For nearly a decade, Tel Aviv freak pop ensemble, Eatliz, have been showering the globe with their avant-vision on pop music and visual animation. The group’s sound is as complicated as their surrealist videos, and they were kind enough to allow seeds to take a brief peak into their bizarre world:

SEEDS: How did the band form?

Eatliz: We all met in the bubbling and vibrant music scene of Tel Aviv. The Israeli music scene is relatively small so everyone knows everybody else. Guy & Omry, who were here from day one, were members of Israeli cult group Infectzia, which Guy formed back in the 90′s. When we heard he was forming a new thing, we all wanted to be a part of it.

SEEDS: How did you get the idea to blend Middle Eastern sounds with rock and pop?

Eatliz: Growing up, Guy, who’s the main writer in Eatliz, listened to a lot of Moroccan music at home, so it was natural to him to blend it to every musical project he had. Also, you can say that in Israel, these sounds are in the air, even when you go to the market or just walking in the streets.

SEEDS: With the support of MTV Europe, Eatliz toured all over Europe and the US. What was that experience like?

Eatliz: After performing endlessly in Israel, every new country is like a breath of fresh air so everything is very exciting; new people, new venues, new atmosphere and vibes. We were all surprised to get people’s responses to our music. You think that people in Europe and in the US have heard it all, but every where we were told by people that they never heard such music and that’s a big compliment for us. Road tripping in the US was a hell of a ride. We toured with a NY band, Consider the Source, and their audience accepted us immediately.

SEEDS: Your videos are incredibly bizarre and surreal. Does the band have a lot of input into the videos?

Eatliz: Guy is pretty much the mastermind behind Eatliz artwork and the crazy music videos. He is a 3D animator, so he has this vision for Eatliz combined with fantasy. Guy even directed the “Hey” animated music video. It took him 3 years cause he is a bit lazy, but the outcome is pretty amazing so we can’t really complain…

SEEDS: Complementary to your videos and music, Eatliz appears to have a very singular visual image as well, especially lead singer Lee Triffon. Almost of your photos feature surreal costumes, settings and make-up.

Eatliz: Eatliz is a fantasy world for all of us and gives us a space for going wild. The unexpected music we make helps us connect with artists from different areas, from animators to designers, who really dig the music. Lee is collaborating with promising, cool, young Israeli designers that make her custom-made stage outfits.

SEEDS: What’s coming up next for you?

Eatliz: Currently we are working on our next album, and planning to release a new album with classical arrangements for our songs in the beginning of 2012. We are really excited about touring in China and Japan in spring 2012 and later also in Europe.

Download “Zoo” from Eatliz’s Teasing Nature.

Check out Eatliz’s wild animated video for the song “Hey.”