Mom Climbing a Mountain Dragging Two People Behind Her Clip Art

I don't know what they're putting in the water in and around Stockholm, Sweden, only it'south churning out excellent musicians at an alarming charge per unit. Joining the ranks of indie darlings like Jens Lekman, Jose Gonzalez, Lykke Li, and The Knife are sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, better known as First Assistance Kit. Since making waves in 2008 with a comprehend of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song," the sister act'due south country-tinged blend of indie pop, Americana, and sweetly ethereal harmonies has earned them an international post-obit. With ii albums nether their belt and a third on the way, the Söderberg sisters seem poised to take over the world — or at least its ears. Now, they're embarking on a massive world tour in support of their forthcoming third album Stay Gold (bachelor June 10th), but before they metamorphose into international rock goddesses, I managed to take hold of upward with the Söderbergs during a recent stop in Los Angeles.

Nerdist: And then permit's talk about Stay Gold. I've heard a couple of tracks off of information technology. I'm really enjoying it so far. Tell me a chip about the recording process. I know y'all guys worked with Bright Optics producer Mike Mogis, and you worked a picayune fleck with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra. Tell me a little bit about that – what was the recording procedure like?

Johanna Söderberg: Yep, we went to Omaha for five weeks. We were there for – we made our last record in Omaha, too - so we decided to come dorsum. It was a familiar place and an amazing studio, and we just kind of – well, we always record alive. For the commencement week, nosotros kind of but track all of the songs alive, which ways you lot exercise vocals and guitar and keyboard and stuff.

Klara Söderberg: Nosotros added lots of strings.

JS: And guitar players.

KS: Lots and lots of overnice stuff.

N: Is tracking alive sort of standard for the course, or is it just something y'all guys experience is important for getting the sound that you're going for?

JS: Well, for u.s., we sing harmonies together, Klara and I, so nosotros kind of have to be in the aforementioned room and sing at the same time. Then we kind of like that. We but like the feeling. It'south different than when yous layer stuff later on. It'south more than fun to do it live, I think. It's dissimilar.

N: Yep, and I guess you probably capture some more of that live energy that you wouldn't become if you lot were recording separately, then layering it on top of each other.

JS: Absolutely. Admittedly.

KS: Yes, definitely.

N: Nice. And then what well-nigh Omaha in detail – you said you lot recorded your previous record there as well – what virtually Omaha draws yous there as a recording destination? Is it the studio? Is it the environment?

JS: Yep, it's all of that. The first band that nosotros started listening to – really listening to – was Bright Optics. So for united states of america, information technology has a lot of positive feeling. And there'due south merely such a big music scene in that location. I mean, Mike Mogis, who nosotros've gotten to know so well as a friend, and his studio, and also the fashion he works – he's just an incredible producer. We merely had to become there again.

KS: Yes. No, I hateful, information technology's only such an astonishing studio. It has such a great vibe. Very overnice, friendly – you just experience like you're at home. Yeah, and also, like, Omaha isn't like, the biggest city in the globe, which is kind of prissy.

JS: There aren't that many distractions.

KS: Yeah. Information technology's good. When you're making a record, you lot should just be focused, and you certainly are when you're in Omaha.

N: Yes, I can imagine. Peculiarly a place like that gets you in the frame of mind. Fewer distractions would make information technology easier to buckle downward to piece of work, especially on something like an anthology. And so with Stay Gilt, how do you remember that your sound has evolved from your previous records?

JS: Well, we worked more than with the arrangements. We tried to be more than ambitious with them. I think bigger was something we were trying to strive for. Similar, we went epic on some songs.

KS: Yeah.

JS: Nosotros've never tried that before. We always felt similar, we kept it really simple, because at that place are only three people on stage, nosotros wanted to not become too large, or practise too complicated things. Now, nosotros're like, "You lot know what? Let's have no limitations and see where nosotros'll become.

KS: Yep.

JS: Let's endeavor it out. Nosotros loved the results of that.

N: Yous guys have this sort of – I e'er hate pigeon-holing genre stuff – alt-country, possibly. That might not be the right term, but it has sort of that sensibility to it.

