In a territory where music intersects with cinema, philosophy, and the exploration of consciousness, Jesus Cringe stands out as one of the most challenging and conceptual projects today. Led by Alexis Pfrimmer, this creative universe resists easy categorization, blending rock, jazz, and sonic experimentation into a language he describes as “hyperrock” — a constant search for something greater, deeper, and impossible to pin down. With the release of No Man’s Gland, a work that engages with religious symbolism, existential cycles, and liminal states between life and death, the project dives even further into a dense, cinematic narrative. Drawing from influences that range from Eraserhead to Andrei Tarkovsky and Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jesus Cringe builds a sensory experience that extends beyond music into visual and conceptual realms.

By Sandra Pinto

In this interview, Alexis unveils the creative process behind this singular universe, the way he constructs complex sonic narratives, and the artistic vision that turns each release into a piece of a larger puzzle—where nothing is linear and everything is in constant transformation.

“No Man’s Gland” was released on Easter Monday, following a liturgical pattern of significant dates. How did the idea of linking releases to the Christian calendar come about?
I don’t know how that idea came to me but when it hit, it felt right, probably God sent it to me, if not him who else actually I wonder ?! hahaha. I’m a big astrology fan and so I feel more connected with a larger idea of the calendar as cycles and spirals, which tells you about rhythm and simply nature. Also as the character committed suicide on Good Friday it felt right to bring him back on Easter Monday. I’m attached to the idea of religious traditions that existed prior to their instrumentalisation for human’s sake such as politics or worse for war.

The single addresses a near-death experience and the return to life. Can you tell us how you translated this theme into music and lyrics?
The chord progression came from Pierre Martin, which I played on repeat until melody came and then words. Whenever I have a lyric idea I put in on my note app, and years later I confront them with fresh music all driven from the same place as they carry along the same story. I have many tabs for other projects, film ideas, albums, etc… When the time comes I just open that drawer specific for that project and I just clean and arrange until I have lyrical content that can stand the proof of meaning for a song in that specific story. So in the end songs and music happen very fast at least the core of it since they have been matured in a jar for so long. Now to be more specific on this specific song, as specific seems to be the word for this answer, haha, I had the album title, then collected track titles—either from my notes or in the moment, filling the gaps between songs with words that connected. I spent time rearranging everything until it felt right to the story and to that moment which is then translating into a song. So yes, at that time in the story, the character was lost, like a detached body in the ether somewhere between life and death and because I didn’t write any music nor finished lyrics prior to knowing what was the story, I focused first on the story and once it was there my drawer started to be filled with more and more coherent thoughts and ideas that ultimately ended up in a song.

The video conveys a sense of floating and dissociation. What were the main ideas behind this visual aesthetic?
I’m really happy to know this is what you felt because I hate conceptual art for the sake of being conceptual, if you felt that then I know I‘ve reached my goal. The main ideas were basically what would it look like to be between life and death, not only physically but also spiritually, which is already what the title refers to with its pun referring to the pineal gland and the place that belongs to no one. I’m more and more convinced that hell and heaven are here on earth and you can experience life either from one side or the other depending on your belief and that there is no such thing as an afterlife but just your identity being dissolved along with your ego into the great sum of it all, ready to begin again as a tiny fraction of it again through a complete different form, 1% on a leave, 1% on a worm, 1% a bird maybe a 1% of newborn again but you have no control over it. So yes what was your question again, hahaha.

The passage through the existential scanner is a powerful image. How did the concept of examining the “soul” rather than objects arise?
Thank you ! It was in a daydream – don’t try this while driving – it felt like the flight would be death and so in the purgatory logically your
soul had to go through the door in order to be scanned to see where you would be sent next.

The song is described as a “triumphant yet fragile resurrection.” How did you balance the sense of strength and vulnerability in the sound and narrative?
Thank you again, I love your questions and observations, balance is the key, it’s like whenever I feel my song is going too metal or too weird, or too shallow, etc, as I don’t really like extremes, let’s say in a more balanced way I hate them deeply, I always tend to balance which ultimately results into greater tension I guess?

Jesus Cringe replaces the conventional guitar/bass duo with violin and baritone saxophone. How does this choice shape the project’s sonic identity?
This was my detonator as a composer. Both instruments move me very deeply and so I always thought about what if jazz/blues musicians had picked a violin instead of a guitar or saxophone as a bass in the 40’s what would rock history sound like today? Imagine the Beatles, hahaha, That’s what I feel best describes what Jesus Cringe is about sonically.

The project is described as “cinematic space-art rock.” Which cinematic and musical influences were most decisive in this approach?
I was lucky enough to have an older sister Anaïs Lera, making tapes and sharing with me movies and things, we are 7 years apart so she would be in her full teenage rebellious years when I was just a kiddo, I saw matrix I was 8, big mistake, haha, discovering RATM flames, Marilyn Manson’s androgyneous figure, the dogs were unleashed, I went but for these kind of sensations. Then I wanted to be surprised each time so anything that would sound like anything else, pass, but the Mars Volta, Tool, Slipknot and Korn I repeated over and over. Later on I got more and more sensitive to movies and their anything that would be out of ordinary I would go for, I was 14 when Idiscovered Eraserhead alone waiting for my friends to pick me up for halloween, I’m happy they came early cause it scared the hell out of me but in a very unique way unlike anything else, so I would scare myself bit by bit one toe after the other until I dove completely, trying to figure out what the hell he meant. Same around 20 when I discovered Tarkovsky and Jodorowsky and when I was 24-25 Bela Tarr. All those artists bring you into their universe, they’re unique and unreplicable, that’s what I go for, yet I don’t feel I’m close to any of those giants, I just have an immense respect for their art and ethos, just knowing how difficult it is  to produce a piece of art, I can’t imagine what they had to go through to produce those.
Nowadays Igorrr !

