Presidenten: Back to the Nights, the Stage and the Ice Age

“Nätter” is about that moment when the brain starts working overtime just as you’re about to fall asleep. Was the song born from one specific night, or more from a recurring state of mind?

Good heavens! My brain at night is a whole chapter of its own. For me, it’s definitely a recurring phenomenon. These days I usually laugh in the morning at how incredibly banal the things were that kept me awake during the night. But every now and then, a stroke of genius is born.

You describe the song as a reminder not to dwell on things that can wait until tomorrow anyway. Is that something you yourselves have become better at over the years?

No, unfortunately I think it’s just as bad now as it has always been, haha. Possibly worse… I’m not sure I want it to change either. It feels like a way, at least for me, to process information and emotions without it affecting my everyday life too much.

The song was shaped live before it was recorded. What changed the most from the first version to the finished recording?

Instrumentally and melodically, “Nätter” was written almost entirely in the rehearsal room, completely from scratch. The lyrics were written at night, as they usually are. Normally it tends to be a more “finished” song, with lyric ideas and a basic arrangement, that we then continue working on. This time it just clicked, with a single word: “Nätter”. What’s hard to capture on a recording is the live impact that comes from volume and energy. Instead, we replaced that with a few more instruments, such as acoustic guitar, keyboards, pedal steel and percussion, which we don’t use live as a trio. But overall, the versions are very similar.

When do you know that a song is finished — is it in the studio, on stage, or when the audience starts reacting to it?

I don’t think a song is ever really finished. A recording is mostly a time document of how it sounded at that exact moment. We often play around with our songs, both in rehearsal and live. We constantly change details and dynamics compared to the studio version.

You have one foot in ’90s indie pop and the other in glam rock boogie-woogie. Which artists or records have found their way into your DNA?

We probably have slightly different favourites within the band. I can only mention my own influences. Some of my household gods are Sweet and Queen, for example, with their vocal harmonies. There’s probably quite a bit of David Bowie and T. Rex sprinkled into the productions. When it comes to melodic language and expression, I think Radiohead, Suede and Jeff Buckley have shaped me the most as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. Oh, there are so many more we’ve been influenced by: Kula Shaker, Supergrass, Blur…

How do Höganäs and the north-western Scanian coast influence your expression, both lyrically and musically?

I’ve been writing lyrics and music my whole life, but I think it’s only here, in the Scanian countryside, that I’ve found something to say. Nature and the sea give me a calm that I probably need in order to think. There’s also a creativity and drive among the entrepreneurs in Höganäs that is incredibly inspiring. Nothing is impossible! People from all over Sweden and the world have landed here and brought their experiences, knowledge and interests with them, which has made this little peninsula a cultural melting pot.

You write about life “as it is”. Is there any subject you find especially difficult to write about simply and honestly?

No, I think all subjects feel right once they find their proper form. For me, the most important thing is that it doesn’t become pretentious. I write about things I’ve experienced, and I don’t want to use words I wouldn’t use in everyday speech, or tell a story about something that hasn’t affected me in some way.

The debut album is called Tillbaka till istiden, baby. It’s the kind of title you immediately want to ask about — where does it come from?

That’s a good question. We probably don’t really know ourselves, haha, but it was a long and cold winter that we struggled through, and somehow it just felt right to put it in writing. It felt playful and catchy, but at the same time there’s a more serious tone in the idea that the world in general seems to be going downhill and getting worse in many ways. Maybe we’re heading towards a new ice age or a new Middle Ages, who knows?

What can listeners expect from the album compared with the single “Nätter”?

According to some, it’s probably a fairly sprawling album. We haven’t cared too much about sticking to one single genre. So it’s danceable, melancholic, psychedelic and grand. I think the common thread is the down-to-earth themes in the lyrics and, hopefully, our instrumental identities. We want to get away from the idea that every song on an album has to be in the same style, or that the production is so polished that all personal expression is erased.

What has the process behind the album looked like — has it been a slowly evolving project, or more of a concentrated period of creation?

