Jen: I caught you guys at McCarren Pool opening for Bloc Party in July. It was a DAMN good show, I was blown away- honestly. Do you like touring in your home country more than outside of it, vice-versa?
Jonas: Why thank you! We enjoy playing everywhere but as this was our first tour in the US we were obviously excited to finally be there! Furthermore our American audience seemed genuinely open to our music and gave us a warm welcome, which made it a wonderful experience.
Jen: I read that you guys met when you were young. How did the idea for a band come along? And do you have collective inspirations for your music you draw from?
Jonas: We went to the same school since we were 5-6 years old. In the beginning we didn’t really hang out – we were quite different – but during a school art project we learned that we shared an interest in alternative music and film. Bands like Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, as well as people like Stina Nordenstam and Prefab Sprout. This lead to years of playing together, being creative, until finally in high school we decided to form a real band.
Jen: Your songs are in English. Norwegian artist Sondre Lerche said in an interview that it just never occurred to him to write rock songs in his own language. Do you feel the same way?
Jonas: There are numerous reasons for our decision to primarily write in English (we have also written in Gibberish and Japanese). We grew up listening to English speaking bands. Although the lyrics are quite abstract we don’t have any desire to alienate people and English is the most universal language that we know (we are taught English from the age of 6).
Jen: I also wonder how Danish fans react to their native sons singing in English.
Jonas: By the time we entered the indie scene in Copenhagen people were getting used to that. In Sweden it had been going on for years, somehow that seemed natural to most people, and a lot of Danish bands had followed suit. I don’t really remember it as being a big issue for anyone; in fact it wasn’t something we thought much about in the band either. Denmark is, after all, a tiny country.
Jen: I'm sure you've heard this, but the new album cover is reminiscent of Queen. Purposeful, accidental? They are actually my favourite band.
Jonas: I do like Queen. But actually a French design team called M/M created the cover. Although we are almost always involved in any visual aspect of our band (in particular, our live show film projections which incorporate animation and scenery to emphasize the emotions and structure of our songs) we decided to simply let M/M do whatever they wanted with the cover and sleeve, because we all love their work.
I don’t know if they intended it to be like Queen. We all felt it was kind of bold to have our portraits (albeit in collage form) on the cover, very “un-indie” which is precisely what we wanted. I remember Mathias of M/M said to me at the first meeting I had with them that our music was “Like a gremlin. At first you think it’s all furry and cuddly but all of a sudden it turns green and bites you!”
Jen: I once spent a month living in Thy (Northern Jutland). It was one of the more stunning places I have ever been. One question. Why are the Danish so tall, beautiful and blond? At 5'4 with near black hair, I stuck out just a wee bit.
Jonas: I have never been to Thy. How curious, what were you doing there? Oh well I guess you are the one that gets to ask questions. [Hey Jonas, I was there on an archaeological dig searching for Viking artefacts. Yes readers, in another lifetime this music slut was once a burgeoning archaeologist. We were excavating a house and found a pot with amber inside...trust me, that's sort of impressive...ok nevermind, back to the music]
Ha ha thanks for flattering the Danish people. I do think that the girls in Scandinavia are among the most beautiful in the world, actually. Some say that the Vikings would kidnap all the pretty ladies during their pillaging and plundering and bring them back to the old country. I think that’s rubbish though! Ha ha… I don’t know.
Well, what you regarded back then as “sticking out” I’m sure simply meant that you were mysterious and exotic!
Jen: I never made it down to Copenhagen, but I did spend some time in Aarhus. They seem to have a burgeoning music scene there. At The Music Slut, we are always bombarded with new music. Anything coming out of Denmark we should keep an eye out for? Or anything new you are loving at the moment?
Jonas: There’s not that much stuff I enjoy these days. The best band in Denmark is called Lords of Destruction. They started out around the same time as we did. But they never really did any shows or demos. We were going to release them on our Copenhagen label Evil Office, perhaps we still are, difficult to say what’s going on with them these days. There’s a band called Spleen United, they are kind of a mix between Depeche Mode and Boards of Canada, with a pinch of indie mentality. Under Byen (Underneath the City) sing in Danish and make a beautiful racket.
Jen: I know interviewers love to ask what bands think of their home country. Seeing as our site spans two countries, Scotland and New York City (yes, I just called NYC a country- we do have double the population of Scotland). Whom do you think would win in an arm wrestling contest? Keep in mind, Scots throw around large trees for sport but New Yorkers always keep a pistol in their back pocket.
Jonas: Well I love both countries. New York is my favorite city in the US so far; it seems almost to really be its own country. I’ve been to Scotland a few times; in fact a ferocious gigantic seagull once attacked me in Glasgow. Scotland is a beautiful country. I love Edinburgh although I’ve never spent enough time there to really get to know it.
Well let me answer your question with another question: If the Loch Ness monster would battle King Kong, what good would throwing trees or pulling guns really do? I mean, then where would we be?
Jen: Thanks a million!
Jonas: A thousand thanks as we say in Denmark.
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