New Single ‘Real Thing’ Out October 14th via Bolero Recordings.
Pale Honey have returned. After the success of their minimalist, fiery self-titled debut album, the Swedish indie rock duo have just come out with a surprise new single, ‘Real Thing’. Incorporating more percussion and electronics than their previous material, the single is the first taste from their as yet untitled second album which is due to be released in spring 2017.
Just prior to the release of the single, Tuvo Lodmark (guitar, vocals) and Nelly Daltrey (drums) sat down with us to talk about their new single, what it is like to be compared to both PJ Harvey and Sleater-Kinney, and the possibility of expanding their line-up.
Pale Honey will play The Lexington in London on October 27th.
Overblown: You’ve just released a new single called ‘Real Thing’. Can you tell us what inspired the song?
Pale Honey: It was less thinking and more doing when we wrote the song. We never sit down with the intention of writing a single and then shred it out ready to record, we’re more for the.. lets-drink-beer-in-the-studio-and-hit-things-and-sing-our-hearts-out kind of work. We’re constantly inspired by our own restlessness and while creating this song we felt playful and confident at the same time – and the song came out as a result. It was one of those rare moments when songs seem to write themselves – we all had clear visions and knew what we wanted to bring to the table.
O: The song will feature on your new album which is due for release next Spring. Did you learn anything from writing and recording your first album that led you to change your approach this time around?
PH: Writing and finishing up the first album was quite a unique experience – we worked very hard on all the details and that is something that we think payed off in the end, still being proud of our first LP. We have continued to focus on writing continuously while giving the songs time to grow on us, it has been very helpful to the process since we’re able to take a step back and listen to the songs again with a fresh pair of ears. What works and what doesn’t becomes clearer while filling up the stack of finished songs.
So in all, the thoughtful details are still there, but this time around we’ve probably tossed around more ideas between the two of us than before just to see where we can take the songs and to be sure that we’ve given the songs all we’ve got. We’re in absolutely no hurry at all at the same time, we’re keeping our cool and working.
O: Do you have a goal for this new album?
PH: We’re packing in years of hard work, desire and love into one finished LP (we’ve been playing music together since we met each other), so we want to fuck shit up, create, have the time of our lives, shed a tear or two and outdo ourselves with an LP that we’re damn proud of. We’re just aching to get to the US and the rest of Europe for that matter, the second album will give us a bit more backbone and a lot more restlessness while we get to pack the tour van.
O: Your music has been compared to both PJ Harvey and Sleater-Kinney. How do you feel about these comparisons?
PH: We both have an incredible amount of respect for PJ and see her as bit of a god. She radiates creativity, decisiveness and curiosity, so to be compared with her is probably the best compliment one could ever get. As for Sleater-Kinney, we’re terrible at looking up bands, we are putting this one on our to-do-list. Promise this time. Maybe.
O: You were nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the P3 Gold-gala in Sweden, and for three categories for the Gaffa Prize. What is your reaction to being nominated for these accolades?
PH: The reaction was: “WOOHOO”. It’s always nice when people like our music and extra exciting that it takes form in these honorable mentions. While it’s not everything – it is encouraging to get noticed and it makes us want to continue writing even more music.
O: You operate as a duo. Have you ever considered expanding the line-up?
PH: We do, and we have tried different setups. Right now we’re happy to have our producer with us live as well for shows, he rocks the shaker, guitar and octatrack. And we all look good in black!
O: You are playing The Lexington in London on October 27th. Do you enjoy visiting London and playing there?
PH: Yes! Yes! Yes! We’re from Gothenburg so we love English humour and the last time we were in London we were out dancing (!!) AT the Lexington so this gig feels like it was meant to be.
O: What are your plans for the next few months up until the album’s release?
PH: We’re going to keep our heads down and keep on working. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the curtains, and sometimes it can be a lot to keep up with, but we love it. We’re going to do some shows, throw out one or two more singles and play a shitload of music.
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