Pigeon Opinion Featuring an Interview with The Unfamiliars?

“Bottles” was written in the heart of winter, drawing inspiration from those summer memories that keep most of us going throughout the year. Their sound blends fun, desperate, old-school pop punk melodies with energetic grooves and nostalgic vibes.

Interview with The Unfamiliars?

How did forming during the first quarantine shape the identity and sound of The Unfamiliars?

The first quarantine was essential to our formation. We were suddenly free from work distractions, stuck inside with nothing but time and a strong urge to create. It was a very contradictory period. It felt like a forced but much needed pause, yet it was also filled with anxiety about the world and the people around us.

At first, we were simply jamming, not knowing if we’d ever play these songs live. That made everything feel raw and unfiltered. Many of our songs reflect that contrast: upbeat melodies paired with more desperate or reflective lyrics. Most of them were originally written and recorded on our phones with just an acoustic guitar and Martina’s voice, which is why acoustic elements still play a big role in our sound today.

At what point did this side project start to feel like something much bigger?

At first, we were just playing covers to pass the time. When we started writing our own songs through casual living room jam sessions, it still felt a bit random, until we finished “Spoon.” We recorded it on our phones so we wouldn’t forget it in case we wanted to play it again.

Slowly, our own songs started replacing the covers in our afternoon and midnight sessions. And then we realised we were far more excited about playing our own material than anything else.

The real turning point came during a video call with Mandy. She sent us a guitar track she didn’t know what to do with and we instantly knew we had just found the missing piece of what was no longer a side project, but a band. We had a clear vision and style and that was the moment we realised it.

How did living in the same apartment building influence your early songwriting sessions?

Well, if we had been living in different parts of the city, we wouldn’t have been able to meet at all. Being in the same apartment building during lockdown meant we suddenly had unlimited time to jam, experiment, and write without overthinking. That proximity made everything feel spontaneous and effortless. We would move from an idea to a full song in a single afternoon.

What does the question mark in your name represent for you creatively?

“Unfamiliars” isn’t really a proper word. It’s wrong and doesn’t really make sense. The question mark validates the confusion someone might feel when hearing it for the first time. That small moment of uncertainty is intentional. Not everything has to be clearly defined or "right" to exist, including a band. We all come from different musical backgrounds after all.

How would you describe the emotional balance between “fun” and “desperate” in your music?

Very rarely is something purely joyful or purely sad. Even in the darkest situations, there can be moments that make you laugh uncontrollably and even the happiest moments are one thought away from turning heavy. We’re so drawn to that fragile balance.

We don't believe emotion is one-dimensional. When you’re experiencing something unpleasant, your mind often tries to protect you. You, we, need to cope, to survive, sometimes even to cheer ourselves up. Desperate or pessimistic lyrics accompanied by melodies that feel brighter, almost uplifting is not a contradiction to us. It’s just experience.

What inspired “Bottles,” and how do summer memories translate into its sound?

“Bottles” was written on a cold quarantine night while we were longing for summer. During lockdown, a late-night out in the balcony or an unusually long walk felt like the closest thing to normal life. Naturally, thinking about summer led us to think about the old friendships that came with it, intense but sometimes temporary.

The song reflects on those summer friendships that fade as people grow. It’s not tragic, it’s just part of finding who you are. However, these memories remain, and they are what pushes us to create new ones with the people we consciously choose to keep in our lives.

We also wanted the sound to feel light, almost like a summer breeze or a wave. We even highlighted the subtle finger sounds on the guitar because they reminded us of water sounds.

How does “Bottles” differ from your previous singles like “Spoon,” “Mom,” and “I’m Ok”?

Stylistically and lyrically, “Bottles” is closest to “Spoon.” The two were probably written in the same week and they share a similar emotional tone. It also connects thematically to “I’m Ok,” though “I’m Ok” leans more traditionally into a straightforward pop punk / punk rock sound.

“Mom,” on the other hand, stands completely apart. It’s a much heavier and more devastating song, both lyrically and emotionally, with a haunting, bittersweet melody. It was written over a year later than the rest of the album and it carries a very different weight.

What can listeners expect from your debut album “Fun, Isn’t It?” as a whole?

The album is built on the idea of inevitability, that feeling when something is impossible to ignore, whether it’s love, a new beginning, a breakup, or a decision you know you have to make. When something feels unavoidable, we believe you should let yourself sink into it. And if it’s something you can easily control or walk away from, then maybe it was never meant to define you.

For us, music is exactly that. We can’t imagine a reality where we don’t play music, and that same intensity runs through the album. It’s about love, life, change and, inevitably, a little bit of quarantine too.

How important is the DIY approach to your artistic vision, both musically and visually?

DIY is both empowering and exhausting. Everything depends on us and on the friends who choose to support us, which means every decision, every detail, every mistake is on us.

It’s time-and money-consuming and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s also incredibly fulfilling. The biggest advantage is that the final result is exactly what we intended it to be. It’s not someone else’s interpretation of our lyrics or emotions. It’s 100% ours.

The Athens music scene has always been vibrant, especially its DIY community, which is incredibly supportive, both among artists and from the audience itself. Over the years, we’ve each played in different bands across the metal, punk, and alternative rock scenes. Those experiences shaped us, both musically and practically.

We learned how venues operate, how different crowds respond, and how to navigate the live circuit. That experience gave us a sense of awareness and confidence. We know where we feel at home, and where our sound truly belongs.

Most importantly, we met each other through the scene. The Unfamiliars? probably wouldn’t exist without it.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out The Unfamiliars? on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist