There are albums that are born from tragedy, like Insight, the latest work from the Norwegian post-punk/shoegaze band Mayflower Madame. After recording two albums and EPs, the band, now practically reduced to Trond Fagernes, crafted a deeply heartfelt record in which he expressed his pain while also creating some of his finest songs. A year later, we wanted to know how those wounds have healed while also reflecting on the career of the Norwegian formation. They will perform in Madrid for the first time this Saturday, sharing the stage with Spiritual Front in an incredible evening presented by Indypendientes. Tickets here.
Cover photo: Tone M. Gauden
Photo: Tim Harris
—Mayflower Madam was the nickname of Sydney Biddle Barrows, infamous for creating escort service called Cachet. Does the name of the band come from here, doesn’t it? Why did you choose such a name?
—Even though we added an -e at the end to set it apart, we were of course aware that the reference to her could make people curious and maybe that’s part of the reason why we chose it, but we’ve always wanted to keep it open for interpretation if there’s any deeper meaning behind it. Most of all we liked the sound of the name and the fact that it has some mysterious quality to it (maybe because Sidney herself was an exposer of dark secrets). That being said, it’s just a band name and we express ourselves a lot more through the music.
—Trond, you formed the band with your childhood friend Rune. You already started playing together at high school, what kind of music were you playing at the time? Similar to Mayflower Madame? You didn’t want to sing, right?
—When we first started playing together the music was not really similar to Mayflower Madame, although there were also some shoegaze tendencies back then, but more a kind of weird mixture blending influences from The Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett, Nirvana and early Placebo. I didn’t want to sing because I didn’t think I had the ability and had never tried it, so my focus at that time was just playing guitar.
—Ola J, the drummer of the band, has been with you in every record, how would you describe his general contribution to the band?
—Since we know each other so well it makes the songwriting and recording processes very effective. When I have a new song it’s hardly necessary to give him any instructions – I can just start playing and under the course of the song he seems to know or feel where I’m heading and his drumming often or always seems to match the vibe I’m looking for perfectly. He’s a very powerful drummer, but especially good at combining this with a brooding, suggestive atmosphere, so I think his main contribution is that enhances the dynamics of the music.
—Knowing the passion of the promoter of the Madrid gig for the Jesus and Mary Chain, we would like to ask you for them as they are one of your clear influences. What do you find interesting in their music?
—I listened to them a lot around the time the band was founded and although I rarely do it anymore, I guess they were one of the influences that stuck. It’s hard to explain, most bands that I like are because they have a certain alluring vibe. More specifically, they combine simplicity and experimentation, they’re both catchy and noisy at the same time, in a way that I find interesting.
—Trond, you have a master’s degree in art history, how does it inspire your music? You called one of you songs, Ludwig Meidner, after a German painter.
—It’s actually been a huge inspiration, not just that song, but overall in my songwriting. Most often, it’s quite abstract, like the mood of a painting that stimulates my creativity. I’m especially a fan of early 1900s German Expressionism and Surrealism, but any art that manages to stir my emotions can possibly inspire me. For example, when it comes to German Expressionism I often feel the urge to create a similar kind of intensity and suspense between light and darkness, while regarding surrealism it’s often the dreamlike, mysterious quality that entices me.
—You first Ep was released in 2013. What do you remember of those days, your first experiences in a studio?
—I remember parts of the ‘Into the Haze’ recording really well and it was a special feeling to finally make a record yourself after being an avid music lover since I was a kid. Like all our recordings we did it ourselves in our rehearsal room/studio and I always love doing it this way because you can try as many ideas as you like without any external disturbances or producers waiting for you to finish. Looking back at this EP it was perhaps a bit premature since we hadn’t really developed our “style” yet, but I’m still fond of it as the first stumbling steps into what became a real adventure for us.
Photo: Borisz Takacs
—Observed in a Dream was inspired by 90s shoegaze and modern psychedelia but it was labelled as goth post-punk. Honestly, I see your music of the time closer to Black Angels than to Sisters of Mercy. There is something in your voice and guitar playing that I don’t find usually in Goth music. What are your influences as guitar player? Sometimes there is a hinge of surf music in you work, or at least I think so.
—Yeah, that’s right. We appreciate that you notice this. Observed in a Dream is certainly more inspired by The Black Angels and honestly I’ve never listened to Sisters of Mercy and many of the goth-rock bands which are sometimes mentioned as a reference in our music. When it comes to guitar playing I guess some of my main influences are DIIV, early Interpol and Psychic Ills, but I’m not really conscious about it – I just start playing and whatever comes up comes out.
—What kind of psychedelic music do you like? Some bands in the psych are famous for their long hypnotic jams but the psychedelic part in your music is more subtle, don’t you think?
