A Swedish indie pop collective called Wilderness is celebrating the release of their new album "Vallsundet 1924" for Bangkok indie label, Colorcode Records (Aerolips, Plastic Section, Basement Tape). The band were gracious enough to answer some questions about their music, how they ended up on a Bangkok label and the scene in Stockholm.
Can you introduce the band?
Wilderness is a music project based in Stockholm, Sweden. Members varies depending on what we are up to: writing, recording, performing but we are all Wilderness. The two song writers are childhood friends and have known each other since they were seven years old and starting writing music together about seven years later. Most of the members originally comes from the northern parts of Sweden but today we all live in Stockholm.
The idea of Wilderness started long ago but we started making the music that ended up being Wilderness around 2010.
We’ve released two EP:s so far (”Wilderness EP” 2014 and ”This World Is Not Ours” 2015) and our most important shows has been at Debaser Strand in Stockholm which is the main club for indie music. Wilderness have also written instrumental music to to an art exhibition where we also performed live at the exhibition.
This tour, in SE Asia, is our first tour outside Sweden and we’ll be playing in: Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, Macao, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Shanghai.
How did you end up with Colorcode releasing your music?
When we realized that this tour actually will happen we started searching for indie labels in southeast Asia. This because we want as many people as possible to hear our music and come to our gigs. We found Colorcode via Comet Records who kindly suggested that we should get in touch with Colorcode since they probably suited us better. We appreciate that, and we really appreciate our contact with Colorcode today. Colorcode have a lot of great acts on their roster so we’re just happy to be a part of that.
How would you describe your music?
The Swedish national radio described our new EP as a mix between music from Gothenburg, Manchester and Ibiza and actually we think that that’s quite close to what we strive to sound like.
What is the music scene like in Sweden?
To be honest, we don’t have that much involvement in the music scene in Sweden. We might feel that it’s too polished and polite. But we must also say that there always has been great artists and song writers in Sweden which we admire a lot.
How do you feel about the digital age? Has it helped or hindered musicians trying to make a living with music?
Without the digital age we wouldn’t be published in this blog, we wouldn’t be releasing an album in the other side of the world and we would be doing this tour. There are so many possibilities that comes with the digital age, it’s possible to reach listeners that you otherwise wouldn’t get in contact with. Wilderness are pro free sharing!
People who don’t like the digital age, and sharing music freely, often complains because they’re not getting enough money. There are not many people that actually make a living with music today, not in Sweden at least, and for Wilderness’ part, it wouldn’t be any difference if we had got some more royalties - we wouldn’t be able to make a living with our music anyhow. However, that’s nothing we want either. We really find the fact that more people can hear our music, and the possibility to visit all these places, more important than getting more money.
Have you toured SE Asian before? Are there plans to tour in future around Asia?
Wilderness have never toured SE Asia before but members of Wilderness have played in Indonesia. Three of us use to play in a indie pop band called Penny Century a few years ago, we were actually supposed to play at Bangkok 100 Rock 2008 at the same bill as Manic Street Preachers and Ash but the festival was cancelled due to the political situation Thailand had at that time. We went to Gran Canaria to party instead. It was the ultimate antiklimax. It was awful. It wasn’t even warm.
We don’t have any more tours planned at the moment, in SE Asia, but hopefully this tour will make more people interested!
What would you say makes the band unique?
That we’ve got no particular front person, and also not a fixed set of members. Three of us are sharing the main vocals and we mix songs with vocals with instrumental songs that’s more ambient and with more rhythm.
As a band what is one area you would love to be better at? And also what do you feel as a band you excel in?
We would like to work faster and record more music, but for that we would need more time and a week just have seven days and a day twentyfour hours so it’s not easy.
We excel in making the music we want to make.
What can an audience expect from your life performance?
A mix of emotions, rhythm and melodies. Classic pop songs in a dreamy outfit with a lot of inspiration from the 1980:s!
What is your main and ultimate goal as a band?
Our present goal is to make this tour and meet lovely people, have a good time and make great shows. In the future.. Hm, we’ll see.
Thanks Wilderness! See you at the show!
Wilderness will play at Beer Cap at RCA on June 26th. The show is sponsored by Colorcode Records and Nowhere End. There should be some Pistonhead Beer there too. Special guests include Aerolips, Hariguem Zaboy, and LALA.
If you want to know more about the show click here.
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