Name: Companion Songs
Members: Max Andrzejewski, Marco Mlynek
Interviewee: Marco Mlynek
Nationality: German
Current release: Companion Songs' new single "Carousel" is out via Akkerbouw. It is the first piece to be taken off their debut album Paper Parachute, slated for release on May 12th 2023.
Recommendations: Daniel Freitag’s The Laws Of Attraction, such good, heartfelt songs. Definitely one of my favorite records of 2022.
And movie wise Everything everywhere all at once (Daniels). Haven’t been blown away by a movie like this in a long time.

If you enjoyed this Companion Songs interview and would like to know more about the band and their music, visit Marco Mlynek's official homepage. They are also on Instagram. 



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

There was lots of music in our house. My dad’s a musician. We had drumming workshops in the living room for a while and my brother and I really enjoyed falling asleep to that. Repetitive music stayed with me deeply ever since.

I started playing guitar when I was 12. Taped lots of Unplugged concerts on MTV and tried to learn songs from live clips on early Youtube. Just figuring stuff out for hours everyday. That sensation of discovery quickly turned into making songs and it all took off with my first multitrack recorder. I LOVED recording.

Then I got to know Max as a drummer at school. We became real close friends and would spend hours listening to music. He showed me lots of jazz records which opened up a world for me. We started our first band back then, home-recorded albums and did our first ever tour. That definitely laid the foundation for Companion Songs.

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

There’s certainly a need to move for me, however abstract the music is.

And I really love how music can change and stretch my sense of time in all directions. It’s the best.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

At the core I was always moved most by simple things: heartfelt songs or minimalism. On the other hand there was lots of abstract music that inspired me, impro, complex rhythms, sound design, orchestration etc. So I tried to embrace all of it and find a balance in there. Creating things that get to your heart and put them in unusual surroundings.

An eye opener was also collaborating with people from other fields, making soundtracks for stage and film for example. I always had a cinematic approach to music, leaving space for introspection. So getting to score and carry other peoples stories with sound, was super rewarding.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

As an artist I tried to get close to that feeling of key phrases in favorite books, that somehow manage to speak truth about life and still seem so incredibly simple at times. That always got me.

So, for one I really love direct, honest songs. On the other hand I can throw myself deeply into the heady side of composition or production.

If both happen at the same time, I’m all ears.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and art?

An important one to me is playing.

When I create, I play a lot, record myself, listen back to it, play along and move things around until I got a version. I'm not really a pen and paper person but that took me awhile to figure out. It helps me to stay in that zone of trying and discovering things. Sticking to first drafts. Having ideas rest and do their thing.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

A good amount of recognition, that gives you a sense of homecoming, has always been key to me. But I think that does not exclude research in order to create new things.

I love finding things I have never heard before and couldn’t do without it. Originality lies more in what you chose to combine then. But that’s totally fine with me! And it can be just as exciting.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

First are often voice memos on my phone. I found quickly recording stuff to be key for me in creating. That way I don’t get into my head too much. And I have it with me all the time so I can check in on ideas while brushing my teeth or doing groceries.

Another is playing instruments I don’t fully understand: exploring new tunings on guitar or piano preparations. Experimental FX pedals or electronic gadgets. Just stuff to stay playful.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

It comes in phases but lately I really enjoyed working at home, zone in on something for a while and then do stuff around the house. Dishes. Water flowers. Fix something. And restart again.

The other thing is walking. If it’s about getting new ideas or writing lyrics, I take it outside mostly.

And every now and then I need long late night sessions to fully lose myself in an idea. It still does the trick often.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

Our first Companion Songs EP started from a few guitar sketches during lockdown in 2020. I tried to stay as close as possible to a feeling of just taking notes along the way. First thought, best thought. I shared recordings with Max every now and then, with no goal in mind. Until he insisted we had to do something with that.



We first recorded remotely and when he sent back his first drum-takes, the songs opened up so much! It was the first time in 10 years we were working together on a project, but everything just clicked again right away.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

I enjoy both a lot. There are some things that I prefer doing alone first, like coming up with core ideas, I have to play around and just spend time them, try out bad versions etc. Same with starting a mix or sound design. Being in a room with others at that stage can stress me out at times.

But if it’s about putting ideas together, it’s so great to have another pair of ears and vision to break things open and get you out of your zone.

How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

I guess it’s more on a personal level, but my initial drive was always to create songs and music that are emotionally touching and leave space in there for others to look inward. For core human relationships or dealing with love.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

Music helped me a lot in dealing with personal crisis and trauma. It can be so powerful in addressing things physically that are hard to put into words at times. Maybe some things just are hard to process through language alone.

And I have always been fascinated how music can widen our sense of time and open up to bigger things outside our daily routines.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?  

I rarely ever think about that. But concerning the healing impact just from experience, it should at least play a big part in fields of therapy and hopefully does more than I know about.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

There are definitely common threads of commitment and ritual, yes!

Part of what keeps me creating music especially is making an imprint of yourself at a moment in time. It’s always been very rewarding, having bringing something of your inner workings into existence. Kind of universal I guess …

And the whole physical thing of playing and singing is just hard to beat still!

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

I don’t actually. And that might be one of my core experiences, why I still keep doing it. Just opening up to its effects on an emotional and creative level.

I mean, it’s like a crush and I am not sure it adds to it, trying to understand it too much.