How would you define the concept of “hyperrock” that characterizes your music and visual performances?
It just feels right as a direction to seek not a place yet I feel I have by any means attained but I can say that if you are looking in that direction chances are you would find something in here that resonates. Muse and Manson are probably the closest reach yet so many light years ahead.

Your music explores altered states, identity, and human consciousness. How do technology and the digital world influence these themes?
Technology is our attempt at creating what we have in mind, ain’t no technology that exists without having been dreamed before and then
dreamed so much sometimes for so many years, crashed and failed so many times until it can stand on its own. Same with anything, we tend to take for granted the brick that makes our house. Do you have any idea in which altered states the inventor of the brick had to be before Pink Floyd even considered talking about it ? I swear i’m not at you! For me everything is technology what we call technology or digital today will be a brick tomorrow, so yes it does influence me greatly as anything else, the greater technology today unmatched is nature itself and we are just channeling its core whenever we are dreaming something as nature unfolds itself via every living creature. When was the last time you’ve watched an  elephant and considered it wasn’t crafted through any absolute craziness ? Just looking at an elephant should make you experience and altered state.

The debut album is described as a vast “narrative soundscape.” How do you structure such a complex narrative through music and video?
Brick by brick, I find a title that is wide enough to encapsulate a whole universe and then I try to describe what it is I see in there. I don’t feel
I’m doing anything special, it just my brain can’t compute to many tiny details at once so I have to make it large so I can see and approach it from a tangible distance. Then if it becomes too vast, almost unreachable I have zoom to see more details but wether it’s detailed or broad it has to be connected to my story line. And I sense I get better at storytelling at each chapter or story I finish, but sometimes a poorly left unaccomplished draft, is great once you’ve passed the hurt of dead-end story but so you understand more of why it failed, why was it weak and so on. ‘How ?’ is the drive to achieve the ultimate story which is impossible. Usually it feels like you went too far and you have to introduce a more known structure to it for others to at least get a glimpse of the furthest dimension you’ve reached.

Jesus Cringe videos are visually striking. Do you work on the visuals integrated with the music from the beginning, or do the videos come after the composition?
Thanks a lot! I collect visual, musical and lyrical ideas all the time and it’s when it comes the time to stop the quantum clock that I have to make a decision. Things take shape but it’s very hard for me to say what we will be the music video about if the song is not done at least finalized in a demo version that I know will be produced. Same thing with the lyrics. So to sum it up my writing workflow is always the same: Album Title – Track titles – Composition – Vocal Melodies – Lyrics – Finish song – Music Video while collecting all the way those ideas. So it’s true that if I have the script for my music video prior to recording the vocals for instance I will be able to go deeper both in my vocal performance and then directing my videos. All of that come in the production but I won’t go in production if I don’t have at least a finished song.

How does collaboration work within the project, especially with unconventional arrangements and complex visual concepts?
First of all I have to work with accomplished artists, what I mean by this is : people that have accomplished things on their own, not just interprets but someone that will have been able to express him or her or themself fully and released it. Because those are the people who dared putting something out no matter if it was perfect or not, so I learned that I couldn’t work with people that have great ideas but never dared manifesting it. So this way the ego question is out of the way. We are here to serve a story that’s it if it’s a good idea but it doesn’t serve the story, let’s store it and move on. This time I knew they were all very busy and so I suggested everyone bring at least one idea on which we jammed for 3 days. Then I went back home with enough seeds to fuel the blank spots. Then I send them finished songs which sometimes happen to be unplayable so we have to find ways to match the idea without losing ourselves but most of the time when it’s playable they just overkill it and make it a proper track. Visually though on this album it’s mainly my input except for the covers but I feel usually that
my ideas become clearer and clearer as I explain them.

The project evolved from “22 for Silicon Alone” into Jesus Cringe. What were the fundamental changes in this artistic transition?
I felt I wasn’t allowing myself to be free enough, 22 was very intricate as a name and I wanted to be there but at the same it felt like hiding and it was out of the question to be another masked project but if I had to stand firm behind it, it had to convey my energy properly while still having the potential to just still be an act so yes, on stage you will see Alexis Pfrimmer impersonating Jesus Cringe and I want to be able to put it back in a closet afterwards yet. It’s very liberating so in a way I don’t have to act anymore but just be myself and then you name it, I’m it or the other, I just am.

How have international fans reacted to your unconventional approach and the philosophical themes you explore?
Good question. From interviews like yours and hearing the music on radio, I know it connects and resonates with people—but how it does is still a bit of a mystery. I guess I’d have to dissect their hearts to really understand. I’m aware it’s not for everyone, yet I’m often surprised that people I wouldn’t expect to connect with it still find something in it. That’s always great—it breaks down your own assumptions.
A lot of people also tell me that despite the complexity, they still find something catchy in it, which I take as a really meaningful compliment.

What can we expect from the full album following this single? Is there a continuous narrative, or is each track autonomous?
Already more singles to be released before the album drops, not in the narrative order though but in the album they will follow a continuous narrative yes.