Interview with Shape Of Water, talking about their new Single 'Salt & Mercury' and their Album release 'Petrichor' on 8th August.

Author - DJ Pixie

Pre FIREVOLT FESTIVAL Interview!

Hi guys,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. Congratulations on the

recent release of your new single, Salt Mercury.

On Salt & Mercury Its Recording:

To start, what was the core inspiration or narrative that drove the creation of Salt Mercury?

Musically, Salt & Mercury is one of the rawest and straightforward tracks

on Petrichor. It’s driven by grunge-inspired riffs and a rough, unpolished energy that

we wanted to feel like a direct punch.

Lyrically, it’s much more cryptic and multi-layered. The words paint a distorted picture

of modern society: from the way we consume information through screens, to hidden

desires, to the endless appetite for conflict and control. It’s not a single, linear story,

but more a collage of images and scenes that show the absurdity and darkness we

often try to hide. The recurring line “for all that’s hidden becomes exposed” is the

thread — whatever we bury, whether in our personal lives or on a global scale,

eventually comes to light.

Delving into the recording process for Salt & Mercury (and perhaps the album

as a whole), what were some of the most memorable moments or significant

challenges you encountered in the studio?

The most memorable, and surprisingly the most difficult part of

making Petrichor wasn’t recording a specific song, it was deciding the final tracklist.

We had more material than could fit on the album, and each song had its own

personality. Figuring out which ones belonged together, and in what order, felt like

putting together a film edit rather than just a playlist.

We wanted Petrichor to be experienced as one continuous journey, with emotional

peaks and valleys, so every decision about the flow mattered. Salt & Mercury ended

up being the perfect burst of raw energy in the middle of the record, but getting there

meant many long nights of shuffling tracks around, debating transitions, and

sometimes even rewriting parts so they connected more naturally. In the end, that

process shaped the album as much as the recording sessions themselves.

Were there any new techniques or approaches you experimented with during

its production?

Compared to our previous albums, the process for Petrichor was much slower, and

that turned out to be a blessing. It gave us the time to delve deeper into the

production, question every decision, and make sure that every sound, transition, and

texture felt intentional. Most of the album was recorded at home, which meant we

could work at our own pace and really experiment without the pressure of a ticking

studio clock.

We still recorded the drums in a proper studio, but for everything else we tried

different ways of recording, performing, and mixing. Sometimes that meant changing

mic placements to get a more unusual tone, sometimes re-recording parts just to

capture a slightly different energy, and sometimes pulling things back instead of

adding more. The slower pace gave us the freedom to explore, but also the

discipline to stop only when everything felt in its right place.

How has the initial reception to Salt & Mercury been, and what do you hope

listeners take away from this first taste of your new material?

The reception’s been amazing so far. People have connected with its raw,

unpolished feel, and it’s sparked a lot of conversation about the lyrics, which is

exactly what we hoped for. It’s the rawest track on Petrichor, though definitely not the

heaviest — that crown still belongs to The Silence of the Lambs.

As the final single before the album release, Salt & Mercury gives a glimpse into one

side of Petrichor — the more direct, gritty, and confrontational side. But the album as

a whole is much more diverse. We hope listeners take away the sense that they’re

only seeing one fragment of a bigger picture, and that they’ll want to dive into the full

record to experience the rest of the journey.

On the Album Petrichor.

Moving onto the highly anticipated album, Petrichor, which drops on August

8th – the day before Firevolt! What is the overarching theme or concept that

ties the album together?

Petrichor is about human relationships, not just the romantic kind, but also the way

we connect, clash, manipulate, and depend on each other. Some tracks zoom in on

deeply personal moments, others step back to look at the bigger picture — the

political, the cultural, the absurdities of modern life. It’s about everything that

happens between people, from love to power struggles, from shared dreams to

mutual destruction.

Is there a central message or feeling you're aiming to convey?

