Interview: Manfred Sittmann of Elephants And Stars, New Album Philistine Vulgarity Out June 19, 2026.

Were there any particular events or emotions that shaped the songwriting?

Definitely. One of my biggest criticisms of my lyrics have always been a lack of specificity. With everything happening in the world, I definitely wanted to speak to that with some clarity. Songs like Sanctuary Cities and The Reckoning are direct indictments of what is happening in America right now with the grotesque hypocrisy of "Christians" vilifying refugees in spite of the notion that their alleged saviour was himself one whereas Propensity for Violence is a pretty obvious note on the current climate of political and social violence occurring.

Not everything is political though. There are a couple of songs like Take It All and Of Halfway Houses, that are nostalgia-based. They remember a time when things felt optimistic and everything head of you was brimming with promise and opportunity, until the reality of the world came crashing down.

Of course, there are also the customary relationship gone bad trope in Drowning in Doubt, Kinda and Brief, Shining Moment which, again, I was pleased with the level of specificity I was able to convey. 

Were there any challenges you faced during the recording process?

Yeah, a couple. We had reached the point of the record being edited and mixed and (producer) Ron came to me and basically said that a lot of the bed tracks we laid down were problematic and needed to be re-done. So, after the recording was basically completed, we have to go back and reverse engineer some drum, bass and guitar parts. I was initially hesitant to do this, but Ron was fairly emphatic and I have finally started to learn to trust the experts. In the least surprising result ever, it turns out Ron was right and it was a good thing we listened to him. 

Which track was the most fun to create, and why?

I can't speak for everyone, but for me it was definitely Sanctuary Cities, for a number of reasons. For starters, for a band who normally live in the 3-to-3-and-a-half-minute song world, to have a song sprawl for over 7 minutes was a fun exercise in self-indulgence. Also, I am a huge MC5 fan and they used to have a song called Black To Comm, which was reputedly in the 10-minute range and they would play it live to 'walk the room' (i.e. empty it out) and I always loved that as a concept and thought we should do one of those. 

Did any collaborations influence the sound or direction of this project?

Well, I suppose the obvious answer here is that it was produced by Ron Hawkins from The Lowest of the Low. So, you're not just talking about someone who knows recording and mic placement and that sort of thing but someone with a stellar record as a songwriter, arranger, lyricist, etc. He has a fantastic ear for melodies and brought a lot of that to our recording. We tweaked some melodies and discussed harmonies at length and even debated arrangements and mixing ideas. It was very collaborative and I think you can hear (see?) his fingerprints all over the record. 

Did you experiment with any new techniques, instruments, or styles on this record?

I don't think so, specifically. That said I do think there is a nice range of types of songs on here from heavy riff-rockers and punk-infused numbers to some weirder stuff like the aforementioned sprawl (and borderline stoner rock) of Sanctuary Cities or the surf-adjacent Even Out The Lies. Then there is the melodic pop of Brief, Shining or One Light At A Time. I think two of my favourite things people have ever said about us speak to this idea. One said we "live comfortably in the space between a punk rock flop house and the AM Gold radio station". The other was that we were "the bastard child of Motorhead and Teenage Fanclub". I love both of those because I like the idea that we're never just one thing.

How do you feel this album represents your evolution as a band?

Hmmm. I am not sure I am the best person to answer this because I am too close to it. For me, my songwriting approach hasn't changed that much over the years. I think to get a really good assessment of this, you would need to ask listeners who heard our older bands like Soap Opera and The First Time and then also compare that with our earlier E&S records. I would actually be really interested in hearing some of those thoughts, but even though it's a cop out because I am not really answering the question, I really don't think I am the one to give an answer. Maybe some of your readers could chime in. 

What do you hope your fans take away from this album?

Obviously, your number one hope is that they will fall instantly in love with it and purchase multiple copies of it on vinyl, stream it on repeat, join our Patreon (which we don't actually have) and spend countless dollars on our merchandise so we can live a life of ease and luxury.

Seriously though, I think the hope is always that they will find some songs that speak them either musically or lyrically and it becomes a record (or we become a band) that stays a part of their musical canon. When I think of the bands I love, the idea we could potentially ever be that for someone is a nice thought.

Also, if it compels them to come out to a show or send us a nice note, that's really the most you can hope for. 

Have fans influenced the direction of your music or this album in any way?

No, not really. I think that would be a bit of a slippery slope to sort chase people's tastes. It's clear that they like the heavier rock stuff, but that's only part of what we do. We've always said we want to feel like we can do any kind of song we want. Ironically, the streaming services' algorithms tend to like our more poppy stuff, so it just goes to show you that you can't predict tastes so there is no point in trying to accommodate them. We will just keep doing what we do and hope people like it. 

What can fans expect from your upcoming tour or album release events?

Well, I would say the most important thing would be for them to temper those expectations as we don't have much in the way of tours or big events planned at this point. As always, we're keeping our eyes and ears open for opportunities, but nothing concrete on the books yet. If anyone out there has Jimmy Eat World's phone number you can let them know we're available. 

Do you have any music videos planned for the album? What can you share about them?

We did shoot a few videos for this one, but like all of our videos, they are primarily just performance-based. I am not sure that the old-school, story-driven videos really work for lesser-known bands. That's more of a Taylor Swift thing at this point. She's got the budget and the fan base. We're just over here treading water trying to get the word out.  

If you could describe this album in three words, what would they be?

I can do it in two: Yesterday's News!! lol We are already on to writing and rehearsing what will be the next record. I have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to our music. I am always thinking about the next thing. 

Is there a specific moment during the album’s creation that you’ll always remember?

There were a few, but there is a very strange one that I can convey. When we got the mixes back from Ron, I sent them to a few people in well-known (to me, anyway) bands that I love to say 'hey, this is our new record, I'd love for you to give it a listen and maybe we could collaborate in the future and you could guest-produce a track' and to my utter shock and surprise they all got back to me with positive things to say about the record, the band and none closed the door on working together in the future. That blew my mind because I assume I was just kind of chasing the wind on that.  

Do you have a tour booked or is one being booked to promote the album?

We do not. Not at this point anyway. We do have a couple of conversations happening which might lead to some decent shows, but right now its just all so much patter. 

Add Anything Else That You'd Like the Fans to Know.

This is going to sound incredibly maudlin, but it is that we really, truly appreciate them. Every stream, every internet comment, every t-shirt bought. We are so truly grateful that anyone at all are drawn enough to us to let us be a part of their musical lives. When you are smaller, independent artist its all about the small wins and our wins come in the form of every person who has supported us in any way. I remember when our first record came out it got something like 5000 streams and I was thinking - wow that is a LOT for us. Now we are coming up on one million on Spotify alone and it exceeds every hope we ever had when we started so everything from here is just a bonus. And for that we say the most sincere thank you that words can convey.