COMA - Empathy Over Ego (France - Stoner-Fusion - Interview with Djo).

Hi ! Can you introduce yourselves and tell us how it all started for you—how you discovered this musical world, what attracted you to it, what fascinated you, and what made you want to make music? 
Well, we're a trio from Arras, consisting of: Yves on drums, Djo on vocals and guitar, Max on bass and backing vocals. Max and Yves have known each other since high school and have played together before. Djo and Yves also played together in a band. The three of them got together in 2019 at “La Forge,” a bar in Arras where jam sessions are held every Thursday night. We all agreed on the idea of forming a band, but as for the style, although we each had our own, we wanted something powerful with English lyrics, the choice of French will be made post-COVID. The first rehearsals took place at “La Baraque à Son” (Pharos room in Arras) and we are still rehearsing in this venue.
Covid put a slight damper on our early days, but we were able to bounce back, and it was at the end of lockdown that we decided on French lyrics. We figured we could have more impact and be better heard and listened to in these complicated times.
Our influences are: RATM, KORN, Gainsbourg, Bashung, Limp Bizkit & 90's hip hop. We quickly found our style, but we can't define it because, to date, no organization, media outlet, article, or event has been able to find a common thread. It evolves with our compositions and over the years, surely due to personal events and our desire to produce even more impactful music and lyrics.

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all costs? 
Our sound is, let's say: Heavy, it grooves, it's local. You should listen to COMA because it's unusual, the lyrics are in French, it's heavy, it rocks, it's awesome....

Lyrical inspirations/influences? How important are lyrics to you? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics? 
The lyrics are often composed like poems or thoughts on themes such as mental health, our place in today's society, inequality, and human violence. Many of these thoughts are related to misanthropy.

About the band's discography... Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested. Which album would you recommend they start with, and why?
Our second EP was released on November 28, 2025. And obviously, we can only recommend this second EP. It's heavier, with more impactful lyrics, a beautiful evolution, the album of maturity.

Speaking of which... what can you tell us about your latest album? 
The second EP was recorded in late April/early May at Sofa Studio (Philippe Cattafesta), with Romain (ROM TOM CAT to his friends) handling the recording, mixing, and mastering.
It features seven tracks, including a production by our dear friend SKR, a rapper from Arras who is part of SKR & YAMCHA les Gars du Fond. DJ Weers (who also DJs for SKR & YAMCHA) added some scratches to one of the tracks.
This EP is entirely self-produced and paid for with our performance fees and merch/CD sales.
As for the artwork, we are lucky to have great people around us supporting us. Two photographers/videographers (Charles & Weers) accompany us on all our dates to feed the networks and produce a few videos edited and arranged by Flo (Nosy), who makes our music videos and visual media.
The cover art was created by Max (bassist) Weers and Flo, with a photo shoot at Charles's place featuring Yves, the drummer.
Available formats: CD initially and on almost all streaming platforms : Deezer, Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, etc...

What are your plans? 
Right now, we're planning for 2026, and a few dates are starting to come together. We're already working on the next EP as well.
We're also thinking about making one or two music videos.

What would be your wildest dream with the band? 
A beautiful venue, a big festival, opening for a really big band, a record label, why not?

BEST & WORST concert—as a band—and why? 
In our opinion, our best concert will surely remain our first (official) one at PHAROS in Arras. We played on a big stage, there was a big crowd because it was the first concert after COVID and people wanted to get out and move around. We were at home and it was great.
The worst, I can't think of one, there are always some shaky organizations, but as long as we get to play, we're happy. That said, we attach a lot of importance to how artists are welcomed and respected.

Next appearance(s) on stage?
We'd rather say the last one, which took place on Saturday, November 29 at Le Pharos for BARAK'FEST with Bukowski, Grand Cru, Last Night, Apunkalypse, Lieutenant Cobb, among others.

A few words about your local scene—the bands you're friends with and would like to mention? 
We're lucky in our region to have an impressive pool of bands. The ROCK/METAL scene is just great. There are a lot of us, which leads us to challenge and surpass ourselves, which isn't a bad thing. There's plenty to do. As for our friends, it's always a pleasure to share the stage with them. We could mention LATE BLOSSOM, COAL SUN, GOODGRIEF, and MINDGRIEF.

Thank you — last words are yours...
Looking forward to seeing you at events, and above all, a huge thank you for what you do for the local scene (You're very welcome - Ed.)