Leave The Ghosts Behind emerge from the heart of Bern, Switzerland, with a sound that blends the raw energy of hardcore punk with the melodic sensibilities of modern post-hardcore.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Finn Graber – Lead guitar, back vocals, song writing, recording, mixing and mastering

Julian Tscharner – Bass guitar

Kimmo Nacht – Drums

William Schnydrig – Rhythm guitar, lead vocals, lyrics

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Leave The Ghosts Behind? How long has the band been around?

Will: Finn and Julian were both part of small bands during their school years, with Finn continuing even afterward. However, it wasn't anything serious, and they didn't release any music with it. Kimmo plays in an orchestra on the side and has a small side project with brass musicians. About 4 years ago, I founded the band Apartment 99 with a colleague from my time in high school. Finn joined about a year later, Kimmo joined in November 2022, and Julian joined in January 2023.

So, there have been several changes since the beginning. We played together as Apartment 99 for about a year, but then we decided to start fresh because the band members and the music had changed too much. So, officially since March 2024, we've been known as Leave The Ghosts Behind.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Will: The name is a mix of various song lyrics from Billy Talent, as I'm a huge fan of the band. When it came to choosing the name, we had a list of many different names, and we ultimately decided that this name suited us best, considering our past, the themes of our songs, and our music genre. We just changed this name recently. Before that, we were called "Apartment 99."

Since both the band members and the music genre have changed, we felt it made sense to change the name for our new musical direction, which we intend to maintain from now on.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Will: For our first EP, Finn wrote both the music and the lyrics. However, we've decided to change this a bit. Finn will still be responsible for the instrumental part, and from now on, I will take over writing the lyrics. We believe this will be the most efficient approach. We plan to release three EPs this year, each focusing on a theme that's important to us. The EP coming out this spring will be about failed love stories, the one in summer will include toxic work environments and selfish leadership as central themes, and the one in autumn will be about mental health and depression.

I think the themes will always more or less stay in this realm for us. I believe one has to be deeply involved in a topic or have experienced it firsthand to write a good song about it. Accordingly, we will always draw on stories and themes that we have either gone through in the past or are experiencing in the present for our lyrics. One thing is certain: the songs will always be very personal.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Finn: Right now, my writing in music is heavily inspired by the bands Being As An Ocean and Bring Me The Horizon. They‘re two of my absolute favorite bands and I really love their style and writing. But also bands like Silverstein, A Day To Remember, Rise Against and Spiritbox are highly influential for future projects.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Finn: I think everyone of us really has very different bands and artists that made us want to create music and play in a band. But there was an eye-opening show we all saw and it was by Bring Me The Horizon. They‘re just really stepping up with their stage presence and we love it.

But we also share a mutual love for bands like Rise Against or Stick To Your Guns, who are fierce and energetic more than showing off. I like to think we‘re doing a mix of those styles of live shows.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

Kimmo: As the drummer in our band, thorough preparation before a performance is crucial, given the high energy of our songs. It requires a seamless coordination of all my limbs. Typically, I begin by mentally rehearsing the most challenging sections.

To warm up my wrists and forearms I play some rudiments like paradiddles or normal single strokes. This is essential to prevent fatigue during the show. Immediately prior to starting, I tape my fingers to ward off blister formation.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Julian: My highlight was our concert at the Mahogany Hall in Bern. Among all our concerts, it's the one that I enjoyed the most and will stay in my memory the longest, for various reasons. Firstly, Mahogany Hall is a very cool and well-known location with a long history, and it was an honor to play there.

Secondly, the atmosphere at our concert was amazing. We sold many tickets, so the hall was practically packed, filled with friends and familiar faces, and everyone was having a great time. Consequently, it was a lot of fun to perform there when the crowd was so into it.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Finn: I think at the moment and how we plan our music, it would be extremely awesome to go on a tour (well, I should say to be the opening act on a tour) with like Being as An Ocean and Stick To Your Guns. I feel like we‘d find a lot of people that could connect with us. Also, it would be so much fun to see these bands play every night and just enjoy them with the rest of the audience.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

All our songs are DIY projects from A to Z. That means we record everything ourselves in our band room, Finn takes care of the mixing and mastering, and I handle the design of the artworks. The wonderful thing about it is that we're not tied to anyone, so we can release as much music as possible. Our goal with this is to connect with as many people as possible. Because music has gotten us, as well as many other people, through difficult moments many times.

With our songs, we can not only process the things we've experienced, but we also hope to connect with our listeners and even help them through difficult moments, if possible. If anyone ever approaches me and says that we've accomplished exactly that and were able to help that person, I would be the happiest person on earth.

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