Usually well hidden behind his drumkit with established Austrian bands (Kitty in a Casket, ELSA, Greyshadow), Max Zauner aka fencah [fence-ah] steps right into the spotlight for his upcoming album Small Room, Full Heart.

The father of two incorporates themes like love, uncertainty and growth into his songs, crafting a sentimental sound between Bedroom Pop, Indie and Folk music.

Using a customised baritone ukulele as his main songwriting tool, he collaborates heavily with friends he made along his musical journey: Georg Buxhofer [Norbert Schneider band], Caroline Loibersbeck [Frau Thomas & Herr Martin], Verena Koppendorfer [Ivery] among others. fencah self-produces and mixes all of his tracks in his studio “artig recordings” in Lower Austria.

RHAYN [rain] lives in a world of books and music. Naturally introverted she draws from the written word, weaving influences like Mary Oliver and Patti Smith into her own experiences, resulting in a soft and delicate folky sound that is reminiscent of Billie Marten or The Staves.

It was her dedicated teachers at a bilingual junior high school that first introduced her to the singer-songwriters of the ’60s, encouraged secret band practices after hours and surrounded her with books that sparked the initial excitement for the arts.

RHAYN aims to share the comfort and fascination she finds in her favourite books and albums through her own music. Providing space for quiet, reflection and community.

She is currently based in Vienna, Austria.

With “Daydream” out now, we took some time to hear from fencah. Read below to learn more about fencah, the story behind “Daydream,” and what’s to come.

Hi fencah! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?

Thanks for having me! fencah is a trivial take on directly translating my last name to the English language. Zauner (Zaun = fence) becomes fencah – it’s that simple!

What city are you from, and where are you based now?

Born and raised in Melk, Lower Austria, I spent some years in Vienna to study music and moved back to my hometown a few years ago. I’m working out of my home studio, artig recordings, that I built since we moved back here.

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?

I started music school really early – I’ve been playing drums since I was six years old and have been playing in bands ever since. It’s only recently though that I started to write and sing as a proper singer.

How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

I always try to build my songs around a certain sound or concept that pops in my head. Most of the time, these songs end up as a blend of Folk and Indie Pop in some way.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

I really like gardening and try to stay active by working out or cycling. Both RHAYN and I are active readers too!

Who are some of your main musical influences?

Ethan Gruska has been a great inspiration over the last few years. His work as a solo artist and also as a producer (Phoebe Bridgers, boygenius, Jeremy Zucker…) speaks to me on a deeper level.

What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?

As I said – I’ve been around the block as a drummer for various bands already. Playing Summer Breeze Festival with Kitty in a Casket in 2017 definitely has ticked a few points off my bucket list.

What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?

Having people around yourself that care and try to help you, even when their help is not always the thing that you might want to hear in that moment, is very valuable. Honesty often is an underrated quality.

Now onto your release, ‘Daydream.’ What inspired this song? What is ‘Daydream’ about?

‘Daydream’ in a way is exactly about that. Finding the delicate balance between helping a friend and letting them see how they can help themselves.

How did the collaboration with RHAYN come about?

I’ve been a fan of RHAYN for quite some time – we shared a stage at a small fundraiser event and I was immediately captivated by the way that she sang. A few years later, we randomly met at a party and I asked her if she wanted to write a song together and a few weeks later, we met up to write ‘Daydream.’

Do you have a shared influence? Maybe an artist that you both adore?

We’re both big fans of OSKA – an Austrian singer with a heavenly voice.

What was the creative process like when making ‘Daydream?’

It wasn’t that easy in the beginning – we hadn’t ever made music together and needed a bit of time to start grooving together. I was at the piano for most of the time, while RHAYN was playing guitar.

How long did it take to complete ‘Daydream?’

We had the general framework of the song after a day. I also did a few takes with the baritone ukulele, which ended up containing the opening instrumental melody line of the song. After that, we worked back and forth remotely until RHAYN came over to my studio for a concluding session about a month later. So all in all, we were pretty efficient. 🙂

What message or messages do you hope fans take away from ‘Daydream’ and your music in general?

The song definitely aims to convey a message of hope and reassurance. But, as in all of my songs, I try to carry that message in a believable, real way. The second verse of ‘Daydream’ is about getting the protagonist to see that they’re not making their situation better by wallowing in self-pity. Sometimes that’s what we need to realize to get better and that’s a part of life too.

What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?

I’ve been working on songs over the whole summer and there’s a lot of cool stuff still about to come. RHAYN is working on her album now and will tour once it’s done, so be on the lookout for that as well!

Where can we follow you on social media?

https://www.instagram.com/fencah_/ https://fencah.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shes_rhayn/ https://rhayn.bandcamp.com/

Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!