Electronic
Q+A: Carpenter Brut reflects on the conclusion of the Leather trilogy, wanting to work with Bring Me The Horizon and more
Franck Hueso, aka Carpenter Brut, talks to ContactMusic.com as he puts to bed his acclaimed Leather trilogy.
As Carpenter Brut brings his long‑running Leather trilogy to a blistering close with Leather Temple, the French producer - whose real name is Franck Hueso - reflects in an interview with ContactMusic.com on the evolution of the project, the sci‑fi worlds and video games that shaped it, and the creative freedom that comes with ending a saga.
Across the record’s neon‑drenched chaos, Brut revisits the origins of its characters, the cinematic influences that guided the finale, and the unexpected challenges behind its most intense tracks.
He also teases future collaborations, hints at a shift toward gothic experimentation on upcoming EPs, and shares his thoughts on the rise of AI‑generated synthwave.
With a major UK date at London's O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire next month, and a global tour stretching well into next year, Brut is already looking ahead — including a film score and potential new production work, with metalcore pinkings Bring Me The Horizon at the top of his wish-list.
CM: The Misfits The Rebels is a wild ride — drum and bass, electro, heavy riffs. What part of that track came to you first, and what part nearly broke your brain to finish?
CB: The intro melody came first. I needed my main riff — old‑school style — the thing people remember, the “smack my b**** up” moment, that little hook. Then I struggled with the tempo and the groove. In the end it wasn’t as easy to make as it sounds, at least for me, haha.
CM: This is the final chapter of the Leather trilogy. When you started with Leather Teeth back in 2018, did you already know you’d end up in a ruined 2077 fighting transhuman overlords?
CB: No, I didn’t really know how to end the third part. You have to keep in mind I’m a musician first, not a writer, so the music had to drive the story, not the other way around. Basically, it was impossible for me to know eight years ago what I’d want to do musically on the third album. Honestly, apart from AC/DC, what musician knows what they’ll be playing two records later? Or you’d better ask yourself some serious questions. But since I’m into sci‑fi, Syd Mead, Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time cover, I used the cryogenics trick to jump the story ninety years forward.
CM: Leather Temple feels more cinematic and orchestral than ever. Were you imagining a film in your head while composing it? What does that film look like?
CB: Yeah, I wanted to end on something more cinematic. Since the music is fast and efficient, I needed to add some scale, something epic. I had a few films in mind: Blade Runner, obviously. Akira too. The Running Man, The Bronx Warriors, Rollerball (1975), and even Speedball 2 on Amiga. If you want to picture Leather Temple as a film, take the scenario and all those references, and you’ll be pretty close.
CM: Bret Halford becoming a half‑man, half‑machine weapon is peak Carpenter Brut energy. What inspired his transformation — classic sci‑fi, body‑horror, or pure chaos?
CB: Terminator 2, Cyberpunk 2077. Again, nothing deep. It’s all just an excuse to make music.
CM: Iron Tusk is a fantastic villain name. How did you build him — and is he based on anyone we should be worried about?
Thanks, yeah, the name sounds great. Maybe one day we’ll see him on the big screen, that would be amazing, right? And for the second part of your question, I don’t see what you’re referring to, hehe.
CM: Midwichpolis is such a striking setting — neon, nuclear fallout, paranoia. What real‑world places or eras fed into that aesthetic?
CB: Tokyo maybe. Or Shenzhen, but purely aesthetically. For the rest, it’s again a mix of Cyberpunk 2077 and Mad Max. I like the idea of two colour palettes for two worlds: blue‑purple neon, and orange‑brown. Those colours mean a lot in cinema. You instantly know where you are.
CM: If you could visit one location from the Leather universe for a day — the City of Light, the Midwichslums, the Horde’s hideout — where are you going and why?
CB: The City of Light, of course. I’ve always loved cities visually. That parallax view of buildings when you’re driving, I love it. No idea why. I love wandering around in Cyberpunk 2077, it’s like a childhood dream coming true. I love technology, the future, sci‑fi.
CM: You’ve blended glam rock, slasher horror, and now dystopian sci‑fi across the trilogy. What genre would you love to tackle next if you ever built another universe?
CB: I’ve got a few ideas. I’d like to go more gothic, early 20th century: old creepy photography, still lifes, ghosts, old haunted houses. It’s a world I like too. A bit less than sci‑fi, but there’s a lot to do. Musically it would be more experimental, less dancey, something different. That’s why it’ll probably be EPs, not an album. I’ll do EPs to experiment. Too bad if people don’t like it, haha.
CM: The album leans into a saturated ’90s electro atmosphere. What’s your favourite ’90s soundtrack or video game score?
CB: I liked Wipeout back then. It felt really new if you weren’t following the UK electro scene. That game stuck with me. I even bought it again recently on PS5. I still suck, haha. And lately I started rewatching The X‑Files, and I remembered how Mark Snow’s music used to scare me. I loved listening to it while falling asleep.
CM: If the Leather trilogy became a film or animated series tomorrow, who would you want to direct it?
CB: John Woo.
CM: Finishing a trilogy is a big deal. Do you feel relief, or the urge to immediately start another saga?
CB: Yeah, because I finished the album in September, mix included, so it’s been sitting there for a while, and I want to move on. And I started this trilogy in 2017, so it’s enough, I think. I’m going to keep touring for another year and a half pretty much wherever I can go, so I’m far from done. But I love this album. Everything around it I like less: touring, promo, all that is less interesting than creating in the studio, but it’s part of the job. So as soon as I can get back to it, I’ll be happy. I also have to work on a film score. So yeah, I’ve got a lot on my plate.
CM: There’s a lot more AI‑generated synthwave on YouTube now, some of it alarmingly good. Does it worry you as an artist?
CB: No. People who want to listen to that will listen to it. People who want to make a Carpenter Brut knockoff will do it, and people will probably listen. And people who prefer me will still listen to me. I’m not going to disappear because some people make Carpenter Brut clones. Just because AI exists doesn’t mean people will drop real artists. Most people probably don’t care, but there will always be people who prefer humans.
CM: Live‑wise, you’ve got Shepherd’s Bush Empire coming up. What can fans expect setlist‑wise?
CB: A lot of Leather Temple tracks, and a pretty good spread from the other albums. But it’s really focused on the new record. I think the tracks are made for live, so it should be cool. Then I’ll see if I need to adjust the setlist for later dates. I’ll be in a testing phase — I can’t be 100% sure every idea is right. I’ll judge based on how people react live, which tracks work best.
CM: We are big fans of your work with Gunship. Do you have any plans to team up with them again? Any other features you’re working on that you can tell me about — or anyone still on your wish list?
Thanks. No, nothing I can announce right now, either because it’s 'secret', or because nothing is 100 per cent confirmed yet.
"I’d like to do more production for other bands, too. Not synthwave, more like modern melodic metal, in the Bring Me The Horizon kind of vibe. It’s very boy band, but I love it [laughs]. We all have our little flaws, right?
Leather Temple is released on February 27. Check out Carpenter Brut's live dates here.
