The Geneva quartet on hypnotic hooks, bass faces, and skipping the small talk.
Swiss indie-alt outfit The Gods They Made don’t believe in easing you in.
Their latest single, ‘Hypnotic,’ opens mid-spell, no introduction, no build, just a vocal and synth hook that locks in before you’ve decided to listen.
Formed in a Geneva basement in 2019, the band has since sharpened their post-punk and indie rock edges, drawing comparisons to Fontaines D.C. and The National.
Produced by Laurent Lozano at MoonStudios, ‘Hypnotic’ expands on their debut’s sound with more prominent synths, electronic pads, and a mix that breathes with new tension.
The lyrics, cryptic, weighty lines like “what goes around keeps turning,” name a familiar damage without offering escape.
We sat down with bassist Mike to talk heatwaves, “bass faces,” and why the band doesn’t overthink their best ideas.
Here’s what he had to say about writing collectively, dodging genre labels, and the simple joy of a good groove.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
MIKE: There’s a heatwave in Europe today so I’ve been trying to keep cool
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
MIKE: I’m from London, UK but now live in Geneva, Switzerland. I love both, but of course miss my home town, it’s always buzzing.
HAPPY: ‘Hypnotic’ drops listeners straight into the vocal and synth hook with no introduction. Why did you decide to skip the build and just start inside the song?
MIKE: Well we try and mix up our intros, it wasn’t thought about too much, just worked in the band room jamming.
HAPPY: You sing, “what goes around keeps turning,” is that line the thematic centrE of the song?
MIKE: Daire our singer would have a complicated answer to this, as a bass player I would say, IDK
HAPPY: How did Laurent Lozano at MoonStudios push this track further than your debut material?
MIKE: He’s an awesome guy, great ears, has similar music taste to us all individually, a true muso and perfectionist, it all just worked.
HAPPY: You’ve said the band writes collectively. How does a song like ‘Hypnotic’ evolve from a basement jam to a finished track?
MIKE: Just that, a jam to a track!
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HAPPY: You’ve described your sound as “indie alt rock,” but ‘Hypnotic’ also pulls from post-punk and electronic textures. Do genre labels matter to you?
MIKE: Yes and no, we have been labelled as Synth Rock, how about we use that?
HAPPY: What’s one thing you want a listener to feel during the final chorus of ‘Hypnotic’ that the lyrics don’t explicitly say?
MIKE: A feeling that gives them a good bass face
HAPPY: What’s next on the horizon for The Gods They Made?
MIKE: Keep writing and recording, we love it, finding good shows is the most difficult part here in Switzerland, but we will keep going and knocking for the big supports.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
MIKE: A good bass face!
