“Have you had enough / Wanting just to leave / Ready for something new / To shake off this old blues,” Maja Ivarsson contemplates on “Safe And Sound,” the second single lifted from The Sounds’ forthcoming sixth studio album Things We Do For Love. Though likely never intended as such, these prescient, aspirational words encapsulate our collective restlessness during this current period of global stay-at-home stasis. After a few long, anxiety-riddled months of sheltering in place, we are indeed ready for something new. Even if that something new is simply a return to the familiar.
With the future still very much uncertain, there’s certainly a lot of comfort to be found in the familiar these days. Hence why the pending arrival of Things We Do For Love—due to make landfall next month on June 12th—is such a welcome event, particularly for those of us who have been Sounds loyalists since their formal inception back in 2002 when their dynamic debut album Living In America materialized.
The Sounds’ new album ‘Things We Do For Love’ arrives in stores June 12th
The Swedish band’s first studio affair since 2013’s Weekend LP captures their signature propulsive energy that has always seamlessly straddled the lines between the buoyant, the bold and the brash. A musical antidote for these sobering times, Things We Do For Love’s eleven songs offer an invigorating rush of sonic escapism to soothe—or at least distract—even the weariest of souls.
It was a pleasure to catch up with Ivarsson recently to discuss a range of topics, including the keys to the band’s durability, their DIY approach to recording, the group’s connection to the late Adam Schlesinger, and where The Sounds fit within Sweden’s vibrant, vital musical tapestry.
Nearly 20 years have passed since the band formally arrived in the form of your excellent debut album Living In America (2002). Can you believe it? When you think of your career so far, has everything gone pretty much as planned? Or has your success and longevity been somewhat unexpected?
It’s absolutely insane that we’ve been a band for this long. The same band members since the start and that makes me twice as proud. I honestly didn’t think we were gonna last, but our relationships are strong, we still enjoy writing and performing music together. We’ve had our up and downs like all relationships do, but now I’m aiming for another twenty something years to come.
After more than two decades of making music together as a band, your chemistry and energy as a group seem remarkably intact and, at least from the outside looking in, relatively free of drama. What are the keys to sustaining such a healthy working relationship with each other?
There’s definitely been some drama over the years. I think I’ve been a main factor in that, but I know I brought a lot of other qualities. We were so young starting out and we’ve spent so much time together on the road that you learn how to cope with everyone’s different characters.
One major thing is to choose your battles carefully, few of them are worth the argument or drama that come with it. And we have an unwritten rule that on stage you always do your best and bury your hatchets. Afterwards, you usually feel so happy and drained that you kind of forget what the hassle was about in the first place.
Seven years have passed since your most recent full-length album (2013’s Weekend) arrived. What in the world have you and the rest of the band been up to during that time?
We’ve had babies! Not with each other, but still. It takes a lot of time and commitment to be a good parent and we wanted to have the opportunity to do something else for a while. My son is now five years old and he’s going to pre-school and that gives me plenty of time to start writing songs again. And I think it’s healthy to focus on something completely different after so many years on the road. But now I’m excited again! Unfortunately, we can’t go on tour due to COVID-19, but hopefully soon. I miss it all and I miss our fans.
Things We Do For Love is set to arrive amidst a world that is in disarray, the gravity of which I’m sure you and your bandmates could have never envisioned when you were recording the album. What role do you think your music—and the new album in particular—can play to help people during these tough times?
Hopefully, we can bring some joy to this mess that we’re all in. It’s tough times for everyone and music is one way to get some kind of stress relief. I’m glad we were able to do livestream performances for our fans, but it’s not the same as being there in person.
The lead single and title track is a powerful statement about the compromises we make to win favor from those we love, which “are blinding us from the truth sometimes.” Can you talk about what inspired the song?
It’s a song that Fredrik (Blond) wrote lyrics for, so I don’t wanna put words in his mouth. But I think those lyrics are brilliant and I’m feeling fortunate to sing them.
“Changes” is gorgeous, an undeniable standout on the album. But it’s arguably not the signature tempo and style that The Sounds are best known for. Do you enjoy recording the slower songs and how do you approach these songs differently from a vocal perspective?
Thank you! I’m really happy with it too. It’s a song that Fredrik and I wrote together, both music and lyrics simultaneously. We just had a great time writing it and both our lyrics worked together smoothly. I personally think that songs kind of write themselves, I just try to hang on to the feeling and go with it, wherever it takes me. And “Changes” took us to a more laid back, emotional and a bigger place. Vocally, I try to stay in the story and tell it well. One of the bigger advantages of writing it yourself.
As with all of your albums, the production on Things We Do For Love is pristine. What’s your secret to ensuring that your records sound so damn flawless?
Wow! Thank you, again. I’m not sure we always feel that way about any of our records, we just try to do our best and we do everything on our own. No producers or engineers, just us working in our own studio with the stuff we have is how we record and produce our albums. If anything, I think it’s important to remember that it’s not the expensive instruments or computer software that write songs, you do. And to be somewhat limited can sometimes be to your advantage.
We did bring in Mark Needham who we’ve collaborated with a number of times to mix the final album. He’s very open to all of our comments and preferences when it comes to having it sound the way we wanted it to, while making sure it’s at the highest quality possible.
You were slated to go on tour in support of the new album, including a handful of dates here in the States, but obviously world events have thrown a wrench in those plans for now. Do you have any plans to perform virtual shows for your fans?
We just did a full livestream concert, I think it was a few weeks ago now, at our local rock club called KB in Malmö. It was very surreal and strange without a crowd, but we were excited to see all the comments from all over the world afterwards. I think we had over 250,000 views and that’s very flattering in my opinion.
Sweden has such a rich yet underappreciated musical legacy, particularly within the pop and rock realms. Where do you think The Sounds fit within the Swedish musical lineage and which of your fellow Swedish artists have provided inspiration to you along the way?
I think there’s been so many successful Swedish musicians, bands and songwriters, especially over the last decade or so, that it has almost been impossible to make the same impact as in the ‘70s, ‘80s or the ‘90s. But that is only great! We’re only 10 million people living in the far corner of Northern Europe and to be as prominent as we are is pretty amazing.
I see ourselves as an indie rock band with semi success, but big enough for making some kind of history. My fellow Swedes I’m personally influenced by are Marie Fredriksson from Roxette, Nina (Persson) from the Cardigans and Leila K. Badass women all of them.
Adam Schlesinger’s recent passing is hard to reconcile, considering that he was still relatively young (52) and he touched so many people’s lives through his work with Fountains of Wayne, Ivy and beyond. Adam championed The Sounds early on, so I’m wondering if you can talk about the role he played in the development of the band’s career?
Adam, together with James Iha, signed us to their label Scratchie Records shorty after we first had some success back home in Sweden. Obviously, that changed everything for us. We were able to work up a fan base in the U.S. and to be able to release our albums in the states was a dream come true for us.
He also produced some of our songs for our third record Crossing The Rubicon and it was amazing to see him in action working his magic. It’s a big loss he’s not around anymore. Rest in peace Adam and I’m forever grateful.
OK, Maja, last question. In the spirit of Albumism, what are your FIVE favorite albums of all time?
I dislike questions like this, I’m sorry. But it’s so hard to answer and as soon as I’m done with this interview, I’ll probably change my mind or forget about a record that was important to me.
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