After fourteen years of silence, By Million Wires return with renewed purpose, unveiling Not Over—a deeply personal EP shaped by time, transformation, and the enduring spark of unfinished stories and creative resilience.
1. After fourteen years since Letters to the Absent, what inspired By Million Wires to finally return, and why did Not Over feel like the right moment to break the silence?
Life happened, but music never truly left. For fourteen years, these sounds were humming in the background of my daily life. I realized that some stories simply don’t have an expiration date—they wait for the right emotional frequency to be told. Not Over felt like the perfect title and moment because it’s a statement of fact: the creative fire wasn’t extinguished, just dormant. Breaking the silence now feels like finishing a conversation that was interrupted mid-sentence over a decade ago. Creating music is also an escape from the daily grind and responsibilities; it’s a way to capture and release emotions.
2. The EP reflects a shift from dreamlike post-rock to a more direct alternative sound—what drove this evolution, and how natural did that transition feel for the band?
Coming back after 14 years, we didn’t want to completely disconnect from our debut album’s spirit, but we felt a strong need for a more organic evolution. The ‘cleaner’ production of the past made way for a rawer, more direct sound.
Our main goal was to capture the energy of a live rock quartet – the breathing, the tension, and the authentic vibe of four musicians playing together in one room. It’s less ‘polished’ and more ‘human’. However, our post-rock roots are still there – you can hear it especially in the outros, where the atmospheric, layer-by-layer build-up takes over before the final eruption.
3. Mirek, stepping into the role of frontman is a major change—how did taking over vocal duties reshape both the songwriting process and the emotional core of the music?
Stepping into the frontman role was a significant evolution for me, though the seeds were sown long ago. Even before our debut album, I was already writing lyrics and vocal lines. In fact, a track like ‘I Know Better’ was written entirely by me—both the music and the lyrics—years ago. Ania even used to perform it during our live shows back then.
However, making the full transition to lead vocals was a real challenge. I had to fundamentally change my approach to the guitar. I had to let go of focusing so much on complex effects and intricate parts. Instead, I had to learn how to ‘drive’ the song primarily with my voice and a solid chordal foundation. Interestingly, this shift opened up a lot of new space for Dawid to experiment and get more creative with his own guitar parts, which added a new dimension to our sound.
4. Not Over was recorded years ago but released now—what made you hold onto the material, and how do you feel its meaning has changed over time?
The delay wasn’t a choice, but rather a result of the weight of reality to all of us. Every member of the band went through pivotal, life-changing moments during those years, and for a while, music simply had to take a backseat. However, this collection of songs never gave us any peace.Interestingly, listening to them now, they feel more relevant than ever. Themes of survival and persistence resonate differently when you’re older. What used to be a song about a moment is now a song about a lifetime of experiences.
Interestingly, we feel that as a conceptual whole, this material has become even more relevant to our lives today than when it was first written. It matured along with us.
5. The focus track “I Know Better” stands out with its triple-meter rhythm and atmospheric textures—can you walk us through how that song came together creatively?
Answer: To me, ‘I Know Better’ is one of our most special older tracks. It’s a song I personally feel most comfortable singing, so I was determined to include it on our upcoming release.
The original arrangement was quite different from what you hear now. It was structured with the verse and chorus played in full at the beginning and end, sandwiching a middle section that heavily stripped back the dynamics. That version relied on long pauses and a slow, tense build-up of atmosphere. You can actually still find that early version on YouTube if you dig deep enough!
For the EP, however, I wanted to give it a more ‘song-oriented’ character—something a bit more accessible and lighter to the ear, while still keeping its emotional weight. Who knows, maybe we’ll return to that more experimental structure in the future?
Technically, the recording process was interesting because many of the atmospheric, layered guitar textures were actually tracked years ago in my home studio. When we got into the professional studio to finish the EP, those original takes were so spot-on that we simply imported them into the new sessions. It’s a perfect blend of past inspiration and present-day energy.
6. The EP touches on themes of survival, continuity, and unfinished stories—how do these ideas connect to your journey as a band and what comes next after this release?
Answer: Our journey is the definition of an unfinished story. Coming back after 14 years is the ultimate act of survival in an industry that usually demands ‘new, new, new’ at every turn. For us, continuity means that the thread was never really broken; it just waited for the right moment to be pulled again.
Since our debut, the entire music landscape has shifted—from the total dominance of streaming to the rise of AI-generated music. In this new world, we want to stay true to our original conception of music creation: human, raw, and atmospheric. This record was the perfect way to re-establish that identity.
As for what’s next—we are already looking forward. There is a bunch of already written songs that just need some polishing before their release. ‘Not Over’ is the bridge. Now that the bridge is built, we are ready to explore the new territory on the other side. Expect more music, more exploration, and certainly not another 14-year wait.
Copyright © 2026 The Inteviewist
