Mark Stoermer Q&A: The Killers bassist on his solo album Filthy Apes and Lions

Musician just released the fantastic video for 'Muju's Revenge'

Mark Stoermer announced last year that he would stop touring with The Killers, and has since released his third solo album, Filthy Apes & Lions.

It's completely different to anything the Las Vegas have or would release, and draws on Stoermer's interest and study of art history; packed with heavy, dark beats and mysterious jungle sounds.

We caught up with him recently for a quick chat about the record, his music videos, and what other music he's been listening to. You can also watch his new music video, featuring stunning claymation, for "Muju's Revenge" (above).

Q&A with Mark Stoermer

On studying art history and its impact on his work:

The line "filthy apes & lions", taken from an old text, appears in the song "Beautiful Deformities" which I wrote in 2016. I liked that line so much I took it and did an automatic, surrealist writing exercise with no real story in mind, and that painted a picture with words so to speak.

It was a non-linear story, which came out of just that line, and had nothing to do with the title track for this album. So that line is in the album twice, and that’s kind of where the animal motif came from as well, and the artwork and everything.

On the visual element of his music:

I made all the videos in advance, like the one for the title track - that was made about seven months ago. I made another seven-minute long version of the video for the song "Beautiful Deformities" in November 2016. So that was all happening, and lately I’ve been focusing on those courses. It’s the way it goes, I had that creative spark for a bit.

I always work with great directors. Occasionally I present a treatment or the beginning, and we collaborate together. I definitely seek out people because of their aesthetic and how it can tie in to what I’m doing.

What he’s listening to at the moment:

I’ve been listening to a lot of classical music. The newest album is the War On Drugs record, that and the Fleet Foxes record that came out last year. I like how orchestral it is, there’s jazz and it even has some sampling. It’s very experimental for them, expansive and cinematic.

On The Killers’ plans:

I think they’re planning to tour for a year at least, probably more. My personal health has taken a little bit of a toll, and that was part of my decision. I wasn’t happy on the road in the way that those guys wanted to tour, for a lot of reasons, but I’m grateful for what I’ve done, and what I’m doing now.

Filthy Apes and Lions, the third solo album by Mark Stoermer, is out now