Is there a constant theme to Elil EP?
The songs are a bit like postcards as they in several cases take place somewhere away from home. It?s not a theme we chose consciously, though.
What role does Watership Down play in Elil EP?
Helena got the first associations to Watership Down while she was writing Gullvivas koloni ("Cowslip?s Warren") during a visit to South Africa. The song is about AIDS/HIV, how people just disappear, how funerals are held every second day in every little village, and how it is taboo to talk about this issue. A chapter in the book is about a colony of rabbits. They live in abundance of food which is given from a farmer nearby. And in ?exchange? the farmer now and then puts out traps. The rabbit live under constant threat of being caught, but they never talk about it, and it is not even allowed to ask where another rabbit is (the quote in the beginning of the song is from that chapter). This parallel led us to Watership Down, a book and film that has meant a lot to Helena and Leo during their upbringing. The other quotation printed inside the cover, that says ?whenever they catch you they will kill you, but first they must catch you? is also from Watership Down. We chose the quote because we think it is beautiful and actually all of our songs are about that - don?t let those fuckers get you.
What are your major influences? Where are they from?
Helena and Leo have a background in guitar based indie rock and punk music. Samira was into ebm and electropop in her teens. As metal heads and synthetic kids don?t kill each other nowadays, they can actually enjoy each others company...
What are some of your favourite albums of recent times?
(Without THAT much consideration):
Skinny Puppy: The Greater Wrong of the Right
Jenny Wilson: Love and Youth
Kanye West: college dropout
Stina Nordenstam: The World Is Saved
Joanna Newsom: milk eyed mender
M?m: finally we are no one
The Knife: Deep cuts
Junior Boys: Last Exit
Magnetic Fields: I
The Similou: So Hot Right Now
Fixmer/McCarthy: Between The Devil
What have you learned from your debut that you would do differently?
We have become better when it comes to programming and producing. We work faster and are more playful when making and recording songs. Our new songs are a bit lighter and maybe not as serene as on Elil EP. We don?t regret anything from our debut though, but our sound is changing all the time. As we have quite different influences in the band, every new song can turn into almost anything.
How much does local culture play an influence on your music?
Swedish folk music and mythology have very little influence on our music. We haven?t thought about whether we sound Swedish or not. Myths and rituals in general can be very interesting but in our case they would probably be filtered through a google query.
/Samira, Helena and Leo