If there is a central message, it’s that nothing we create, feel, or hide is truly

permanent. Whether it’s love, conflict, secrets, or even the self-image we project,

eventually, it all changes, transforms, or comes to light. That might sound bleak, but

there’s beauty in it too. It’s about accepting impermanence and finding meaning in

the moments we do have.

The title Petrichor itself is quite evocative, especially for a band named

Shape of Water. Can you elaborate on its significance and how it reflects the

sonic and lyrical journey of the album?

The word Petrichor describes the smell of earth after rain, that quiet moment of

freshness and renewal after a storm. For us, it’s a perfect metaphor for the emotional

landscapes in the album. Many of these songs move through chaos, tension, and

conflict, but they often end with a kind of release or transformation.

It also connects naturally to Shape of Water: both names are rooted in fluidity,

change, and the idea that nothing stays in one form forever. Sonically, the album

mirrors that. It shifts from delicate and ethereal moments to bursts of heaviness and

aggression, but the transitions feel organic, like changes in weather.

How do you feel Petrichor represents an evolution or a new chapter for Shape

of Water compared to your previous work?

It’s definitely an evolution. Our debut (Great Illusions) leaned heavily into theatrical

synth rock, and Amor Fati was more conceptual and experimental. Petrichor feels

like the point where everything we’ve learned from those records comes together.

We’ve grown more confident in trusting our instincts — if a song wants to be weird,

we let it be weird; if it wants to be straightforward, we don’t overcomplicate it. The

slower process this time also allowed us to pay attention to the album as a whole,

making sure it works as one complete journey rather than just a collection of songs.

What are you most excited for fans to hear or discover within the full body of

work?

We really want people to experience Petrichor as a whole. Every track has its own

personality — Letting You Go has this almost theatrical flair, Diverged takes a left

turn into a jazz-infused alternative groove, and She Never Sleeps Alone carries a

darker, more driving energy. But it’s the way they’re placed next to each other, the

way they flow and clash, that makes them part of a bigger story.

We’ve built the record so that each song feeds into the next, with transitions,

contrasts, and recurring motifs that only fully reveal themselves if you listen from

start to finish. That’s what excites us most, knowing people might put on the album,

disappear into it for 40 minutes, and come out feeling like they’ve been on a

complete journey.

On Firevolt & Future Plans:

Speaking of August 9th, you'll be playing Firevolt in Stockport. How are you

feeling about hitting the stage at such a prominent event, especially so soon

after the album release?

We’re beyond excited. Firevolt is mainly a rock festival, so we’re very honoured to be

part of the lineup. It’s a great opportunity to bring our music to a crowd that might not

have seen us before. And the timing couldn’t be better — playing the day

after Petrichor drops means we get to share that energy with a live audience right

away.

Does having Petrichor out add a different kind of energy or expectation to this

performance?

Definitely. It’s going to feel like opening night for the album, the first time these songs

step out of the studio and into the wild. That brings a special kind of adrenaline,

because people won’t just be hearing them live for the first time, they’ll also be

connecting them to the record they’ve just listened to.

What can fans expect from your Firevolt set? Will we be hearing a lot of

Petrichor live for the first time, and is there anything unique you're preparing for this particular show in Stockport?

We have a 30-minute set, and it’s going to be heavily Petrichor-based. That said,

we’ll also play a couple of older tracks for long-time fans.

After Firevolt, with Petrichor out in the world, what are Shape of Water’s

immediate plans? Can we expect a full tour, more music videos, or is there

anything else on the horizon as you look to support the albums release?

The wheels are in motion. We already have several festivals confirmed for next year

(we can’t reveal them just yet, sorry!) and our focus will be on promoting Petrichor as

much as possible. There might be some new music videos, and as always, while

recording the album we created some alternative versions of tracks that we’d like to

release at some point. So there’s a good chance those will see the light of day too.

Thank you again for your time and insights! We wish you all the best with

Petrichor and your Firevolt performance.

Thank you so much for having us and for helping us share this with the world. See

you at Firevolt.

https://www.facebook.com/shapeofwatermusic