Polish melodic punk/hardcore quartet CF98 released their newest LP This Is Fine last month. TGEFM was lucky enough to get in touch with the lead vocalist Karolina Duszkiewicz for a round of Roll of the Dice. We roll and EIGHT.
1. Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the release of This is Fine, not trying to kiss your ass at all but im really digging this album. What’s been the response you’ve gotten from live crowds thus far?
Thank you for interviewing us on our new album! The first responses are really great, people believe that this is our best album: great songs, solid productions, meaningful lyrics, beautiful melodies. We didn’t have so many chances to play it live yet but what we know so far – people are interacting even when they don’t know the album. I think this is the best what can happen at shows. People react to the new songs’ energy and this is (fine) the best! We’ve never had so many listeners on Spotify 🙂
2. What stood out most to you with this recording compared to 2020’s Dead Inside?
Wow, everything was different. We wrote Dead Inside very quickly, invited ishay for a weekend to Krakow, produced those 6 songs with him, recorded them later but also during one weekend. All the instruments, vocals, harmonies – that was recorded during 2 and a half days, it was crazy as hell and full of pressure! We knew that we didn’t want to work like this on our next thing – so we slowed down, the world slowed down as well. We wrote and produced This Is Fine during the whole 2021 (one month – one song challenge hahah), had more time in the studio, to pick the singles, think about the cover, videos. This album thought us patience.
3. The world, and Poland in particular, have been going through some shit over the last few years; a pandemic, attacks on reproductive and lgbtq rights, etc. What affect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
For me it’s natural that songs need to reflect the reality we are a part of. I wanted to describe my inner world, thoughts, memories and emotions but also let people know what we think about our country, politics. This is the reason for including some super important songs on the album – about protesting anti-abortion law since 2016 and governments sticking their nose into our lives, LGBTQ people who were named an ideology (sick) or about some conspiracy theories makers.
4. The music world has also changed a lot over the last few years. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve come across in your time within the scene?
The thing that changed even harder is that you can’t be sure of anything. You never know when your show is going be cancelled and you need to be prepared for everything. That’s easy to say, harder to digest. Touring costs increased and it’s not so easy to produce a tour outside our country and continent any more. Look at all those gigs and tours being cancelled after summer, this is heartbreaking. The thing I heard very often since 2020 is that people started to appreciate shows, playing them and hanging out with friends – and it’s a good thing. I can’t relate though as especially after my dad died when I was young, I’ve learnt to appreciate every moment like this, every show for 150 and 15 people, every success. I’m happy to know that instead of that, life is what we make it.
5. CF98 worked with Ishay Berger (Useless ID) on songs from This Is Fine. How did that come about and what did that partnership bring out on this record that may not have been realized previously?
We met ishay when we played with Useless ID together in 2019, we became friends. He said he could help us out with a new record in the future and that he would love to bring our songs to another level. That’s what he did. Ishay taught us how to make things more simple, how not to overcomplicate our songs, how to get rid of too many notes and words. That sounds weird but we really did have that tendency. It’s great when someone can prove you that simple ideas are often the best.
6. One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
For the last couple of weeks I dig into new Interrupters, Straightline, Foresight (from Poland), Lochy I Smoki (from Poland), Cigar. Maybe the readers don’t know all of those bands, I totally recommend!
7. Now that the world has its hands on This Is Fine, what’s next for CF98?
We would love people to listen to This Is Fine songs everywhere, play as many shows next year as we physically can, get to those festivals we could never played as nobody replied to our emails hahah. We also want to start writing new songs but I guess it will depend on how much time we have left. Basically please wish us luck in 2023 so we can dance everywhere to “Double Sunrise” and sing along to “One Day At A Time”.
8. What do you wish I asked about or that you had more of an opportunity to speak about during this interview?
There is one thing I am particularly proud of on this album – for the first time ever, I’ve managed to write every song about a different topic. It was never so hearable before 2021, in the past I was writing the lyrics about emotions ending up with couple of similar songs (and that sucked). On This Is Fine – every song has a different approach, different story to tell, different topic and vibe. That’s it! Thank you so much for talking to me, cheers everyone and take care. “Things are going to be ok.”
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
