Swedish Alt-Rockers, Beat The Heart, have been very busy in their short time together - their debut EP, 'Glebe Market', has seen them combine an eclectic range of influences to create a distinctive sound, from heartfelt lyrical sentiments accompanied by fragile Guitars, the to pounding Drums and Synths of our recent Track of the Day, 'Spaceship Ride'. We caught up with them to get the low-down on whats coming next for the hard-working 4-piece...
We’re great thanks!
First things first, how did you all meet?
Nicolas (Lead vocal/Guitar): Andreas (Drums) and me have been friends since childhood, even though we never made any music until our late teenage years. We used to go skateboarding and snowboarding together and never had any plans to start playing music. I started to write my own songs at age 16, and kept on writing them without any particular goal in mind. Eventually, Andreas and Filip joined and we started to play these songs together. It was not until last summer when Andreas' younger brother Johan joined us on lead guitar that we decided to give it a real go.
Filip (Bass): I actually used to film and photograph Andreas and Nico when they were skating. Later on, I found out that Nicolas and I were listening to the same kind of music and it didn’t take us long to pick up the guitars and try them ourselves.
Andreas (Drums): I actually joined Nicolas and Filip once and played the drums in the music room in our school. We played a couple of Swedish punk songs one day, but it really sounded like shit so we didn’t do it again. I always wanted my own band and when I was a kid I used to do playback Kiss covers at the concert day in my school. I was actually the front man in that band, but I’ve made my way back to the drums during the years.
You’ve been together for a relatively short time but you’ve already recorded and released your debut EP, ‘Glebe Market’, (which I’m listening to for the second time as I type, by the way). The finished product is well produced, ranging from delicate and soft to pounding and bold. Who inspired and influenced you while you were writing the record? I’m getting the impression you’re not just inspired by current bands or bands of one genre…
Nicolas (Lead vocal/Guitar): Andreas (Drums) and me have been friends since childhood, even though we never made any music until our late teenage years. We used to go skateboarding and snowboarding together and never had any plans to start playing music. I started to write my own songs at age 16, and kept on writing them without any particular goal in mind. Eventually, Andreas and Filip joined and we started to play these songs together. It was not until last summer when Andreas' younger brother Johan joined us on lead guitar that we decided to give it a real go.
Filip (Bass): I actually used to film and photograph Andreas and Nico when they were skating. Later on, I found out that Nicolas and I were listening to the same kind of music and it didn’t take us long to pick up the guitars and try them ourselves.
Andreas (Drums): I actually joined Nicolas and Filip once and played the drums in the music room in our school. We played a couple of Swedish punk songs one day, but it really sounded like shit so we didn’t do it again. I always wanted my own band and when I was a kid I used to do playback Kiss covers at the concert day in my school. I was actually the front man in that band, but I’ve made my way back to the drums during the years.
You’ve been together for a relatively short time but you’ve already recorded and released your debut EP, ‘Glebe Market’, (which I’m listening to for the second time as I type, by the way). The finished product is well produced, ranging from delicate and soft to pounding and bold. Who inspired and influenced you while you were writing the record? I’m getting the impression you’re not just inspired by current bands or bands of one genre…
The funny thing is that we all have different tastes in music, ranging from metal, folk, indie and hip-hop. We try to take things from many different genres to create our own sound. There is so much good music out there that it’s just stupid to limit yourself and be narrow when it comes to creating to music.
One thing that was a major influence to the record was the surroundings of the studio, which is located at the loft of a barn in the Swedish countryside. It was such a relief to go away for a couple of days and be able to only focus on our music. It felt like we were living the stereotypical life of a recording artist, completely isolated on a farm.
Obviously all (decent) songs are written with a particular emotion in mind, but yours seem particularly personal, like there’s a real weight behind them, am I right?
When I started writing music, I used to write lyrics that felt cool and mysterious, even though I didn’t have a clue what I was writing about. As I look back, I realise that the best thing, in my opinion, is to write about things you know and to be personal - not to imitate your favourite bands. When we started Beat The Heart, I wanted the songs to be honest because I had a need to express myself about life. For me, the best singers are not necessarily those with the greatest voices, but those who you can tell really mean every word that they sing, whether the songs are about real life or not. Hopefully, the lyrics will continue to be in that way. It’s natural to write about what you know and how you feel at the same moment you come up with a new song.
It's available for purchase, via the iTunes store.
So, you carved out a unique sound with ‘Glebe Market’, but what have you been up to since. I see you have your new single, ‘Nurse Me (With Your Soul)’, out today (29th July)…
We actually recorded the new EP a couple of weeks after we released Glebe Market (26th March), but since then we have been playing a lot of gigs in and around Stockholm. Simultaneously, we have been writing a lot of new stuff, so there is more to come after our new EP, which is to be released in late August.
What’s the new EP called, and when/where can we get it! And do you have anything special planned for the release?
The new EP is called 'It Never Ends' and will be available in late August on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and so on. We’re planning a release party and hopefully a music video will be done by then.
What can we expect to hear with the new material? Has your sound changed at all?
'Glebe Market' was our first time in a real studio so we learned a lot during the recording of that record. We have developed on the sound that you can hear on the songs, 'Spaceship Ride' and 'Glebe Market'. One of the new songs has got a really psychedelic vibe to it so we are excited for you guys to hear that.
We’ve had a bunch of shows as we mentioned, but nothing fancy really. Although, we played quite a big park festival in the middle of Stockholm about a month ago, which was great fun! There are lots of talented musicians from Sweden but it’s hard to break ground as a new artist, especially in Stockholm. Promoters don’t have that much patience with bands, and in this day and age everyone is supposed to be ready with a hit from the start. We’ve been lucky with lots of gigs but we feel that lots of great music falls out because of this.
What would your ideal festival line-up be? (With you supporting, naturally.)
We argue to much about this so everyone gets to make their own line-up:
Andreas: Pink Floyd (David Gilmour), Pearl Jam, Ghost, In Solitude, Alice in chains with Lane Staley and Bon Iver would be cool.
Filip: I would go to any festival that booked Radiohead. Besides them I would like to see Villagers, Tame Impala, the Swedish band, I Break Horses, and an acoustic session with Jackson Browne.
Nicolas: A Simon and Garfunkel reunion with a healthy Art would be totally awesome. My Morning Jacket and Wilco are two of the best live bands I’ve seen, I would love to see them again. The Band, with good ol’ Levon Helm behind the drums and Gram Parsons on guest vocals, would be magic. Finally, I must say Swedish Broder Daniel back in their prime in the 90’s.
Johan: Ghost, Kings Of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Graveyard and Bon Iver.
And finally, cats or dogs?
Filip, Andreas and Johan have all got cats. We suspect that Filip’s cat is getting Alzheimers. It’s quite annoying actually. For the cat as well. I think we all like dogs more though.
For more info. about Beat The Heart, visit their...
For more info. about Beat The Heart, visit their...
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