Swedish rockers Normandie talk about their upcoming record!
Band picture by Lucas Englund Hello Normandie, thanks for your time. Would it be possible to introduce your band to our readers, as well as your roles in it? Philip - Vocals Anton - Drums Håkan - Guitars With a worldwide pandemic going on, how have you handled the management of your band over the past few months? It’s honestly been like always, just a lot more hand sanitizers and caution! Sweden hasn’t really had a lockdown, so we’ve seen each other at least once a week writing music or just hanging out/planning! It’s pretty nice to be able to have a small number of friends that you’re allowed to see. Human connection is important, but you have to be sure everyone is healthy and making all necessary precautions to keep Covid from spreading! You’ve recently announced the release of your new album “Dark & Beautiful Secrets” for February 19th 2021 via Easy Life Records. How long have you worked on this record? I think the first demo song, “Atmosphere”, was started somewhere right after “White Flag” was delivered for mastering! We’ve always made sure to start working on new stuff as soon as possible, so we can play around with no time pressure. It’s important to have time to just try stuff that you might not risk trying when you’re on a schedule. Alongside the announcement, you've also dropped a new single, 'Holy Water'. What's the story behind this song? The song is double sided. One side is about me and my experiences growing up, mostly about faulty leadership and abuse of power. The other side is about how we, as humans, become a hive mind and always look for leadership and groupings to fit in and find likeminded people, which often end up colouring your perspective to fit the people around you. Would you say this single is the one that best reflects the overall spirit of your upcoming album? I would say so yes, it’s heavy and poppy at the same time. Lyrically, it’s very personal but also very broad and can be interpreted in many ways. Can we talk about the process of creating the artwork of your album and the overall idea behind this visual? The album name is about the beautiful secrets we keep away from the world to not be judged or hurt. We wanted to illustrate this by having me, as the album is about me, under plastic wrapping that symbolises the cover and safety we keep by having secrets - but it’s also see-through. I’m naked under the plastic, which basically means that under this thin layer of plastic cover is the pure and naked truth - kinda!! It all sounds very artsy fartsy, but I think it’s a perfect way of visually describing what it feels/looks like when you’re hiding secrets from the outside world to keep you safe.
You've also announced headlining shows for 2021. How excited are you to go back on stage? SO EXITED!! I looked through some videos on my phone the other day from previous tours and the crowd is so loud and sweaty, so unaware of the pandemic that was about to ruin everything. It’s gonna be so amazing to go crazy again!
The last words are for you. If you have a message to convey, here’s your chance! Take the vaccine, I will! See you all in October! Thanks for your time!
Leave a comment
Log in to post comments