Words by Jon Garcia

Two years feels like a split-second eternity to Jules Mitch, frontwoman of bombastic metalcore outfit SETYØURSAILS.

In 2022, the Cologne-based quartet – rounded out by André Alves, Henrik Kellershohn, and Nicolai Hoch – released their debut album Nightfall. Despite having the backing of Napalm Records, Mitch said they had no idea if their music would even make a dent in the scene.

“When we wrote Nightfall, we were just a very, very small band,” she said. “We had just started playing and songwriting, even. We were at the very beginning.”

Now, everything is different.

Since then, they’ve gone on to tour with Annisokay, Emil Bulls and Cypecore, play numerous German and European festivals as well as meet all sorts of people from all over the world. The band has catapulted to the next level, which Mitch said only really hit her during last summer.

“We played Summer Breeze in Germany, and I just remember sitting in the catering tents next to Beartooth, and then there was Trivium, and then all these bands. I was just eating my lunch, and I took a look around I was like, ‘The fuck is going on, man?’

“In these two years, we did so much. It feels so different. It feels so different. Feels like now we have arrived in the German metal music scene.”

After kicking down those doors, SETYØURSAILS have no plans to go anyway. On April 12, they released their sophomore album, Bad Blood, through Napalm Records, which boldly steps into new and more vulnerable territory for the band; both musically and lyrically.

“This is my personal therapy,” Mitch said. Having the ability to release her emotions – to sing and scream about mental health, being betrayed by a former friend, living with her depression and dealing with her rage – has allowed her to live the best life she can. She hopes it can be a similar catharsis for others.

“That's my wish for this record,” she said. “That people can relate to it and listen to it and really take the time to dive into the songs and listen to what's actually going on, because there's a lot of depth in and a lot of meaning to it.”

KNOTFEST’s Jon Garcia sat down with Mitch to go through each of Bad Blood’s 10 tracks to get the stories and meanings behind the songs.

"Bad Blood"

 

“Bad Blood” was written within one day, I have to say.

I had this idea in my head: I was going through a personal fight with an old friend of mine, and there was a lot of shit talk and all that stuff. I was like, ‘I need to get this out of my head. I need to find a way to let that person know that whatever they're doing, whatever they're saying, has zero effect.’ It does have a middle finger up in the air. I'm moving forward and you can rot with it, you can sit with it.

I wanted to have a little bit more sarcasm to it. I wanted something specific in the breakdown, not straight in your face from the beginning. So I came up with the idea of whispering the ‘bitch’ at the beginning. I had to make fun of that person at some point and still have this attitude.

And I wasn't done when I wrote “Bad Blood”. I was like, ‘I'm still in that mood. I need to write a couple more.’

"Best Of Me"

 

“Best of Me” was the first song that I finished with my producer [Julian Breucker] for the new album. It was written way back. Like, it's way older than this record. I wanted to try out something new, and he came up with this hip-hop sample and we turned it into something more aggressive.

When I wrote the lyrics for it I was still in my depression mood, but still wanted to try out more rock-and-roll patterns. It’s pretty much about my fight with depression but in a more modern way. I'd say in a more rock-and-roll-ish way, rather than a metalcore style, but it still fits the vibe of Bad Blood when we had zero clue how this album was gonna sound or what we're gonna do with it.

"T.F.M.F." 

 

“T.F.M.F (Two-Faced Mother Fucker)” had been the title of it already. I was like, we need another “Fuck Off” because that was written within 20 minutes and it was specifically written for playing live. We need something to just put all my rage into it and it's gonna be straight in your face.

I got into it! It was so fun writing. It was also written within one day. Although it has this almost punkish kind of style, I really made sure that it still had a very bright opening up, almost poppy chorus because that was something that was very important to me for this record. I only wanted to have good choruses which stick in your head

"Halo"

 

This is my favorite song from the entire record. It's about the same person and it does have the same vibe. I just really wanted to come up with another song about [them] because I had so much rage inside of me that I was like, I need another song.

I came up with the idea of naming it Halo, because it's really a person just trying to sell themselves as the best. It's a little bit more serious, I'd say then “T.F.M.F”, but it has the same meaning and it has my favorite chorus and my favorite breakdown.

