Chris Harms
Chris Harms, the frontman of the renowned German band LORD OF THE LOST, is set to unveil his debut solo album, ‘1980’. Scheduled for release on February 7, 2025, under Napalm Records, this album is the realization of a long-held dream. With ‘1980’, Harms immerses listeners in the nostalgic synth-driven sounds of the 80s, blending elements of electronic music, New Wave, and Gothic aesthetics - a departure from the signature guitar-heavy sound of LORD OF THE LOST.
In this interview, Chris Harms delves into the inspirations behind the album, the creative process, and his collaborations with Sven Friedrich (SOLAR FAKE) and Ronan Harris (VNV NATION). He also shares his thoughts on the possibility of live performances featuring 1980’s material, as well as personal reflections on the past and present. The album ‘1980’ will be available for purchase on the official Napalm Records website and other official platforms, such as https://lnk.to/ChrisHarms-1980. We invite you to dive into this exclusive interview to discover more about Chris Harms’ new artistic journey and his perspective on the enduring musical legacy of the 80s.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: ‘1980’ is a title bursting with nostalgia. If you could resurrect just one thing from the 80s - whether it’s a quirky trend, a fashion statement, or a long-lost vibe - what would it be and why?
Chris: Well, the answer to that question is my album, I think. I am not the only artist, who resurrects 80s sounds, that's being done since the 90s, but I felt the need to do exactly that. Otherwise, I am not so much about trying to get back “the old times”. But I do love music cassette players in cars and I do miss them. So maybe I choose that!
RoD: Imagine being dropped into 1980 for a day - where’s your first stop? A smoky concert venue, a neon-lit arcade, or somewhere unexpected?
Chris: My parents’ house, to see them arrive from afar, with new born little Chris in their arms, coming back from the hospital where I was born.

RoD: Creating a solo project like ‘1980’ must have been an adventure. Did stepping away from LORD OF THE LOST reveal anything surprising about your artistic instincts or process?
Chris: Actually no. Producing all kinds of music is my daily job for more than 20 years now, I had written and / or produced thousands of songs on hundreds of albums. This was one more. I really, really enjoyed it and it was so much fun. But nothing about it was a big surprise. It was more a really relaxing and fun process, to feel music purely as a hobby. I loved it and I will do it again!
RoD: Are there plans to bring the retro magic of ‘1980’ to the stage? Should fans get ready for a dazzling neon spectacle that feels like stepping into a time machine?
Chris: I’d love to say “yes” because I know that there are many people that would like to see this, but apart from my one show at M’era Luna this summer, I do not have any live plans. I am on the road with LOTL more than the double amount that I would actually like to be already, so I cannot be away from home even more. Don’t get me wrong, I do love to perform live, but all the travelling and especially being away from my kid, that’s not my thing.
RoD: The single ‘I Love You’ has been described as “melancholy in neon colours.” Can you unpack that phrase for us? How did you balance those emotions with the bright, 80s-inspired energy?
Chris: I don’t like to explain the obvious - listen to the track, the answer is there! Why put something I words, which can be experienced in words plus music already? And I don’t have an answer to the question how I did it - I just know that all of this comes naturally out of me, this is just part of me - I didn’t have to construct it artificially.
RoD: The album includes collaborations with artists like Sven Friedrich and Ronan Harris. What’s the story behind bringing these voices into ‘1980’, and how did they shape the album’s vibe?
Chris: I fell in love with Sven’s voice like two decades ago when I first listened to his ‘Twist In My Sobriety’ cover back then, still with his old band DREADFUL SHADOWS. Since then, I always wanted to have a duet with him, it was one of the things on my bucket list. I could have asked him for a LOTL song earlier, but I don’t like to do duets just for name dropping, instead the song needs to feel 100% right. With ‘Madonna Of The Night’, this was the case. When I was doing my first vocal drafts for the song, still with some more or less Gibberish language, I always heard his voice in my head, instead of mine, like I was on the verge of creating a SOLAR FAKE song. So, I decided to ask him for a duet - he said “yes” before he even listened to the track, which made me incredibly happy. And I love the outcome of it! With Ronan it was kind of the same thing. Ronan and I started talking on a regular basis some time ago, mostly nerding and geeking about studio gear. And as he loved our ‘Illusion’ cover which we did with LOTL during some Covid Live Stream Show, it was about time to have him on a song. How they shaped the album’s vibe? Sorry to be rude, answering the same thing: listen and your will see! Oops, that’s kind of a paradox, yet philosophical phrase...