KS: Oh, aye.

JS: Yes, I mean, we've heard a lot of different things. I empathise that. It's nice to characterization things, simply I don't know. Yeah, sure – alt state.

Northward: How would you guys describe your sound? What would yous like people to describe it as?

JS: It's really difficult to say, but it's similar folk and land influenced popular music.

KS: Yeah, it'south like, if you lot say alt-country, I immediately think of, like…

JS: People might go the wrong thought. Well, it'southward not actually like standard country, in a style. We have our own little – we give it our own touch.

KS: I think, similar, with all labels, if that makes me recall of other people that I like, then I don't accept a problem with it.

JS: Yeah, I think sometimes it'south easier to but listing references than to …

N: Aye, exactly. Well, in that case, who would you say, in terms of influences on Stay Aureate, in detail?

JS: Um… Townes Van Zandt.

KS: Yeah.

Northward: Crawly.

JS: Simon and Garfunkel. Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Yeah.

KS: Ryan Adams. Neko Case.

JS: Neko Case. I hateful, at that place are so many people that inspire u.s.a.. I could list a hundred people more than.

KS: I mean, really…

JS: We could go along for two hours.

KS: That would exist kind of boring.

JS: Yeah. [laughs]

North: Shifting gears slightly, I feel similar the music scene in Sweden has been really bravado up over the last decade or and so. My entryway into that whole scene was with Jens Lekman, and I've been finding myself wanting to find more and more. How are you guys received over in Sweden as compared to abroad? Where have you found more than of a foothold? Or is it definitely sort of an international appeal?

JS: I don't know. I call up we're really popular in Sweden.

KS: Yeah, nosotros're popular plenty.

JS: That'south probably where we're the almost popular. Merely information technology's a small-scale country, too. If they play you on the radio…

KS: Aye, you lot're only heard past, like, a hundred people, and we're all called Sven. [laughs]

N: I read that on Wikipedia before this.

JS: Oh, skillful. You're informed.

N: Of course.

JS: [laughs] No, simply, like, I don't know. I feel similar everywhere, especially where people know English, like in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and Australia, because our lyrics are very important. They like to get that aspect of it.

KS: Mm-hmm. Otherwise you just listen to it and you go, "What?"

JS: No, just, like…

KS: I'thou just kidding.

JS:…we try non to think about that also much. Nosotros think similar, "Whoa, someone likes us over hither? That's crazy!" That's kind of the attitude I have.

KS: It'south not similar, "These are our markets."

N: Yeah, exactly. In one case yous try to showtime breaking it down into key demos and all that it just gets a little birdbrained.

JS: Aye, for sure.

N: So you guys – are you lot nigh to go on tour? What do y'all accept coming up in the next few months?

KS: Nosotros are most to continue tour for quite a while, and we're going to start on – the outset tour we're doing is in North America, so we're coming to the US and to Canada, which is going to be astonishing…

JS: It's our first proper long-length bout in a while.

KS: …and the first i for this record, so we're going to try information technology out on the American audience and see if they approve of information technology.

JS: Yeah. [laughs]

Northward: Awesome. Do you have a favorite venue or place to play?

JS: So many.

KS: Aye.

JS: Then many terrific venues. We only played – nosotros got to open for Rodriguez at Radio Metropolis Music Hall. That was pretty cool.

KS: We liked like that.

JS: We beloved the Marriage Transfer in Philadelphia.

KS: Yeah, that's really good.

JS: That's where we're playing in May.

KS: The Orangish Peel.

JS: And Orange Skin in Asheville.

KS: We like Asheville. Asheville's astonishing. Yes.

JS: Everywhere is great. The El Rey, where nosotros're playing. Webster Hall. Nosotros're playing Webster Hall.

KS: Webster Hall – we did that ii years agone. Information technology was incredible. We're excited to go back there. In that location are so many places.

N: Awesome. If you had to dance to one song for the rest of your life, what would information technology exist?

KS: If I had to dance…

JS: "I can't trip the light fantastic" by Gram Parsons. Information technology makes me feel good about not being able to trip the light fantastic toe.