"Lately" 

 

I had [“Lately”] on my computer for like three years or something like that. Then when I got to write with my producer, I was like, ‘I have this chorus but I’m not quite sure if it fits with SETYØURSAILS. Maybe I'm gonna keep it for myself, I don't know.’ I sent it to him as an acoustic version, I played along on acoustic guitar to it and I was like, ‘I feel insecure. Maybe it's too vulnerable. Maybe it doesn't really fit.’

He was like, ‘This is a fucking good chorus! Shut up, just let me try out something.’ Then he came up with this version of making it a little bit more rock-and-roll but it still has this very vulnerable and beautiful side. It's very personal. That's why I was struggling to even put it on the record.

So, the guys listened to it and they were like, ‘You know what, we don't always have to go straight in your face. You already proved that you can shout. You’ve already proved you can play the tough guy. You can show that side. You don't need to worry.’

I'm pretty happy with it because this album is also like a diary, and you're not always in a constant mood, right? I feel like it fits pretty well, especially in the middle of the record.

"Dangerous"

 

I wanted to show a completely new side. I just really wanted to experiment, try out something and I wanted to go into a more punk rock style riff and talk about a topic which I've never talked about before, which is sex.

I wanted something spicy and a little bit like teasing, but not being too sexualizing. It's light, you know? It's not like this is another heavy banger and we're just going to show you how sick I can scream and shit. This is fun. It's very light to listen to.

I wanted to write a song for my fiancée, but I [didn’t] want to come up with a regular love song. I wanted to have a different vibe. I was like, ‘Maybe I'm gonna spice it up a little and push it in a different direction.’ And she loves it! She's obsessed. She's listening to it all the time. She's like, ‘That's my song! That's so cool!’ It turned out pretty well. I'm very happy with it.

"Bad Company"

 

“Bad Company” was written right after “Best of Me”. We let it sit for nine months or something like that.

The main message is that I'm “Bad Company” because being along with me is the worst. I'm like completely freaking out, creating fake stories in my head and then getting panic attacks or whatever, you know.

I felt like representing [the video] in a club because I always feel like I do not fit in. I don't like being surrounded by people, but this vibe of the video also represents exactly how I feel when I have to go into bars and people are dancing around. I feel like I'm not fitting here. I’m bad company.  I don't like it. I stand in the corner thinking to myself, ‘Why am I not at home? Why am I doing this?’

That was a lot of fun shooting because I just felt like it's the normal Saturday night. I do not belong here. [laughs]

"In My Head" / "Heart Attack"

 

“In my Head” is pretty much exactly what “Nightfall” is about, but in a more modern way.

You're stuck in your head. You have to try to make the best out of it and it doesn't really work because you are who you are, you know? You cannot change that, and must accept that it's a sickness you will have to face for the rest of your life. I've just at some point accepted that and I just have to find a way to be cool with that so I can live a normal life. 

 

By writing the songs such as “In my Head” and “Heart Attack”, I managed to get in a good mental state for my circumstances so that I can just go to work, write songs, and go on tour. Going on tour is the worst for me, personally. It's very hard for me, but being able to play these songs live every night I go through it over, and over, and over again. There comes a point where you get better because you wrote it down and you screamed it out a zillion times. And that helps me so much.

“In my Head”, “Heart Attack”, “Lately”, the entire Nightfall album makes me feel so much better about myself. This is my personal therapy that really helps, and this is pretty much what the songs are about.

"Eternally"

 

 

I feel like for the last song, it's perfect. It goes back to the original meaning and stays true to what I like writing about, which helps me a lot as I already said. Using it as a self therapy thing. 

It's actually a pretty cool chorus to end the album because it has the meaning of you go through all these emotions, all these stories, you have some fights with people and you're still depressed, you're low, but then you're high, standing up for yourself being very upfront, fuck you. I still keep going, go through all these different emotions.

But you're still the same fragile, vulnerable person. Everyone is everything. Everyone can be tough, but also can be very shy and very silent and all these things. And that's why we're human right? We go through different emotions and we go through different periods, and it's just honest, you know? I'm very much looking forward to playing “Eternally” live, and getting these emotions out of my head.

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Bad Blood by SETYØURSAILS is available now via Napalm Records. Get the album - HERE