Hauntingly Good: A Talk with The Haunt in Berlin

During their last stops on their "New Addiction" Tour, the Floridian sibling duo, The Haunt, claimed Berlin's cosy Privatclub and transformed it into an alt-rock sanctuary. The dark glamour of their "New Addiction" era was on full display, blending brooding yet energetic melodies with cathartic anthems.

Before the haunting began, Austrian newcomer band Glazed Curtains cranked up the temperature with a sludgy, fast-paced rock sound that got the crowd moving early. Their new song "I Still Hate Myself (Maybe)" had the crowd moving and was stuck in my mind afterward. By the time they exited the stage, the room was primed for what was to come. Glazed Curtains delivered a great rock sound, fun lyricism, and even better vocal depth - definitely a newcomer band we will watch out for in the future.

Want to see more photos of Glazed Curtains? Click here.

Once The Haunt entered the stage, the crowd's reaction was undeniably heartfelt, and you could feel the energetic excitement in the intimate crowd. Singer Anastasia's emotive vocals carried every line, and her stage presence ranged from her vulnerability one moment to a commanding roar the next, which dominated the intimate room. Guitarist and Singer Maxamillion delivered melody-tight riffs and vocals, which crafted a soundscape that demanded the crowd form a connection to what was happening in the songs and on stage.

A personal favorite was "Bad Omen," which made the listener feel the heavy rhythm deeply within one's bones and a chorus one just wanted to scream along to. Similarly, "Own Me," delivered with thunderous drums and strutting guitars, all while Anastasia sang lyrics about anxiety that felt intensely direct. During the title track "New Addiction", the crowd jumped, raved, and clapped to the rhythm as the band moved energetically on the stage. The undisputed fan favorites of the night were their staple piece "Cigarettes & Feelings", the venomous breakup anthem "Dead 2 Me", as well as the energetic track" Masochistic Lovers" which had the crowd screaming every word and jumping in the air. At the same time, a circle pit erupted under the small club's ceiling.

The Haunt's Berlin gig was more than a showcase of their music; it was an emotional rite to welcome their upcoming album "New Addiction", arriving July 25th, 2025. They summoned the rawness and fun darkness of New Addiction, with an electrifying live punch, all without losing the poignant touch of their previous music, which they're known for. This crowd was ready for it with circle pits, scream-alongs, and phone flashlights in hand. The show had it all, and the crowd loved it as they were lost in the shine of a duo who've certainly earned their place in the alt-rock music scene.

We can't wait for the upcoming album; we recommend listening to the songs that are already out to get a feel of the night's energy!

Fortunately, we also got the chance to sit down with the Haunt backstage. Here's the interview:

Mäx: Thanks for having us. In just a bit, you will be performing here in Berlin. If someone in the crowd or one of our readers hears you for the first time, what's one thing you hope they walk away with?

Maxamillion: Well, I mean, first and foremost, I think we want them to have a good time. Our shows have always been about trying to create a safe space for everybody. You know, we go up there and give it 110% and try to get the audience to do the same. And we really hope that everybody has an unforgettable experience every time we get on stage. That's always what we're looking for.

Mäx: I think they will most definitely have that today. We can't wait for your new 10-part album coming July 25th, titled "New Addiction." What does the title mean to you two?

Maxamillion: I think that's what we're trying to be for everybody. As far as the fan base and listeners go, you know, this is our first actual album ever. And we made it through a time that was really hard for us, and we kind of came out on the other side, and it kind of felt like a new kind of take on the band. It really felt like we had started accomplishing a lot of the things that we have been trying to do. We've been working together for a decade now, so we just hope that everybody feels the same way we do about the record. And, you know, we're addicted to playing it and singing it, and we hope they will be addicted to listening to it.

Mäx: I mean, you kind of just said it. You've been doing music ever since you were young. You could've chosen any genre. Why did you get started with this kind of genre?

Maxamillion: I think our parents had a lot of influence on us when we were young. Obviously, we're siblings, and our parents aren't musicians, but they love music, so we grew up on a ton of '90s rock and '90s hip hop. That was a big part of our childhood. I think it kind of just came naturally. It was the two main genres we listened to growing up, and when I was really young, I started discovering that I could listen to music on my own at five or six years old - I really loved Green Day, Blink-182, and The White Stripes.

We had different musical influences. You had your own as well, and it felt natural to..

Anastasia: ...to combine the two. I was always listening to blues, and he was listening to pop punk. So, combining the two just felt natural.

Maxamillion: And we were significantly influenced by fans like White Stripes and Jack White and The Kills and Dead Weather, so that kind of blues rock was always what we loved listening to. And of course, you always try to emulate influences, especially early on, and that's kind of just where it took us, you know.

Mäx: Okay, so you guys are siblings in a band, that must come with some kind of chaos or chemistry. Would you say your bond influences your creative process?

