motel void

half of a rainbow is the art-pop/lo-fi project of German musician Johannes Harder.

I already liked a lot of your songs that you released recently. ‘in tomorrow’s arms’ is your new single (also great!). Will it be a part of your new album/EP?

Thank you so much! All of the songs I have released in the past months will be part of my debut album, which is coming out in June (I’m announcing it very soon). I first wanted to record an EP back in 2021, which then turned into an album project because I had so many songs gathered that I was excited about! I am really happy they are all seeing the light of day now.

You’re from Berlin, Germany. How would you describe the current music scene there? Could you tell us about your favorite local artists and venues?

This music scene I got into two years ago feels very supportive, a lot of people see each other as friends rather than competitors, which is amazing. And it’s also overflowing with talent, there are shows and events happening every night in many parts of town. When I was starting out I attended a lot of open mics and was just blown away by the number of outstanding underground musicians, my favourite local discoveries are groups like Shybits, Dead Finks and The Usual Boys. The coolest venues so far are definitely Wild at Heart, Loophole and 8MM – they have the needed punk energy!

In your music I feel a strong inspiration by Guided by Voices. So let’s talk about them for a while! How exactly did they inspire you? What is your favorite record by gbv? And do you still listen to their new releases?

A few years ago I got interested in writing the shortest and most concise songs possible, I got obsessed with that minimalism. A friend of mine then recommended me GBV’s album ‘Alien Lanes’ and it became one of my all-time favourites, because it exactly did what I was trying to do at the time – it was short and sweet, punky and sensitive at the same time, I fell in love with these contrasts. I find it hard to keep up with all of their new releases, it’s just too much. But they live and create in their own sphere, and that’s eventually where I want to go with my own art.

What do you do in your life except for music?

I just finished studying music production in Berlin, so now I am working as a live sound engineer, and I also write for a living.

What is your plan for the rest of the year? Any live shows ahead?

I am releasing my debut album in June, and I also got shows with my live band coming up on June 15 and July 27, as well as a festival gig in the south of Germany on August 12. I also got a lot of songs lined up to be recorded for a new project, which is going in a slightly different musical direction. Finding a small label for that would be awesome.