There must be some irony involved when someone presents you with a song named Stop Moving, and it’s such a smooth grooving, perky decadent jam that it’d be absurd to not move. Disco funk inflected synthpop comes our way on Swedish four piece Simian Ghost’s luxuriant single. Thomas Hedlund of Phoenix produced the track, which comes as no surprise considering the French house flavors running through Stop Moving. In fact, Stop Moving is like a juncture between Daft Punk and Phoenix. The single comes as a second taste from Simian Ghost’s forthcoming self titled full length. Stop Moving is out now on Heist Or Hit. You can also stream the suave banger off Soundcloud below.
I was lucky enough to speak with Simian Ghost who’s latest album ‘Youth’ ; which is one of my favourite of the year so far is now out.
VH: We recently shared Curtain Call from your latest album on the site. For anyone that missed it can you describe your sound?
SG: I’d say it’s interesting pop music.
VH: Your debut album ‘Infinite Traffic Everywhere’ released in 2010 was met with great acclaim, is your new album Youth, more of a move away from the electronic sound, following on from your EP Lovelorn released in 2011?
SG: Yes, this is the first album we’ve done together as a band. ITE and Lovelorn are more based on electronics, with live elements like drums and guitars added on top, while the new album is the other way around.
VH: You spent the early part of 2011 touring Sweden, sharing the stage with the likes of Mount Kimbie, SBTRKT and Niki and the Dove amongst others. What was one of the best gigs you performed on the tour, and how did you find the reaction of the crowd?
SG: We played with SBTRKT at Way Out West last year, that was a big one for us. It felt awesome on stage and the crowd seemed to think so as well.
VH: Your newest single ‘Wolf Girl’ taken from your current album ‘Youth’ is described as a more stylish sound from the previous DIY material produced in Sebastian’s living room. How would you describe the band’s current orientation concerning sound production?
SG: The new album is basically a rehearsal space recording. We used three or four microphones and we did it all ourselves. So we’ve moved up a notch, from living room to basement. It would be interesting to hear what would happen if we went to an actual studio, but we find this way of working very satisfying at the moment.
VH: Can you tell us about the cover to Youth? It’s quite striking.
SG: It’s a photo by Weronika Bela. It’s taken with a Hasselblad camera with a broken back piece, hence the lovely light leakage. All artwork we’ve used for Youth so far comes from a series of photos she’s taken of her friends in Stockholm and Berlin the last summer.
VH: Are you looking forward to performing some UK tour dates? It seems you are performing across the UK with Surya in London, The Soup Kitchen in Manchester and The Captain’s rest in Glasgow to name but a few! That must be exciting for you?
SG: We’re really really looking forward to it! We’ve never been to the UK so we’re super excited! We have some more dates soon to be revealed too, can’t wait.
VH: Sebastian how did you find the transition from solo visual artist to trio with your brother Erik Klinga and friend Mathias Zachrission? I know the project was initially meant to be a solo recording venture; was the progression into a live performing band a natural step forward for you?
SG: Yes, Mathias and Erik has been with me right from the start playing live, so it was a very natural transition. We’ve been looking for something “real” to do together for years and now it just felt right. My reputation as a visual artist is a little exaggerated; I’ve been working mostly with music these last years.
VH: You’ve been compared to some bands like M83, Active Child and Washed Out. If you could compare yourself to any band who would you like to be compared to – if any?
SG: I really like being compared to those three, it’s very flattering. I wish we could get to a point where we’re compared to the Beach Boys. That’s the goal. No but seriously, I don’t think too much about those
things. Or at least I try not to. What people compare us to says more about their own taste in music than what we actually sound like.
VH: We are quite exciting about discovering new music at Vulture Hound. Is there new bands we should look out for?
SG: The Malmö band YAST is great. They’re old friends of ours and they do this 90’s tinged pop music. Then there is Dunklet, also an old friend to us, who’s currently working on his debut release. He’s really, really good.
VH: How long are you planning to be in the UK for? Any festival plans?
SG: We’re doing the Camden Crawl! And we have some more shows that’s going to be announced in a near future.
VH: Being in a band there are a lot of different things to aim for either dream collaborations, dream venues to play or amounts of records sold. Before we end with the questions what are your ambitions?
SG: We just want to keep making music, as much of it as we possibly can! Thanks for having me!
Catchy doesn’t begin to describe Simian Ghost’s new single When You’re Ready. In fact, it’s like the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Swedish four piece’s jubilant prancing, spring frolicking indie pop anthem. When You’re Ready is like a melding of Passion Pit’s spry youthfulness and Clean Cut Kid’s lively guitar pop, and it was produced by Phoenix’s Thomas Hedlund, which helps to explain some if its vivacity, too. The song is out now via iTunes, here.
heading to Sweden for Simian Ghost and their new cut When You’re Ready. Ebullient, infectious, bright shimmering pop abounds here. This is the pure definition of radio friendly upbeat music and it’s a delightful listen!
"WHEN YOU'RE READY" (PRODUCED BY THOMAS HEDLUND OF PHOENIX)
OUT NOW VIA HEIST OR HIT
"Simian Ghost unleash the Scandinavian summer" – Notion
"An utterly spellbinding dose of hyped-up pop" - The Line Of Best Fit
Simian Ghost received considerable attention for the pop smarts of "Stop Moving" last month, and today up their game even further with the hook filled "When You're Ready". Sweden might not be the first place you associate with summer, but Simian Ghost are working hard to change your mind.
Simian Ghost started out as a recording project by Swedish songwriter Sebastian Arnström and after two well received solo releases became a fully-fledged band a few years back – picking up extensive international press and acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian (who called Youth a “contender for album of the year”) and, most impressively of all, a lead review in The Times which saw a certain Bruce Springsteen designated a small column that week instead.
The band have since released an ambitious 18 track record in The Veil, and remained close, a family even - Sebastian and bandmate Erik Klinga being exactly that, brothers - patiently honing themselves away to work on their sound, and recently adding a fourth member in bassist Wilhem Magnusson. In 2017 they arrive having done what any band in their right mind might do to combat the uncertainty of our modern world, they’ve retained both hope, optimism and their all-encompassing knack for melody - and they’ve written a pop record.
“When You're Ready” is the 3rd track to be released from their upcoming self-titled LP, and Sebastian says this of it:
“A couple of years ago we got this idea that we should write a song for Zara Larsson. She wasn't super famous back then, and we were really digging her latest single. So me and Mathias sat down with a couple of guitars and wrote When You're Ready.
Then we realised that Zara Larsson wouldn't want a song from us – so we just did it ourselves instead. It turned out pretty good.”
Having made all their previous recordings at home with minimal equipment and resources, this album will be the first to contain some studio-recorded material. ”We’re just a bunch of guys doing stuff at home really”, the band states, ”so in many ways this feels like our debut album all over again. And this time we’re ready.”