It’s a bit of both, actually. When we decided to make an album, we wanted to take some of our own favourite songs and complement them with a bunch of completely new ones. So half the record was, more or less, already recorded and finished. Then it was just a matter of choosing between the new songs, which were written more during a concentrated creative period. I also think that we, both as a band and as people, are constantly developing and want to break new musical ground — and I think that usually happens slowly over time.

You sing in a Blekinge/southern Swedish dialect. Does the dialect feel like an important part of the band’s identity?

I think it’s a hugely important part of our sound. It becomes more honest somehow. All three of us sing in our native dialects, even though it’s mostly my Blekinge dialect that comes through. But the combination of our three dialects also creates a kind of friction that might be something unique.

You say the sound is shaped live. Is Presidenten primarily a live band that happens to record albums, or the other way around?

I think Studio-Presidenten and Live-Presidenten are two different things. Partly because we often record quite soon after a song has been written and arranged, whereas live we’ve rehearsed the song and played around with new things that we think are fun. A recording is also something more permanent, so we’re probably a bit more restrained when we record than we are live. And since we’re a trio, in the studio we have to replace the energy that exists live with something else. I hope we’re both a live band AND a studio band, just with different expressions.

What happens to the songs when they meet an audience? Do they become messier, softer, or something else entirely?

As I mentioned earlier, we often play around with the arrangements, which means that live they can go in any direction. None of us are messy personalities, but I think overall we’re noisier and more high-energy live than on record. Both Love and Jörgen are trained in jazz and improvisation, so quite a lot gets challenged during a live set. Haha. We do try to keep as dynamic a curve as possible in our setlist, so there’s both calm and energy.

The vinyl is released in connection with the release show at The Tivoli in Helsingborg on June 25. What does that evening mean to you?

It will be a magical evening on June 25, and also the first time for all three of us to release music physically on vinyl! It’s a childhood dream coming true. Finally! The Tivoli in Helsingborg is also, for me, one of the first REAL venues outside Karlshamn where I got to play live, many, many years ago. There are a lot of memories in that room.

What kind of show suits Presidenten best: a sweaty club, a festival stage, or something else entirely?

I think all three of us feel that club shows are the most fun, even though festivals open the doors to more people. There’s something intimate about being close to other people at high volume.

What is the most typically Presidenten thing that can happen during a rehearsal day?

We’re actually quite organised, so there’s nothing strange at all. But what’s typical of us is that we always look forward to arranging our songs and tweaking them a little all the time.

You have your own studio with a view described as something to die for. How much does the environment affect creativity?

I think the location, the view and the group dynamic give us a sense of gratitude for how good things can actually be. We can shut out everything that’s difficult for a couple of hours.

What do you most lovingly argue about in the band — tempo, sound, lyrics, or the amount of coffee?

I don’t think we’ve ever argued, actually. We share an understanding that we express ourselves about the music as directly and clearly as we can, without being unpleasant of course. Almost all ideas are tested before they’re voted down or used. Everything for the good of the song. Otherwise, we’re three COMPLETELY different individuals, and that’s what creates our own sound.

What do you want people to feel when they hear Presidenten for the first time?

We’re hoping for: WOW!! 😃

We believe in creating a fanbase in a dynamic and organic way, and our live act is an important part of that. Just as important are music writers and people who are passionate about music. We hope the word about our music spreads by word of mouth. We see social media and streaming sites mostly as a way of getting information out to those of you who have already found us, probably through a gig or a review…

Best song to play in the car on the way to a gig?

In the car on the way to gigs, everything under the sun gets discussed. We barely have time to listen to music. It’s just endless chatter! 😃

What happens after the album release — what’s the next step for Presidenten?

We’ll be doing quite a lot of concerts during the summer and the rest of the year. A few dates and venues have been announced publicly, such as September 5 at Pustervik in Gothenburg and a wonderful little outdoor place here in our area, in Mölle, called Salty Dog on July 17. But more dates and venues will be announced very soon on Instagram 😉. Of course, we’ll release another song digitally, and the whole album will also be released digitally at the end of the summer. We want those of you who actually invest in a physical album and come to see us play live to feel a bit VIP. Everyone else will have to make do with what’s already out there. 🙂