Welcome Sleaze, glad to have you here. Ok let’s get into The Generation. Where and when was the band formed?
Sleaze ; Hi thanks for inviting us here! Well, we came together in late 2020 right here in Vienna, Austria and it was during the pandemic stand still.
O.k. that time was bad for sure however, it was a great breeding ground for so many things creative. So, was this band formed out of other older ones or was it a first time adventure?
S ; For most of us, it was our first real band project, and for me (the guitarist and lead singer) it was also when I first seriously started playing guitar.
Oh, wow you have hit the ground running for sure. How did the band start to take shape?
S ; So musically, it was learning by doing—figuring out how to write songs, craft guitar parts, and make everything work as a band.
You make it sound easy haha. Take us into how it progressed out for you
S ; We rehearsed a lot and wrote a ton of songs. Then, by pure coincidence, we landed our first-ever gig in the summer of 2021 at a small festival.
No small feat the first gig being a festival. How did the show go?
S ; To be honest? We sucked. But it didn’t matter. Rehearsing was one thing, but stepping onto that stage, feeling the lights hit our faces, and hearing the crowd’s energy—something switched. We put on a show.
Born to shine, yeah?
S ; I realized I was born to entertain, and from that moment on, I was hooked.
Ok so what came next?
S ; Well since then, we’ve obviously gotten better. Our sound evolved, and last year, we won Austria’s biggest band contest while recording our debut EP, “Heartbreak Season”.
Was there anything else recorded before “Heartbreak Season” or was that the first set of songs you recorded?
S ; Before that, we had recorded three singles in professional studios, but we never had enough time or budget to fully unleash our creativity. So, we took matters into our own hands.
Yes I hear ya like so many artists it is a great time right now because you can do it yourself yeah?
S ; Yes, it’s the 21st century, and recording music has never been more accessible, so we invested in gear, taught ourselves how to produce, and set up our own basement studio. That’s where we recorded everything for “Heartbreak Season”. Huge shout out to our mixing engineer Luke Roth, without whom this would’ve been a lot harder.
Sounds like a perfect set up for you. Ok now let’s get into the debut E.P. To me it sounds like the New York dolls have been dragged through the eighties and then dropped back into the world in 2025 with all the greatness of the past but with boots planted right in the present.
S ; Well, yeah—we definitely have our roots in the past because that’s the music that inspired all of us. Even though we all come from slightly different musical backgrounds, the one thing that connects us is rock music from the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
Ok now without further a do let’s get into the E.P. How did it take shape?
S ; I came up with the title first—"Heartbreak Season"—and we all thought it sounded pretty cool. And then, almost like some higher power wanted it to happen, my American girlfriend at the time broke up with me. I ended up falling into a really bad spiral of self-destruction and all that, you know? So, "Heartbreak Season" tells a story of love gone wrong—each track following a different part of the journey:
Ok let’s go track by track. “Temptation” is a musical introduction. Very lush sounding and a perfect piece to gather people in.
S ; "Temptation" just kind of happened, honestly. Me and my drummer, Luki, were in our new studio at the time, just trying things out. We ended up coming up with this Pink Floyd-inspired tune, and we thought it would make a great opener for our first E.P. And after the other boys did their magic it really did become the opener.
O.K. First track. “Take a Chace” is the instant call to arms for everyone to gather round and get involved. Killer hooks. Tell us about this track and also do you all write and contribute or is there a chief songwriter?
S ; "Take a Chance" was inspired by my life—it’s about me meeting a girl at a bar who likes the smell of gasoline. That has two meanings: first, I drive a car from the '70s, which makes me smell like gasoline, and second... well, you can probably guess that one yourself, you know? Hehe. When we recorded it, we only tracked drums and bass to a click, but the rest was done without one because we wanted to keep that raw, live energy! We also for the first time experimented with saxophones in the studio. The writing process is different for every song. Sometimes we all write together, and other times it’s just me. In the case of "Take a Chance", I came up with the lyrics in just a couple of minutes while jamming in the rehearsal room. "Take a Chance" – Meeting someone new, the excitement of something fresh
Next up “Scars On Her Heart”. Very Dolls this one. Take us into this one and also the next interlude track "Love"
S ; Yeah, it’s also inspired by a girl I got to know, but I soon realized I didn’t really know her—or all the troubles she was dealing with at all. "Scars on Her Heart" – Realizing she’s troubled in ways you didn’t expect. “Love” is an interlude to set the scene for the ballad, “It Was You”.
A ballad most 80s bands would have killed for. Tell us about this one
S ; "It Was You" was really a collaboration between all of us—we were all part of the writing and composing process. But our guitarist, Moritz, who also composed "Love", added all the string and orchestral elements. That’s what turned it into this huge, '80s-style ballad where you keep discovering something new every couple of beats. "It Was You" – The heartbreak moment, when it all falls apart
Great tune. Ok next is “Back On The Ground”. The whole E.P. has a freshness to it and it does sound very current but with a nod to all the greatness of the past. Great track and killer hook. How about this one
S ; It’s probably the most modern track on the EP, which is cool because it’s all about getting your feet back on the ground after a vicious heartbreak. Even though it has a modern feel, we wanted to bring in that Def Leppard – "Hysteria" chorus vibe, so we layered a ton of vocal tracks to get that big, lush effect we were after. "Back on the Ground" – Picking yourself back up, moving forward
Ok last track is the title track, “Heartbreak Season”. This was the lead single from the E.P. and a great song it was what got me involved here. Fun, energetic , attitude ridden with an over riding positivity to it, what’s not to love. Expand on this lead track for us
S ; This is a really fun story—it's the only track on the E.P. that was solely written, composed, and arranged in the studio. We knew we were missing one song, and since the album title was already set, we knew it had to be "Heartbreak Season". So once again, my drummer Luki and I were in the studio, going through demo recordings from the rehearsal room, and we found something that sparked our interest. We worked it out, and within a day, it became the backbone of "Heartbreak Season". Once the other boys added their elements, it was complete. Lyrically, I already knew this song had to resolve the whole EP. It had to be this happy, vibey tune—something that makes you forget about your troubles. "Heartbreak Season" – The happy ending: realizing that all you really need is Rock 'n' Roll Because in the end, rock and roll makes everything alright, man.
Absolutely pal. Ok what plans do you have for this year. You have been filming a video yes?
S ; There’s a lot happening this year! We’re playing on some of the biggest stages and rock festivals in Austria, like Nova Rock, as well as internationally at Hungary’s Sziget Festival and many more gigs. On top of that, we’re planning to release a lot more music and content—including our music video for "Heartbreak Season"!
Ok man thanks for joining us and best of luck with your journey do you have any parting words for your fans of old and all the new cats that are going to get onboard after this release?
S ; First off, thanks for having me! And to everyone reading this—stay true to yourself, rock out, and never let anyone tell you how to be or what to do. That’s what The Generation is all about—living life your way!
Thanks Sleaze. Ok glam rockers go get THE GENERATION.
COMPETITION TIME!
TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE TO WIN A T SHIRT (SIMILAR TO THE ABOVE) JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW;
WHAT WAS THE WHOLE INFLUENCE BEHIND "HEARTBREAK SEASON"?
SEND YOUR ANSWERS HERE AND GOOD LUCK!
C.WWW.SUITSANDTHEPLATFORMBOOTS.COM 2025
HOME