KS: It's like a very – it's not an easy song to dance to, simply I think nosotros're both pretty terrible.

JS: We're dizzy dancers. Whenever we trip the light fantastic…

KS: We're ugly dancers.

JS: You just get for it, merely you expect ridiculous, but you're having fun. Information technology'due south good to listen to a vocal that tells you lot "I tin can't dance, only I do information technology anyway."

N: I only came from – I was covering Coachella recently, and I can assure you you would have been in bully company there.

Both: [laughing]

N: As long every bit yous're having a adept time, that's all that matters.

KS: Exactly.

JS: That's all that matters.

KS: Except when you go to dance and you run into people who are really amazing, and it really bums me out. I'chiliad like, so jealous! ARGH! But, you lot know y'all tin't take yourself too seriously. Yous can't be skillful at everything, you know.

Northward: That's when you kickoff entering reality show territory, and those are dangerous waters. Our outlet is called Nerdist, and our audience is very passionate about certain things; they nerd out about stuff. What do you lot nerd out nigh?

KS: I'thou such a nerd. I go and so obsessed with things. Oh, man.

JS: Well, music in general. You know, like, everything. You know their birthdays, when they died.

KS: Yes.

JS: Similar, all their family and every single…

KS: I know! Merely I want to know it all! And so I have real retentivity skills. I'll remember these things too, and, like, five years from now, if you ask me something, I'll exist, like, "Oh yes, that was blah, blah, blah," and it'south similar, how did I even know that? Where was that hidden in my brain?

JS: It'due south foreign.

KS: I don't know what I'm obsessed with, correct now…

JS: Y'all're playing a lot of Nintendo.

KS: Oh my God, Johanna!

JS: What? Is that a hugger-mugger? I'm sad.

KS: Yep, I'm playing this game called Professor Layton that's pretty awesome.

Due north: Oh, yep! That game is rad!

KS: It's So skillful! I got really proud of myself, because I solved this math puzzle thing yesterday, and I suck at math.

Northward: Yeah, once yous solve some of the puzzles in that game, you simply want to mail service up for a high v, but so yous realize no ane knows what you just did.

KS: Exactly. Yeah.

JS: Yous always talk out loud, like, "Oh my god, I got it!" And I'k like, "What?"

N: "Keen. Salubrious."

KS: I'm trying to figure out what my current obsession. I can't effigy it out. I get obsessed with Goggle box shows, too.

**N: Are y'all guys big Game of Thrones fans?**

KS: Not really. I call up I got confused with also many names, then I watched the first flavor, but then by flavour two, I started watching it and I had forgotten so much. I was similar, "Who? Who is that?"

N: Yeah, you need wink cards while watching that show sometimes.

JS: Yeah, I don't know. Maybe nosotros'll option information technology upwards.

KS: Yes.

JS: Otherwise, what do y'all similar? Y'all watch and so many TV series. You watch, like, every Television set series there is.

KS: Yeah, I do. I follow. I have an app that shows me – information technology'south called TV Show Fourth dimension.

JS: It lets you catch upwards.

KS: Yeah. Then I merely scout them. On my lonesome.

North: Very nice.

KS: I'm re-watching Friends for, similar, the 15th time, which I realize is kind of lame. But Friends is then nice – information technology's so familiar and comfy. I just recollect watching it when I was, like, a child, and information technology'south just this dainty feeling of these characters. I know exactly what's going to happen,. and I know the jokes and I still laugh at these lame jokes. [chuckles]

**N: Well, Friends is also i of those shows that you can always find on television set. At any hour of the day they're going to be playing reruns.**

KS: Yes, simply I'm actually watching it…

JS: From first to terminate.

KS: Yeah, right.

N: Oh, squeamish. Nice. Yous've got to become that continuity in in that location. Thanks guys very much for taking the time to speak to me today. Take a nail on your tour!

JS: Yeah, it was cool talking with you!

KS: Yeah!

Offset Assist Kit's tertiary album, Stay Gold, is bachelor on June 10th from Columbia Records. Yous tin can find out where to grab them on tour on their website.

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Source: https://prince.org/msg/8/406964?pg=4