guerolitoexclusive | interview with THE RADIO DEPT.

photo by Shiver_Shi

Despite Swedish music scene’s rising popularity and commercial recognition, a lot of artists from the country remain underexposed. 15-year-old Swedish fuzz-pop trio, The Radio Dept. have been quietly refocusing their shoe-gaze sound, more recently integrating drum machines and synth-laden backtracks, giving them a more electronic feel. Their low profile can only be attributed to the infrequency of their record releases. Officially, the nearly four-year wait between albums by the group was attributed to vague “unexpected delays” but despite this, their newest release, Clinging to a Scheme, has garnered widespread critical acclaim. We got to sit down with the band to talk about their how they have grown during their decade-plus career. Read the interview by our man Marshall below!

mp3 | Heaven’s On Fire

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guerolitoexclusive | interview with GERMANY GERMANY

You might remember our post about Canadian electronica producer Drew Harris a.k.a. GERMANY GERMANY. He’s about to release his 3rd album called Radiowave, accompanied by a free eight song album called Last Summer, which shows the quiet side of the band. We’re proud to present you an exclusive interview with Drew Harris and also of having the rights to post a great & exclusive song off Last Summer. Enjoy!

guerolitomusic: Hi Drew. So tell me about GERMANY GERMANY, who are the people behind this project?

Drew Harris: The music behind Germany Germany (songwriting, instrumentation, production) is done by myself, though I have called in more talented friends to lay down some tracks.  Vocals are predominantly done by Jessica Morgan and myself.  When I started this project in January, I had never sung in my life – Electrolove, our second release, was my first time doing vocals.  I kind of like the sound of Jess and my vocals together though.  I’ve been attempting to branch out with vocalists, mainly because Jessica has been busy, but I keep coming back to her.  You might say that I’m the music behind Germany Germany and she is the voice.

guerolitomusic: GERMANY GERMANY is quite a special name for a musical project. Do you have any relations with Germany that you name it twice?

D.H.: Haha.. I get this question a lot. I actually have no relation to Germany whatsoever. Berlin just seems like this magical, artistic place that I was obsessed with for a while. Ratatat’s song “Germany to Germany” may have been a bit of the inspiration as well. I’m still hoping to travel to Germany next summer. “Germany Germany” in Germany.

guerolitomusic: Who is your main inspiration for you and your music?

D.H.: Musically? It’s hard to know, really. Musicians, myself included, kind of draw in all their various influences and attempt to create something original, which is often just a mixture of said influences. I listen to a lot of stuff, from New Order to Futurecop! to Daft Punk to The Flaming Lips… the list could go on. I don’t know if this comes out at all though.

guerolitomusic: Some songs off “Radiowave” remind me of Crystal Castles and sometimes of Swedens own Slagsmålsklubben. Are these bands influences for the songs of GERMANY GERMANY?

D.H.: Mm… Crystal Castles.  I do enjoy listening to Crystal Castles, though based on their public image and notoriety for using samples and such without acknowledgement, I don’t have a lot of respect for them.  Maybe some of the chiptune-y samples I use are somewhat inspired by them… but maybe not.  I’m not sure.  I have an awful lot of respect for Slagsmalsklubben though – Boss for Leader is one of my favourite albums.

guerolitomusic: You’re releasing two records at once. What made you do that?

D.H.: Well, I originally thought I’d release Radiowave in the summer and Last Summer in the fall.  I finished Radiowave in August, but due to the whole commercial distribution thing it had to wait until October.  I had a few ideas for Last Summer, but decided about 3 weeks ago that I would write and produce a free album to release at the same time.  I like releasing things for free – much less stress to be perfect when there’s no profit involved.  I also have no inspiration to make money from my music – that’s what jobs are for.  I just want people to enjoy what I’m doing and not have to open their wallets to do so.

guerolitomusic: What are plans for your near future? Are you concetrating on university or GERMANY GERMANY?

Hah. I wish I knew. I’m doing a semester off classes right now, which is partly why I’ve had the time to do Last Summer. Starting in January I’m going back to full-time classes, so the project’s going to be a bit quiet for a while. I say that, but it’s probably not true. Part of me wants to stay put and finish my undergrad, part of me wants to take some time off, move to Vancouver (or Europe), and make this top priority. Time will tell. Specifically speaking, I’ve got another album idea. I’d love to say that I’ve released 5 full length albums in 1 year. I think it’s going to be called “Adventures”, but that’s all I know at this point. No clue where it’s going to go. Say “Yes!” to adventure.

Radiowave is released on THaF Records via Itunes and all other major
online retailers from October 27th. Stream it here! Last Summer is available for download here, for free!

mp3 | Too Much To Say | Highly Recommended!