RoD: You’ve drawn comparisons to legends like DEPECHE MODE and SANDRA, yet ‘1980’ is distinctly your own. What motivated you to dive into this retro-inspired sound? Was it a love letter to the 80s or something more?
Chris: I just love music from that era and I wanted to create a record, using the gear, sounds and samples, or emulations of them. Just because 80s Synth Pop is something I love to listen to for the last 10 years or more. It was about time. I wanted to do this record for ten years now. I think I even talked about it in some interviews back then already, including the album title ‘1980’. And I also always loved MODERN TALKING although they always seemed to be just funny for many people. I genuinely like their stuff!
RoD: The music video for ‘I Love You’ feels like an 80s dreamscape. What were the building blocks for its visual aesthetic, and how does it tie into the song’s narrative?
Chris: My videographer Lennard and myself just went on a hunt, collecting moody pictures that kind of fit the sound of the song, at least in our opinion, shooting most things parallel on two cameras - a modern one plus an old VHS one. We shot all scenes for all three music videos within a couple of days, for some scenes we didn’t know, which video we were shooting them for. We were just collecting moods. And later more or less divided them for three videos. They hardly fit any narrative; this was not the goal. We just wanted to visualize how the songs feel to us.
RoD: The 80s clearly left a mark on your artistry. Was it the music, the style, or the cultural energy of the decade that inspired you the most?
Chris: They didn’t leave a bigger mark on my artistry than other decades. But the 80s mark becomes visible and audible on this record.
RoD: As your debut solo album, ‘1980’ is a big step. What emotions or ideas do you hope listeners walk away with, especially those who know you from LORD OF THE LOST?
Chris: I am happy if people are happy with their own emotions that this record gives them. I don’t expect that they feel my emotions - and in some cases I don’t even want them to feel mine. This is the reason why my lyrics often leave big question marks - and in many cases I leave it open if things are based on a true story, on a dream, or pure fiction and storytelling. I tend to hide the most hurtful things in beautiful storytelling. The vagueness in these lines can even help the listener, to make it part of their emotions, to reflect in it, the way the want to, the way they need to - or not.
RoD: If you could have an hour-long heart-to-heart with any artist from the 80s, who would you choose, and what would you ask them?
Chris: MICHAEL JACKSON. My question? “Can we write a song together”?

RoD: ‘1980’ seems to explore both nostalgia and reinvention. How do the concepts of memory and time shape the album’s story?
Chris: I didn’t think about that. I just felt like I want to create some 80s driven Synth Pop record. Very often people want to see a very deep meaning in everything that I do. Music, style, make up, clothes, everything must have a meaning. And sometimes they do have a meaning. But very often the answer to the question “Why this?” or “Why that?” is: “Because it’s fun!”. For an artist, some choices are as simple as choosing food, as easy as “I’d like to eat pizza for dinner”. And this pizza can be a symbol for a much deeper meaning, urge and need. But sometimes it’s just appetite.
RoD: The 80s were a cinematic goldmine. Were there any films, directors, or visual trends from that era that influenced the mood of ‘1980’?
Chris: No specific movies, no.
RoD: Stepping into a solo project must feel like charting new territory. Was there a particular moment during the creation of ‘1980’ when you thought, “This is why I needed to do this on my own”?
Chris: I didn’t do this on my own because I felt the need to be “the only person in charge”, it’s just that LOTL is not an electronic Synth Pop band. We do have a wide range, but this would have been too far out. Just because I myself feel the need to create a record like this, I cannot destroy what LOTL is: a band with people playing organic instruments - which are not needed in a genre that only consists of synthetic sounds and a voice. We started working on the next LOTL record one year ago. And being half a year in, last summer, I felt like “now’s the right time to finally do my 80s record”. This was really relaxing and a lot of fun!
RoD: If ‘1980’ were the soundtrack to an imaginary 80s film, what genre would it be? Would it be a high-energy heist, a bittersweet romance, or maybe a futuristic dystopia?
Chris: I think something with the feel of ‘GTA Vice City’.
All Photos by Lennard Schmitt