Gavina.mp3 is the musical adventure of Max Codinach, a young man from Gràcia – from Vallcarca, specifically – who likes to write. Born in 1999, he is starting to make a name for himself, accompanied by his band (Gerard Serralabós, Sara Rodríguez and Edu Santamaria), on the Catalan music scene. Precisely, the group has just qualified for the final of the Sona9 young bands contest. He makes post-pop, a musical genre that, as he himself says half jokingly, is what comes after pop. A simple and precise definition, which could perhaps even fit into one of his poems. And Codinach has published poetry (Els angles del vent, Viena Editorial, 2022), a task that is not going badly for him, since he won the fourth edition of the Art Jove poetry prize Salvador Iborra. The jury awarded his work for "its expressive force and well-crafted writing, all making up a work that wisely combines complex and sophisticated syntax, the will to literary construction and popular diction". He also studies Philosophy.
Are you a poet who makes music? A musician who makes poetry? In your career, poetry comes before music, but that doesn't mean anything either.
For many years I only wrote. At that time I was a writer, not so much a poet, because I wrote about everything, but what had the most impact was poetry. Over time, everything has become more diluted, but I don't dare to call myself a musician because, as such, I am not a musician. I am an artist, on Instagram I have artist.
If it says so on Instagram, there's no need to say anything else.
Exactly.
Speaking of definitions, you label your music as post-pop. Is it the most accurate definition? I don't know if we can also talk about electronic pop. In fact, there are many artists now who are trying to break with the rigidity of labels...
When we released the album, and we had to think about how they were selling it, we decided on post-pop. We wanted people to stick with that. The genre existed, but in Catalonia it was not a very defined thing, but rather a concept to fill. We jokingly said that post-pop comes after the pop of groups like Manel or Antònia Font). Afterwards came the new pops, which you can put anything on: rock, electronics... We have an idea of pop song that tries to be an evolution of pop.
In an interview you said that with music it wasn't the writing that was difficult for you, but the composition part...
I don't have much musical training because I played guitar for many years, but never professionally. I have never been able to read a score easily, I played guitar to flirt. However, music that has more to do with hip-hop is created differently... I do feel comfortable putting a rhythm to what I write, but composing melody, playing instruments and recording is different. There are people who know, who I already knew, who have ended up being part of Gavina.mp3. They came in to record the album and now they help me.
In an interview you said that with music it wasn't the writing that was difficult for you, but the composition part...
I don't have much musical training because I played guitar for many years, but never professionally. I have never been able to read a score easily, I played guitar to flirt. However, music that has more to do with hip-hop is created differently... I do feel comfortable putting a rhythm to what I write, but composing melody, playing instruments and recording is different. There are people who know, who I already knew, who have ended up being part of Gavina.mp3. They came in to record the album and now they help me.
In music many people decide to use Spanish words because they have a huge lack of references
Now the project is more choral.
Yes, it is less lonely than at the beginning. The producers put a very important part. At the beginning we were friends and I was juggling to assemble, but now all the live shows are with the producer, in marc_io of Lisasinon and songs have been coming out. It is difficult to say that it is a solitary project. I lead it, but it is no longer solitary, it is a constellation.
It feels like Gavina.mp3 has grown a lot in a short time...
We have been working hard to play in many places, but when we had not yet released the album we already had three or four concerts of people who had never seen us play, but who trusted us. From there we signed for an agency (Live in Dallas) and I suppose it has also helped me to know people and places from having recited poetry.
In fact, you managed to play very early at Heliogàbal, which for an emerging group is a place of reference.
It was brutal, it was our official presentation. It gave us a lot of strength, and we had already sold out very quickly.
In your lyrics you can appreciate a lyrical sensibility, your literary soul becomes evident. They contrast strongly with the style, especially of some young bands, where there are simpler lyrics or also with this tendency to sing in Catalan but with Spanish and English in between and also to place barbarisms. Are you going a bit against the grain?
I don't know if I'm going against the grain... But what people do is the same to me, but what they say is not. That is, I don't even notice if they say xispa or espurna, I would never get involved with that. Precisely, with poetry I was trying to break with the rules of literature. But what I don't have is the need to say barbarisms, since for example I made mistakes on purpose in one of my texts. In no case will a song be cooler if you say things in other languages. If it is an aesthetic issue, okay, but if it is something else it is ridiculous. Part of the musical scene does this, but others make very good music without doing it. The problem is making it a flag.
I have never been able to read a score easily, I played guitar to flirt
This issue always generates debate...
What happens is that there are many people who decide to use Spanish words because they have a huge lack of references. If someone says that a song in Catalan cannot be cool, it is because they have not listened to enough music in Catalan. Let them listen to Raimon.
You know the world of music and poetry. In which is it more difficult to succeed?
Poetry, please... That's why I make music... Within the marginalization, musicians are the pampered ones. I have been paid for concerts things that for poetry never. In poetry there is much less public and the way to recite in certain places is much more complicated than making concerts.
