For as long as I can remember, I’ve been listening to punk — and shame on me, I had never heard of this German band before august 2025. Yet, there’s no hidden parallel world between the European scene and the one here on my side of the Atlantic. Having spent years navigating the music media world, I can’t help but wonder: how on earth did I miss Raskob Rails, a band that’s been around for over 20 years?
That question led me to reach out and ask them a few things. And here’s what Chuong had to say on more than one subject :
1. How would you summarize the media absence about you on several Punk American webzines like Punknews, BrooklynVegan, or DyingScene, is it more due to the fact that you haven't left Europe to play shows?
The short answer is: we were simply never present in the US. But to really explain it, I have to zoom out a bit.
When we started Raskob Rails in the late ’90s, none of this social media infrastructure existed the way it does today. Back then, we were honestly just happy if we could play a show anywhere at all. Everything worked through word of mouth, handwritten letters, phone calls, and sending demo tapes to promoters. Even playing shows outside of Germany was a huge challenge. And to be honest, that’s something we still haven’t really done to this day.
Around 2007, we kind of hit a cut with Raskob Rails. We never officially broke up, but the band went quiet. During that time, I was still very active internationally with other bands like A Common Ground or A Case of Grenada. In 2009, we reunited once for the Riez Open Air in our hometown, and in 2018 we got asked to do a reunion show. Then COVID hit, and once again everything just faded out.
So looking back, we were never consistently present or active enough to really appear on the radar of US webzines. Plus, back then the opportunities just weren’t there the way they are now. Things changed last year when we got another festival request and this time it felt different. Motivation was high. I had a bunch of songs sitting on my hard drive for years, played them to the guys, and we decided to finally release the stuff digitally.
2025 was basically a restart for us, and we had to learn from scratch how powerful social media actually is for bands and artists today.
2. In the same vein, do you eventually plan to set foot in America in the coming years, or are the plans still focused on further exploring Europe, where you've never been?
If we’re being honest, the US is still very far away for us, in every sense. Don’t get me wrong, if we were all 20 years younger, this probably wouldn’t even be a question. But we’re all approaching 50 now, we all have families, jobs, responsibilities.
At this point, we’re just happy if we can play a few shows a year, give people a good night, and have fun ourselves. That’s the most important part. If something cool comes up in Europe, somewhere we haven’t played before and where timing makes sense, we’re totally up for it. But we’re realistic about what’s possible and what still feels right for us.
3. If we look at your latest release last October, Stand Defiant, the title track is striking and the words in the chorus are very resonant. Can you elaborate on the context behind the creation of this song, which seems to reflect, beyond the lyrics, a personal resilience of the band after a long absence without releasing an album?
I actually wrote Stand Defiant just this past summer. The topics we address in that song feel extremely important to us right now, especially considering what’s going on in the world. It’s not just a song title, it’s a statement.
I also made a very personal clip about this song on Instagram, where I go deeper into its meaning and explain what each of us in the band stands for. For us, it’s important to take a clear stance and not hide behind vague messages. Punk, to us, has always been about drawing lines and standing by your values.
4. You had the brilliant idea to bring in Sarah (The Interstillers) as a guest vocalist on the title track of the latest EP Stand Defiant. Tell us about your collaboration and the future opportunity to bring this collaboration to the stage in 2026?
Our bassist Max also plays bass in The Interstillers, and Sarah has been a good friend of ours for a long time. I basically just asked her if she’d be into singing a part on the song and she didn’t need long to think about it.
Her voice fits the track perfectly, and she brought exactly the energy we were hoping for. As for playing it live: we really hope we can make that happen sometime in 2026. If schedules align and she can join us on stage, that would mean a lot to all of us.
5. How did the decision to work with Scott Seller (Rufio) on the production of the recent EP come about the result, it's was enriching experience?
All the songs were recorded in my home studio. From the start, it was clear to me that I didn’t want to do the mixing and mastering myself. If you listen to the same songs over and over again, you lose perspective and in my experience, the result usually gets worse, not better.
I’ve always loved Scott’s productions, so I just reached out to him on Instagram, sent him some rough mixes, and hoped for a reply. It didn’t take long before he got back to me. He liked the songs, and that’s how the collaboration started.
Scott didn’t just mix and master the EP, he really co-produced it and added his own touch and ideas to the songs. We’re incredibly grateful for that. Everything was done online, and it worked smoothly without any issues.
6. And when you recorded this recent record, did you adopt any different technical aspects compared to One Way Letter, released in 2003?
Completely. Back then, we booked time in a rented studio and recorded everything together as a band. This time, everything was done in my home studio. Technology has come a long way . You can achieve truly professional results at home now if you know what you’re doing.
7. Do you still believe in the relevance of physical copies in the face of the significant growth of digital with streaming platform subscriptions?
I think both worlds are important. Digital releases allow you to reach people worldwide instantly, which is amazing. Vinyl, on the other hand, is still very much alive among collectors and music lovers. CDs, though, are becoming increasingly difficult to sell and feel like they’re slowly fading away.
8. Several sites compile lyrics to help understand the content, and yours are not found on any of them. Do you believe in the importance of accessibility and circulation of lyrics so that the messages conveyed are better understood?
Lyrics are definitely important, especially if you want people to really understand the message behind the songs. At the same time, we kind of like the idea that listeners engage a bit more actively, listening closely, asking questions, maybe even interpreting things differently.
That said, we’re not against making lyrics more accessible in the future. If our songs resonate with people and they want to dig deeper into the meaning, that’s something we absolutely support.
9. What does 2026 look like in terms of shows, video releases, or maybe new material?
We’ll definitely be releasing new music in 2026, playing a handful of carefully chosen shows, and we’re also planning a video release. Everything will stay very DIY, that’s how we like it.
10. To conclude, is the punk scene of 2025 very different from when you started? What has changed and what do you miss?
Oh, it has definitely changed and aged right along with us. (laughs)
Jokes aside, there are so many great young bands out there worldwide right now that it’s easy to lose track.
Back in the day, most bands in our genre came from the US, Canada, or Sweden and then there was a long gap. Today, punk and hardcore feels much more global, diverse, and accessible. What I miss sometimes is the mystery and the struggle, but I’m genuinely excited about how alive and creative the scene still is.
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After this in-depth interview, I finally got the answers to my questions about them. Sometimes, it only takes one song to catch people’s attention — and the impact of Stand Defiant broke the silence of many years spent under the radar of those who follow the scene closely.
Their growth and passion shine generously through Instagram and on this latest record, produced by renowned musician Scott Sellers. And they’ve got no shortage of plans for the year ahead. The real question is how they’ll evolve their online presence to grow their fanbase in 2026.
Punkterview will be following them closely.
