibson guitar that I use for the tracks where I play more heavy parts, it’ such a cool and funny instrument to play !
Raph : I mentioned it earlier, but I’m not going anywhere on tour without my Take 5.
You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
Raph : I’ve been deeply marked by Fernando Pessoa’s Book of Disquiet, which is about one of his alias’ life Bernardo Soares, an office worker who comes to life when night falls on Lisbon. If we could put together the soundtrack for a potential film adaptation of this book, I’d be over the moon.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
Glenn : To me and especially for the guitar tones, I’ a big fan of the sound of Cocteau twins in the reverbs and choruses. Also, as I’d listened to a lot of shoegaze, Emo and Post rock music, bands like Explosions in the sky, Caspian, My Bloody Valentine or This Will Destroy You have been a very big influence for me. This type of sounds matches perfectly with the music that we make and add some color and deepness.
Raph : I grew up being a fan of The Doors & especially Jim Morrison, after reading his biography. I listened to a lot of Depeche Mode & Joy Division, as well as more contemporary bands such as Editors & Radiohead. But one of the bands that I always end up going back to is The National. They had and still have a strong influence on me. Recently I found myself listening a lot to King Creosote, O. Children & Jonathan Bree.
What makes Lone Assembly happy and what makes you unhappy?
Raph : Well, the prospect and realization to play in the UK definitely made us happy, that’s for sure. It was a dream we didn’t even dare to have and here we are, just a couple of months away of playing there. Not playing enough in Switzerland would very much be a reason not to be happy, and it’s sadly true for now. I’d really love to play more shows in my home country, though I’m not biting the hand that feeds me, of course; playing abroad is already an incredible opportunity and the result of the tireless work of our booking agency, IDVI.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Margaux Fazio
Lone Assembly’s debut album “Knots & Chains” is out now.
Bandcamp: https://loneassembly.bandcamp.com/album/knots-chains
To support the album release, Lone Assembly are heading out on a UK tour this spring:
LONE ASSEMBLY, UK, Spring 2026
May 19th– Bristol, The Jam Jar
May 20th– Manchester, FAC251
May 21st– Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
May 22nd– Brighton, Patterns
May 23- Glasgow, Oran Mor
May 24th– The Moth Club, London
Get tickets here: https://fanlink.tv/badapplemusic_la_rn
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/loneassembly/
