TRANZINE - Nirvana's 'Nevermind' album is turning 20 years old in 2011. What do you think of this album? What was its impact on the Portuguese alternative scene and even on Linda Martini?

Nirvana's Nevermind was an album that defined an era or at least opened the door to other kinds of music. This album ended up bringing punk into the mainstream. Until then, everything seemed too composed, and in that sense, they brought a certain spontaneity to the music being played on the radio. Naturally, it was an important album in the lives of Linda Martini’s members.

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TRANZINE - Some people describe your lyrics as "dark and sad." What do you say about that?

We are not sad people. In fact, we think we're quite balanced people. Everyone has their melancholic side, and we're no exception. Perhaps the fact that we explore it in our music brings us that balance in our daily lives. Our lyrics are generally open to various interpretations. Depending on the stage of life the listener is in, when they hear our words, they might give a more fatalistic or a more optimistic weight to a phrase. People are touched differently, so how our lyrics reach them always depends on the life moment they are going through.

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TRANZINE - What is the music scene like for new bands in Portugal?

It’s a bit hard to give a definitive answer to this. There is a strong inclination right now for people to listen to music made by Portuguese artists, which a few years ago was still seen with some prejudice. The fact that, at this moment, the musicians themselves believe more in their own work and don’t just look for identification with things that come from abroad ends up influencing people. No one has the patience to put up with the "poor me" attitude forever. It was about time that Portuguese musicians realized this. We’re not better or worse than what comes from outside. We’re simply different. And that is the privilege we have today, with the openness that the internet has brought us: to be able to listen to genuine, different music from different parts of the world, without the filter of radio or music television channels.

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TRANZINE - What do you know about Brazilian music?

A lot. Brazil has an enormous amount of great music. From Los Hermanos to Chico Buarque, passing through Sepultura (in our adolescence), Caetano Veloso, Marcelo Camelo, Jupiter Maçã, and so on. There is always Brazilian music on our mp3 players.

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TRANZINE - Which Portuguese bands do you recommend to Brazilian listeners?

Oh! At the risk of unfairly leaving someone out: PAUS, If Lucy Fell, Riding Pânico, Filho da Mãe, ASNEIRA, Men Eater, B Fachada, Norberto Lobo, Carlos Paredes, Diabo na Cruz, Deolinda, Legendary Tiger Man, Sam the Kid, Orelha Negra, Foge Foge Bandido, Dead Combo, Gala Drop, Buraka Som Sistema, etc.