Maxamillion: Definitely, 100 percent! Obviously, when people think of sibling bands, they think of bands like Oasis, or something like that. Some days were like Oasis, and then other days, most days, it's really not like that at all. It's not as tumultuous as you would imagine. Arguments are going to happen with anybody, but the fact that we're living in the same house, and that we are siblings...you know, we're always going to have to figure it out somehow. And that's been the thing that has kept us together while we've watched bands around us, that started at the same time as us, either give up or end up not standing each other, and this or that. There'll be days when we can't stand each other, but we get through it eventually... It's not like she goes back to her house, and I don't see her for a month after we're done touring or something. At the end of the day, we're siblings after all.

Mäx: Talking about your tour. What is haunting your tour? Has anything interesting or fun happened so far?

Maxamillion: We try to do as many fun things as possible while we're traveling, but it ends up being many things like getting to the venue, sound checking, playing, and leaving. That's like the main tour thing. We had a full day in Bristol. We went to the beach in Brighton and thankfully managed to experience a couple of new things while we were out there. We also went to the Eiffel Tower in Paris for the first time, which was horrific. It was pretty scary. I'm scared of heights. And I walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, which was a terrible decision. It was really high.

Anastasia: Only the second level.

Maxamillion: ...still way too high. Yeah, imagine what it would have been like all the way up. I probably would have been latched to a pole up there, but yeah. And then last night we went out in Berlin. It was a - what was the place called? Hofbräuhaus. It had an ongoing German theme, drinking in liters, and we just had a good time.

Mäx: So, the typical German experience.

Maxamillion: Yeah, it was really fun. We were eating Schnitzel and Sausage.

Mäx: Really fun! Talking about your upcoming album, what is your favorite song on there?

Maxamillion: For right now, I am rocking with "Dead 2 Me" - I love that one.

Anastasia: That's my favorite to play live.

Anastasia: But my favorite is called "Worse Than Me", which has not been released yet.

Mäx: So the fans can be excited for that one!

My personal favorite is "Own Me" featuring Mod Sun. Let's get a little bit deeper into this one. Your lyrics, Anastasia, dive into the topics of anxiety and depression, while the sound itself is full of heavy guitars and drums. I think it's a well-made balance. Can you unpack this a little bit? What inspired the track, musically and lyrically?

Anastasia: Yeah, I think it's very different for us. I think that's our version of - I wouldn't say a ballad, but like ballady. It's like twangy. There's a little bit of a Western vibe in there. And I like doing different things with my voice. I think lyrically, it's like a little bit of a cry for help, which I feel like everyone has sometimes, and mine is just public now, laughs, but, yeah, you got anything?

Maxamillion: Well, I could talk about the Mod Sun feature. We had met in passing once before, but then we ended up playing a show together where we opened for him in February, and it was really cool. It was a lot of fun. We were hanging out backstage and bullshitting a little bit. And then our producer for the track, Kevin Thrasher - he produces Mod Sun's solo music sometimes - so we sent it over to him, and he was super into it, and kind of just came together.

Anastasia: The song was honestly ready to go, mixed and mastered.

Maxamillion: Yeah, she was singing both verses

Anastasia: And then we got him on it at the last minute.

Maxamillion: ...like super last minute.

Anastasia: Yeah, two weeks before it came out. But I think it makes the song. I think it's so much better with him.

Maxamillion: We then flew to Nashville and did the video the day before or two days before we left for the tour. So that was a, you know, pretty chaotic couple of months right now with that. I actually edited the music video while we were in the tour bus.

Mäx: So, are you editing the video on your own?

Maxamillion: Yes, she directs the videos, and then I edit and color grade the videos.

Anastasia: We did it in our tent, actually. Where was it ... at Download Festival?

Maxamillion: Yeah, I started working on it in the bus, and it wasn't working great. So it was like, we're gonna wait till we get out. And then we were in this tent. It was like 100 degrees outside. It was like working on the laptop with no AC, just like sweating. laughs

Anastasia: I feel like everyone's relating to it heavily, and it is really depressing, so that's sad. Maximillion laughs ...but yeah, I think everyone has that person or feeling, or that thing.

Mäx: I think so too, yeah. I believe that's also why it's so relatable.

Maxamillion: That's kind of what we did on the whole record. We tried to get as honest as we could with our songwriting and everything like that. It seems like people are connecting with it, which is really awesome to see.

Mäx: That fits our upcoming print issue, which is all centered around the topic of belonging. Maximillion, you once said your songs "aim to put the listeners in your shoes, so they can relate to what you're going through". Can you share a moment where you guys realized, as a band and maybe with your music as well, that you are giving people a sense of belonging or community?

Maxamillion: Yeah, I mean, you see it online, and it's a little depersonalizing, because you're not like seeing that person when they're saying those things to you. People say, "This song really helped me through a hard time," and stuff like that. But when you see the fans in person at shows like this, and they tell you that your music helps them through a hard time, it's really inspiring for us to continue to do what we do, and go back and make more music that is honest and true to what we're feeling. We made the record at the hardest time of our lives. So to be able to help people through such a time, and for them to be able to relate to those feelings, is pretty amazing to hear. You don't really make it with that purpose. You make it for yourself, and then it becomes something else to somebody else. And that's a really incredible and different feeling.

Mäx: I mean, fans connect with the artists through the music, which is why I think it is essential to have a platform for these thoughts, especially as you guys are really vulnerable in your lyricism.

