Music Made of Quiet Moments: Zimmer90’s Debut Interior

“We kiss, we cry,
We dance, we lie,
We throw it all away
We lose, we run,
And load our gun
We change our minds,
We change the time,
Throw it all away!”

An intriguing melody and poetic lyrics drift toward me from ‘Til The Morning Comes’ by Zimmer90, taken from their long-awaited debut album ‘Interior’, out today on Bamboo Artists.

With their breakout track What Love Is, which rightfully went viral last year, the German indie-electro band — based in Freiburg — captured the hearts of indie lovers worldwide, myself included. And now they return with something deeply personal —‘Interior’ is an album born in the quiet after the storm. After playing 120 shows across 17 countries, taking their music out into the world, the band took a step back — inward, this time — creating something deeply personal. A pause. A reset. Music that reflects a need for space, both creatively and personally. “In our lives as musicians we often get pulled in different directions by countless poles. A chaotic life that can feel both thrilling and exhausting. In the world we live in we find so much overstimulation and depend on constant external validation. We found clarity by looking inward. ‘Interior’ became our way of grounding ourselves and offering something for others to connect with too.”

And maybe that’s exactly what has drawn me so deeply into their music — the loudness of the world that so often overwhelms, wrapped up for a few moments in warm, beautiful soundscapes that help you return to yourself.

I’m especially excited to speak with the duo about their debut album, whose sound was shaped in a peaceful setting surrounded by the nature of rural France. We’ll talk about the role the paintings of Josch’s grandfather played in inspiring the album’s title — in fact, the cover artwork is one of his pieces — and about that magical moment during a show when all the noise suddenly stops, everything goes quiet, and the crowd leans in to listen — and then joins in with them, singing. “Nothing beats singing a song you love together.”

Photography by Lisa Nguyen

We’re also raffling 1×2 tickets for the Berlin show on 24.09.2025 at LIDO. To participate, simply send an email to contact@c-heads.com with “Zimmer90” in the subject line. The raffle ends on Monday, September 22nd at 8 PM, and the winner will be notified via email. Good luck!

Dear Finn, Joscha, I’m currently listening to your double A-side single ‘Feel Myself’ / ‘Wait For You’, which you released on July 25th, and which already gives a little taste of your debut album coming on September 19th. I truly love it — such a beautiful vibe! How did the idea come about to release it as a double A-side single instead of, for example, two separate songs?

Z90: The idea to release the songs as a double A-side came to us pretty intuitively. They really belong together. We wrote them at the same time and they just felt like two sides of the same coin. Wait For You is a warm and peaceful track, while Feel Myself is a more vulnerable, inward looking declaration of love to myself (whoever that might be). Releasing them together just felt right. It’s a complete little story, and we didn’t want to break that up.

The sound was created in a very quiet setting, surrounded by the nature of rural France. Where exactly were you, and how long did you work on the songs there?

We were just two hours away from our hometown in a region called Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. We spent about a month there and it was one of our favorite things we’ve done this year. In our usual day-to-day life it’s hard to focus only on music because we are travelling a lot. Cooking and living by ourselves in this old french farmhouse was such a dream for us. You can reach more depth in the music and get closer to what you actually want to say and do in the songs.

‘Interior’ will be the album title. What personal meaning does this title hold for you, and what was the moment like when it was decided? I’ve read that names (as well as your band name) tend to come to you intuitively.

The name Interior came to us while we were looking at some paintings of Josh’s grandfather. We saw a painting of an abstract space, but the word “interior” on its own just stuck with us. It’s this interesting ambivalence of a physical space and a mental one. We love that it can mean both a room and your inner world. The name felt so right because the whole album is about looking inward—the music, the lyrics, the entire process was an exploration of our own inner landscapes. When we decided on it, it felt like the final piece of the puzzle just clicked into place.

“The whole album is about looking inward — the music, the lyrics, the entire process was an exploration of our own inner landscapes.”

I love the core theme of the album: interior — introspection, self-awareness, and pausing for a moment. These are topics that really resonate with me, and we once even had an issue dedicated to “The Art of Slowing Down.” I think you can feel it strongly in the music — it really brings you down into a calmer space. Did you already have this concrete idea in mind when you started the album, or did it develop during the process?

We didn’t go into the album with a concrete theme like “introspection” in mind. It was something that developed naturally during the process. Being in that quiet French setting, we were forced to slow down and really look at what was important. The music just started reflecting that. We found ourselves writing about self-awareness and taking a moment to breathe. The theme really chose us, and we just followed where the songs were leading.

Are you personally good at pausing for a moment?

That’s a great question! We’re definitely still learning. As musicians, life can get pretty hectic with touring and recording, but we’ve learned to make time for it. We try to be really intentional about finding moments of peace, whether it’s walking in nature, painting, or just sitting quietly with a cup of tea. It’s a practice, not something you’re always perfect at, but it’s super important to our well-being and our creative process. We need stillness.

What would you say are one or more things you’ve learned from the whole process of making a debut album — both musically and personally?

A million things. But the most important thing might be to trust each other more.

“Being in that quiet French setting, we were forced to slow down and really look at what was important.”

You’ll also be doing an album-release mini tour in Stuttgart, Berlin, Brooklyn, Mexico City, and LA. What’s one thing you hope people will feel when they leave one of your shows on this tour, and is there a place you’re most looking forward to?

We’re so excited to share these songs live! For the tour, we really hope people leave our shows feeling connected. We want them to feel like they’ve been on a journey with us, and that the music has given them a moment to just be. We’re especially looking forward to playing in Mexico City—the energy there is always incredible, and we can’t wait to feel that connection with the crowd.

Has there been a special moment from a past live performance that has shaped how you perform today?

On our Europe Tour this year we used to go into the audience and sing Summer Rain unamplified with just an acoustic guitar. It is a crazy feeling when you suddenly cut all the noise and volume and everyone has to pay close attention to hear something. At some shows the crowd joined in with us and often this was the most special moment of the night. Nothing beats singing a song you love together.

You both love to paint and draw. What was the last thing you painted or drew?

During sessions, when I’m not recording or working on the Laptop I usually sit in the back with a big sketchbook and just draw whatever comes to mind. It’s a good way of splitting your attention so you don’t get hyper fixated on the music. That can stop the momentum sometimes. Lately I’ve discovered drawing with Crayons – that’s fun!

You also like to decorate your surroundings, for example your studio, beautifully. How important is fashion to you?

Your clothes can do a lot for you. They can help with expressing yourself, giving you comfort and signaling to others what your vibe is today. As artists, self esteem is very important to us. Fashion can help you to discover who you are or who you aspire to be. Also it’s a lot of fun to try out something new, dipping into another version of yourself.

The most important thing in life is…?

Living it.