There are a lot of synth-punk bands in this world, many of which operate within certain conceptual limitations. Throw a rock on YouTube and you might just hit some aging European garage rockers ripping off The Coneheads. Powerplant is not one of those bands. Powerplant is a free-thinking kind of synth-punk band, open to the world and the whims of creativity. They’ve made a dungeon synth record. They have a black metal record on deck. And when they work in the synth-punk mode, they do so in a way that transcends the tropes of the genre and genuinely makes an attempt to push into new territory. Recently, we talked to Theo Zhykharyev, who started Powerplant as a solo endeavor in 2018. Read our interview—and listen to the band’s new EP—below.

After a dudgeon synth record and a more experimental EP, there are songs on Heat that return to the sort of bedrock sound your band is known for. What did you learn from those stylistic digressions that you then applied to the newest EP?

Theo Zhykharyev: It's all figuring out how to write songs really. Freaky or not it's still a song, just depends on what you coat it in. Doing dungeon synth was cool because it was a challenge to do interesting music without words and voice, melodies better be good. Usually they weren't. The only thing I applied that the past projects taught me was to keep it moving and get it done. I treated released and unreleased material like some great manifesto that has to be profound and final. And in the end it’s music and it’s as deep as it isn’t. The whole point isn’t the current project but the one after the next. It’s about getting there because that’s freedom, future, and that’s exciting. To me, right now, at least. Lost in the sauce too long.

“Leaving the Dream” takes the band into ballad territory. What inspired it?

I love Bruce Springsteen. “The River” is such a beautiful song. I tip-toed with ballads when covering “Ride” by Lana Del Rey with Lauren Auder. There’s so much space and dynamics in slow songs. With “Leaving the Dream” my heart was aching and I wanted to do some Elvis’ Last Stand kind of big piece. There’s so much singing on there with a shoegaze outro. Strange song.

How has the Powerplant live show developed over the years?

Went from funny to rock? I hope? Hello? It was in a really loose garage rock place at the start. I only rocked in the bedroom, sat down prior, while everyone was a big live pro within their extreme genres of music. Glued together was kinda free jazz but fun. Then I thought it’s disrespectful to not try and do it as best as you can. We did loads of tours in the past few years and only now there are less secrets. You do need to do something 300 times to gain perspective. You get better or older, you learn every time, you should learn. And if you don’t—you are already dead. You gotta sing the song, shake your ass, tie your shoes. It’s business.

What are your feelings about egg punk? Your band is not an egg punk band—whatever that really means—but it sounds like your music has possibly taken some influence from the first generation of that scene. Is that correct to say?

It sucks. It's settled to be a very specific and deeply boring thing. It doesn’t make sense how something so internet has become so static. I just like synthesizers and drum machines because I watched Drive too much and listened to Wave 103 FM. In 2019 if you had those two things and you were somewhat self-aware you were Devo-core and then egg-punk. I don't want to associate my old music with either terms really. Synth-punk or just alt does enough. I think pianos are cool now.

What other music were you inspired by when you started the band? And what is exciting you right now?

Moving forward is exciting. Nostalgia is death. There is so much to learn and feel in this beautiful world ... The old high is only ahead. Chronologically it's like Sabbath, Misfits, 50, Segall, Dwyer, Mark Winter, Norm Macdonald, Suicide, NIN, 90’s BM, Leandoer, AIC, Grime Stone Records, Oasis, Silent Hill soundtrack, Cooper B Handy, Snow Strippers, Smerz.

Any British bands you want to shout out?

Karim’s Hitmen is the next best thing, Lloyd’s Tramadol if you are hard, Cajm’s Window if you are freaky, Otta if you smile & dance, Hani Hooper if you wear sunglasses, Tom Terry’s Voice Notes if you know what I mean, brother, etc.

Any good stories from touring America? 

Our first NYC show was around Halloween and someone came wearing a giant Garfield costume. Everyone cheered when they walked in. In the US the people bring ‘Morrowind’ discs to get signed and one kid brought his whole Xbox 360 because his disc was stuck and he couldn’t get it out. Seeing Danzig’s old house in LA was profound.Someone drove a homemade go-kart to a Pittsburgh show, I had a little go on it, was nice it couldn’t turn. The night in Vegas…

Is there a genre that you want Powerplant to dip into but you just do not know how to make it work?

Bridge of Sacrifice black metal LP out this Halloween. 

Photo Credit: Tom Hall