Maxamillion: Yeah, so it definitely felt like we didn't really even have a choice, these songs just kind of came out when we were writing this record, it was like, we got, we had some shit to say, and it all just came together on its own. We didn't go into the studio when we were like: We need to make this super on the nose and honest about everything. But it's just kind of how it came out. And I feel like, I don't know, it's defined, like a different style for us, which was really cool, and we kind of stopped with the metaphors and just said how we felt. You know what I mean?

Mäx: Is the style something you want to go forward with in your music?

Maxamillion: Definitely! I think seeing how much and how many people connect to it and just really breaking down that wall for the first time was really cool. And we're definitely going to continue to build on that.

Mäx: So I have a little fun question. Your aesthetic blends goth, glam, and alt energy. If you had to design a haunted house based on the band or your music, what would be in it?

Mäx: Love that! So you're wrapping up your fascinating EU and UK tours as well as Download Festival and Rock for People - anything you're excited about coming home as well?

Maxamillion: I mean, obviously, the tour was unbelievable for us. This is our first real headline tour ever. We did a short run, three dates in January, back in the US, which was mind-blowing; we sold all three of those shows out. Our agent said, You guys need to do headline shows to see where you're at. We were like, I don't know about that.

Anastasia: Yeah. We actually had no idea that people would come. So we were shocked.

Maxamillion: We've been opening for other bands for so long that we were like, that's what we're doing still.

Anastasia: We did know that people would come, but we had no idea that we were capable of selling anything out yet.

Maxamillion: Yeah, we sell out in our hometown, but, like, that's your hometown, yeah? This was New York, Chicago, LA, and we were like, wow, that's fucking crazy. And then our UK and EU agent said, Okay, let's do a tour. We got the three festivals, and he said, let's fill in the dates and see what we can do. And you know, we had three or four sold-out shows. Almost all the shows had low ticket prices. It was like we were blown away by how much different it was from what we thought it would be. We were so unsure, you know, and now it's really cool that we've done this, and it's still mind-blowing to us. So obviously it's been a great time, and going home is always nice, just to get a little break, but then we're going straight back. We're booked until like...

Anastasia: ... December 21st, right before Christmas.

Maxamillion: The whole rest of the year we have shit. So it's like, it will be fun to go home for two weeks, and that's one of the longest stretches we'll be home for the rest of the year, which is crazy.

Anastasia: So we'll probably just sleep.

Maxamillion: Yeah, sleep, and we have to make a music video...

Anastasia: So we might, like, wrestle some alligators. You know, just some things that you can enjoy. laughs

Mäx: Is there a difference between the US and Europe regarding shows for you?

Maxamillion: Yeah, there's definitely a different energy. I mean, it depends on where you are. The US is so big, and there will be amazing shows depending on where you are. But then, some markets are overserved. There are too many shows, too many days of the week...

Anastasia: Yeah, they're just unimpressed. They're enjoying it, but they're not going hard. I think everyone here goes hard, like all the time.

Maxamillion: Yeah, Europe goes hard.

Mäx: You're right. I'd say Germany, especially, is somewhat made for rock.

Anastasia: Yeah, and the UK too. It was insane. We didn't even start, and they were already moshing.

Maxamillion: We're laughing on stage. We couldn't believe it while we were playing the songs; it was so crazy.

Anastasia: They're moshing to our ballad. both laugh

Maxamillion: Yeah, Germany has been crazy as well. Cologne and Munich went crazy.

Anastasia: In Cologne, it was crazy because we were playing at a venue that we played at, opening for Pallaye back in 2018, when I was 15. So coming back and actually headlining it was...

Maxamillion: ...so insane! Returning to the same venues you've played, opening for other people years ago, and now headlining them yourself is such an incredible, weird feeling.

Mäx: I can totally see that. We have an artist recommendation playlist where we ask for your favorite songs. So maybe you can both name one or two of your favorites?

Maxamillion: I'll do a current and an all-time.

Anastasia: Do you have yours already?

Maxamillion: A current right now? I'm really, I'm really on that Immigrant Heat song - "headlock". I've been just bumping that song, and then it's hard all the time. Checks his Spotify

Anastasia: Wait, I have a playlist... points to Max's phone. Can you go on 'slaying and cunting?' We had to change the Playlist. It is what was playing in the venue for merch after our set. And it was getting too sad...everyone was getting sad. So Songbird is one of my favorite songs of all time. I think I need something Fleetwood Mac...

Maxamillion: .. Fleetwood Mac... what would your Fleetwood Mac choice be?

Anastasia: Well, right now it would be...

Maxamillion: I think mine's "The Chain".

Anastasia: That's what I was gonna say!

Maxamillion: Yeah, the chain is really good. We're huge Fleetwood Mac fans, I feel like that whole record is in there, and then I feel like...

Anastasia: "Back to black", just like in general.

Maxamillion: Yeah, I would say, like, "dead leaves in the dirty ground."

Anastasia: Now we're just naming records.

Maxamillion: Anyway, there are a few good ones in there. laughs

Check out The Haunts' favorite songs here:

Want to see more of their show and the interview? Here are all the pictures:

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