Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Nimbus Cart
Nimbus Cart. Four uncompromising souls from Ghent.
The band carves out its own path between gritty rock and punk energy, driven by frontwoman Janis: unfiltered, intense, and fiercely present. She sings what others only dare to think. Her voice cuts through the noise, sometimes soft and intimate, but more often wild and defiant.
The sound of Nimbus Cart?
Razor-sharp punk riffs, untamed drums, and basslines that hit like a punch in the gut. Add a touch of seventies psychedelia, but turn it up a notch, and a flute that refuses to play nice. It’s both chaos and control!
On stage, Nimbus Cart is pure energy. They feed off the audience and give it back tenfold: raw, vulnerable, and powerful. Whether it’s a packed AB or a smoky underground bar, their attitude fills the room.
The songs are personal, political, and unapologetically honest. They explore resistance, self-doubt, and the urge to live freely with both feet in the mud and a middle finger to conformity.
Nimbus Cart is brutally honest, but in all that really charming. Fiercely and amplified.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. I was that kid in class who actually wanted to learn how to play the flute, holding it with full dedication while everyone else rolled their eyes. Same with the triangle, I really took it seriously.
I saved my pocket money to buy a radio, just so I could listen to my favorite artist on repeat. Music felt like something I could claim for myself early on…
How did your passion for creating music begin?
First I started singing along and when I was around 10 years old I started to go to music school, learning to play the transverse flute. I loved to make noise early on.
When I was 20 I bought my first ukulele, something shifted and it didn’t took long before I started creating my own little melodies. Writing lines, turning the mess in my head and out of my past into something I could hold onto. In the beginning it was mostly about what I was struggling with naming the beast, dragging it into the light, and turning it into a song instead of keeping it in my head. It felt freeing.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Nimbus Cart started as a hobby, just having fun after workhours. A place to dump everything that didn’t fit anywhere else. We speak up about social issues and the stereotyping we’re done swallowing.
Everyone brings their own story and chaos, and together that turns into something loud and alive. We don’t want to be boxed in, we just make what we love, even if it means the songs don’t “match” on paper. So yeah, some songs sound totally different but they come from the same place: freedom, rage, and a lot of joy in making noise together.That’s the point. Different moods, same spine.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Hmmm, difficult question and hard to pin down. As previously said, we don’t do one box. We make what we love and sometimes that might lean closer to punk while other songs are more poprockish… i’d just tell them to come and listen or hit play, that way they can decide for themselves.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I learned to stop chasing “perfect.” I used to try to sound polished, controlled, and completely brushed off. And then I realized the imperfections are the point. It’s unique and it’s you. It carries my emotion and my story. Let it be raw.
And, I guess the most important one is to have fun and not think about what people will say, nor think. There are always going to be haters and people that don’t like you the way you are. Let them! And dont let it ruin you, you know better…
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Hmmm, I guess our instruments and again, the fun in the process (and add a bit of beers and pizza or like Steven once brought, OYSTERS and PROSECCO). But also a soundproof space where we don’t bother too much people who live nearby.
The real essential is the chemistry in the room. We need to laugh and be able to making noise!
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I’m not sure if all of these fit neatly into the “indie” box, and honestly, do we even fit into that box? But I’m really into Amyl and The Sniffers, IDLES and Aldous Harding, as well as a lot of other artist.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
My personal experiences are basically the backbone of everything I do in life, my career, music, …
I grew up in youth welfare. I saw and felt a lot of things that a kid shouldn’t have to carry. This shapes the lens I look through and I’m trying to translate this into my music.
But I don’t tell these stories to get pity. I don’t feel sorry for myself. It is my power and knowledge. It made my voice honest and my bullshit tolerance basically nonexistent.
That’s why our songs are raw, rough and confrontational. I’m not interested in making pain sound pretty. I want to create space for voices that don’t get heard and to pull certain realities into the light. Lives that might feel “far from your bed” until you’re forced to look at them. If it makes people uncomfortable, that’s a good sign. That means it’s real and that we have their attention.
And honestly, I just want to be me in every facet of life, including on stage. And that means I want to have fun, even tho some people might find us very weird or even “cringe”.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope people leave our shows feeling with feeling a lot of energy, sweaty, smiling and charged up to conquer the world. But I also hope that something sticks after the noise fades away. That we are all in this together and that we all are a part of making the world less harsh. By really listening, showing up for each other, and choosing kindness.
Everyone carries a story. I want people to stay open to that. LOVE <3
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Music taught me that I don’t have to fit into anyone’s box. Not in genre boxes, not in personality boxes, not in “how you’re supposed to be” boxes. JUST BE YOU.
And It also taught me to stop being so brutal to myself, be kind, yourself included.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Oh, FUSION FESTIVAL or BEST KEPT SECRET! YES PLEASE!!!
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I’d give everything to collobarate with Amyl and the Sniffers. I just love her energy, her I don’t give a f***-attitude and I think we’d be a great match. We would have so much fun. And come on, the AUSSIE accent!
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
You can follow us on Bandcamp or Spotify! And our instagram-page is cool place too, so see you there?
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I don’t really have a dream-scenario but I do hope to play on a lot of cool festivals, bigger stages, more crowd but I must say that I am happy with everything that has already crossed our path. Like, I am so grateful of everything that we have accomplished. Like I am glowing while I am saying this. I AM SO GRATEFUL!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope they discover everything, like please, do ask questions <3
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