Interview and text by Joana Söt.
Topic by Bia Cardoso.
The Swedish band Blues Pills , known for their sound rooted in the rock influences of the 60s and 70s, is back with new inspirations and a renewed sound.
In a smile-filled interview with Wikimetal , band members Zack Anderson , André Kvarnström , and Elin Larsson discussed the changes in their musical influences, revealed interesting stories behind their new songs, and shared their experiences in this new musical phase.
This phase resulted in the album Birthday , the group's fourth album, which will be released this Friday, August 2nd.
Wikimetal: Blues Pills has already released four songs from their upcoming album, and we can feel some different influences in it. Can you tell us what the main inspirations were?
Zack: In the beginning of the band, we played a sound more reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. That more progressive, more psychedelic rock that was a big part of our references back then, when we were younger. Nowadays we listen to other things, and consequently, our sound has changed.
Elin: Of these four singles, we have songs inspired by ( David ) Bowie , but we also have inspirations from Gorillaz , for example.
WM: Is there a song that has a cool story behind it or that is your favorite?
Zack: All four are amazing to me. We have two more upbeat ones and two more melodic ones, music for all tastes!
Elin: I like them all so much because they're so different. I'd say "Piggyback Ride" and "Top of the Sky" are my favorites. During "Piggyback Ride," I feel an overwhelming urge to dance, just move my body and let loose! (laughs)
Andre: “ Piggyback Ride” is definitely a favorite.
WM: What do you want to evoke in your fans with all these references and songs?
Zack: I think the impact of our music is different for each person. It's part of the art.
Elin: We want them to feel it! That's all! (laughs)
Zack: I love when we play shows and we can see our music resonate with each person in a different way. In “Top of the Sky,” for example, we wrote it thinking about Skywalkers, those people who climb buildings to post on social media – and we kind of thought about the limits people have to go to get attention. But we've also seen people cry listening to it, finding it super romantic!
WM: This story reminds me of the documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story . It's literally about that (everyone laughs).
Elin: Incredible! These people are crazy.
Zack: I need to watch this as soon as possible.
WM: The title "Birthday" intrigued me. What was the process like for creating this song?
Zack: It's called that because the idea for the lyrics came to Elin on her birthday. We were in Mexico on the Day of the Dead!
Elin: It was an amazing time to be there. We went to Guadalajara.
Zack: Sometimes you get the urge to write songs about literally any situation you experience. In this case, it was super cool; we saw a motorcycle parade that inspired us to write about that day as soon as we got home.
WM: The last Blues Pills album was released in 2020, during the pandemic. Do you think the band has changed since then?
Elin: It changed a lot. It made me feel reborn. I think it was a time of so much reflection, it certainly impacted the way we create things.
Zack: It was the first time we moved to different cities, so I feel like that had a big impact on how we create music. Suddenly, we had much less time to create, write, and play together.
Elin: Our first performance after all that was at a bachelor party. We showed up and rocked it! (laughs)
WM: The band's first album, self-titled, was released 10 years ago, so you're part of a certain "new wave" of rock bands. What do you think of people who say rock is dead?
Elin: They can all go to hell! (everyone laughs) I think the genre will never die. The world needs rock music so much right now, in times of crisis. I feel it's a natural expression of the situation.
WM: Are there plans to come to Brazil?
Blues Pills: We're trying! It would be wonderful, really.
