Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Wolfschmidt
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
We all obviously have different first memories connected to music. Mine was hearing ABBA in the womb. That’s the only way I can explain it. I’m convinced I already knew “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” the first time I heard it for real.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
For all of us I think it comes down to writing music that we’re genuinely proud of and sharing it live. When we realised we could actually write decent songs, it became kind of addictive. But what really cemented it was seeing other people connect with it, recognising something in it that maybe means something to them.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Hampus and Elin started as a duo — no live gigs, just writing and producing songs by themselves. Over the past few years the band grew into what it is today. With every member that’s joined, the music has shifted into something very different from how it started. That’s still happening.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
We don’t feel like we fit cleanly into any category. There are dreamy, sound-scapey songs, but we’ve also got real fucking goers. Underneath it all though, there’s a melancholy that underpins everything. We want to make music that impacts the people who come to our gigs — makes them feel something, whether that’s some sort of emotion or just pure adrenaline.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
We’re still learning and we’re still finding new ways to make music. I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface of what we can do together. But one important thing we’ve learned is giving every idea a try. We all have our own musical baggage and have ideas that maybe the rest of us don’t like or understand at first, but having the openness and patience to sit in the studio and work on something, even if it doesn’t lead anywhere, that’s important because we at least challenge ourselves and grow.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Boring answer, but for us it’s just a guitar and drums. Although, working in a DAW where we can chop and change things leads to new ideas and helps us try things outside our comfort zone.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Slow Crush and They Are Gutting a Body of Water are getting a lot of play time in the band right now. Great bands.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Well, writing music is mostly some kind of therapy for all of us. It helps us work through trauma, gives us an escape, makes us feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
The same thing it does for us, hopefully. An escape, a release, the feeling that someone else has been in the same dark room and found a way to make it sound beautiful. If someone walks away from one of our songs feeling a little less alone, that’s everything.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
That it’s not really about us. I mean, we love playing. Playing live is the best feeling in the world, so it would be hypocritical to say we don’t do it for ourselves, but you can pour everything into a song, all your pain and your ego and your craft, and then it belongs to whoever hears it. That’s humbling. And it’s also kind of the whole point.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Ah there are loads, but one that would really mean a lot is Way Out West. It’s a great festival on our home turf. It would be a huge milestone for us.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Sonny DiPerri is the one we talk about most right now. We just love his work with julie and DIIV. There’s something in those records that feels like somewhere we want to be, but in our own way of course.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
We just want to play more, in more venues in more countries at more festivals.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That the records are just one version of us. Come to a show and you’ll hear something different — louder, harder, sweatier. We hope people discover that gap and enjoy both sides of it.