—Before and around the time of our debut album (Observed in a Dream) in 2016 I really liked many bands that’s often labeled as “psychedelic”, but many of them soon became less interesting to me. Some bands stuck though – like the mentioned Black Angels and Psychic Ills. You’re absolutely right that I prefer when the psychedelic part is more subtle and has a darker, more mysterious vibe than trippy long jams or the poppy “sunshine psych” often related to California.
—Instead Prepared for a Nightmare, your second album sounds a bit more “Goth”, compared to the first one. You said that you started listening to some Goth bands because of the reviews and became more interested in this kind of music then. Can you please tell us more about this?
—Well, it was not really a conscious choice, I guess I just listened less to the psych-gaze stuff and more to 80’s new-wave, post-punk and dark pop. Out of curiosity, I tried to listen to goth-rock bands like Sisters of Mercy and The Mission, but I didn’t really like it that much. I’m certainly a bigger fan of the late 70’s/early 80’s releases of post-punk bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen, but these influences were already there on our first album. I only started listening more to them. I’m aware that these bands are often also labeled as goth, but for me they have a much more interesting vibe, so I guess for me ‘goth’ is cool as long as there’s no ‘rock’ involved, ha, ha, ha.
—Was the title of the album a response to what was happening at the time, or did you have it from before?
—The title was there from before so it seemed extra appropriate when the Covid pandemic exploded about two weeks before the album release. Prepared for a Nightmare was also a reference to our first album Observed in a Dream.
—Your last album was about your born-dead daughter, We are really sorry about that. There are some painful lines like “For all she could have been” “She was close yet so far away She was already gone”, Is painful to play these songs live?
—Thank you. Yeah, the opening song “Ocean of Bitterness” of our last album (Insight) has so far been too painful to play live and some of the other songs are pretty emotional as well, but at the same time it feels somewhat good, like a way to honour her memory and like a kind of “catharsis”. It also helps that I later got a second daughter and she’s really the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
Photo: Angelo Grieco
—You said that the album was “the conclusion of a trilogy”. How do you see the musical evolution of the band until this album?
—Well, all three albums have similarities and kind of have the same goal, but are also pretty different. Musically, I feel that ‘Insight’ in a way sums up the development of the two first albums into a new, refined version of Mayflower Madame. While our two previous albums, Observed in a Dream and Prepared for a Nightmare, were a bit more vague, indicative and mystical, the last album feels clearer and more to the point. I came up with the title as I realized that all the songs, separately and as a whole, represented a search and finally an achievement of insight – a deeper understanding of my inner nature, passions and struggles, which hopefully also can be relatable for others.
—In an interview, you commented that there are always big gaps between albums because the composing and recording process are quite draining for you. But being this a so personal album, was more draining? Or did you feel different this time?
—I’m not sure yet, it was perhaps more cathartic than draining this time and I’ve already felt the urge to write songs again and to release something new next year, but it’s too early in the process to say yet if I have enough renewed inspiration to create a whole album. It has to feel right – if not, I’ll rather wait.
—It was your first time working with a producer, this time Maurizio Baggio, how was the experience? You said that you prefer albums to sound like in live performance, did you try the same with this one?
—Yes, absolutely, we still want the studio versions to be as much as a live performance as possible. That being said, I like that every concert is unique and I don’t see any point in trying to make it sound exactly the same live as on the record. Then you might as well do a playback concert. Also for Insight we recorded everything ourselves, but I think Maurizio’s mixing and mastering had a bigger impact on the final result than the engineers who worked on our previous albums. For this album I felt that he would be a perfect fit since I wanted a cleaner, sharper and bigger sonic landscape. And I think it worked out really well.
—You said that you have been listening during the recording to A-ha, and their album “Scoundrel Days” what did you find interesting in their music) Do you think it influenced in any way your last album?
—It’s simply a great album and their music has so much more depth than people who’ve just listened to their biggest hits like “Take on Me” might be aware of.
Regarding Scoundrel Days in particular, it’s been interesting to realize its postpunk influences which together with their synthpop perfection and brilliant vocals results in an amazing combination. I have no idea if any inspiration from A-ha is noticeable on our last album, as far as I know no one has pointed it out yet.
—What are your plans for the future?
—Since the release of Insight, we’ve toured through ten different countries and we plan to add more to that list in 2026. We’ll also revisit some of the same countries and play some festivals. Moreover, we’re planning to release some new music next year, but it’s too early to say if it’ll be a deluxe version of Insight with bonus tracks (the original pressing will be sold out very soon), an EP or an album.
—What can we expect of your concert in Spain? Who’s playing with you in this occasion?
—After the recording of Insight (where I played all the bass and almost all the guitars myself), we’ve reunited with founding members Petter (bass) and Rune (guitar), and although we’ve alternated between different touring drummers, overall the band is really better than ever. We look very much forward to meeting the Spanish audience for the first time and they can expect an intense, atmospheric performance playing live versions of songs from all three albums (about half of them will be from the new one and the rest from the two first ones).
