{"id":9892,"date":"2019-10-14T14:03:13","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T12:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elgarajedefrank.es\/?p=9892"},"modified":"2023-09-29T21:00:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T19:00:16","slug":"interview-covenant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elgarajedefrank.es\/en\/interview-covenant\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Covenant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Covenant, one of the most important Futurepop bands, is looking forward to coming back to Spain to play the songs of their new EP Fieldworks Exkursion, but first, we had the opportunity of talking about the career of the band with Eskil Simonsson. The Fieldworks Tour will first come at the DarkMad festival, on the 25th of October and two days later, in Barcelona in a concert at Bikini. We will bath in their melodies as tears in the rain.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u2014A lot of bands were created in a Sex Pistols concert, yours instead was created after a Front 242 concert, right?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, it was the same night as the disaster in Chernobyl but we didn\u2019t know it then. We all knew each other but after the Front 242<\/strong> show in Malm\u00f6, Sweden we decided to start a band. The following week, Joakim, Clas and I rehearsed together for the first time!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Is it true that, at the very beginning, the band was called The Replicant, and sang a few songs in Swedish?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014We changed band name after every concert to get new shows in our small hometown Helsingborg! When we got self-aware and good enough, we decided to keep a name and move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014With a recognized interest for science, philosophy and science fiction, does the band consider themselves a group of geeks?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014I love everything geeks love, but that is only a small part of our world these days. Other fellow humans are our biggest inspiration now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u2014Dreams of a Cryotank<\/em> is your first and more aggressive album. Were you really angry at the time or it was just the Front 242 influence?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Oh, we are much angrier now! When we were kids we were afraid the world would end, now we know it will!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014How were your first shows? I read that the band was not playing live and it was more a visual thing with some space suits, right?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, it was more of a performance with all the smoke and stroboscopes we could get, much inspired from the techno and rave scene in the 90s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Your second album is more complex electronically speaking (the second part of \u201cFlux,\u201d the rhythm almost drum and bass of \u201cStorm\u201d). What kind of electronic music were you listening to?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Oh, it was a mix of classics like Skinny Puppy,<\/strong> but new artists like Lassigue Bendthaus<\/strong> and LFO<\/strong> really fascinated us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014I saw you third album Europa<\/em> in some chart of the most important Futurepop releases. And the band has always been cited with Apop and VNV Nation as the biggest band of the genre. What do you think of that genre? Do you think that Europa<\/em> is a good example of it?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014I like all great music and don\u2019t care much for genres but, I think most people mention United States of Mind<\/em> as the album paving the way for the Futurepop. With Europa<\/em> we got new equipment that allowed us to focus more on songwriting. The rave scene was not as interesting any more so our music reflected that shift.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u2014The slow turning into more \u201cpop\u201d music arrives with United States of Mind to the highest point.\u00a0Were you more interested in songwriting with this album or just wanted to reach more people?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014I started to listen to a lot of different music at the time and no longer only industrial and dance. Some of my life favorite still today like \u201cTears In Rain\u201d are from this album!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014The silent track \u201c<\/span>You Can Make Your Own Music,\u201d is a reference to John Cage. Are you interested in his music or was it just a joke?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Oh, we love John Cage and contemporary art music. Did you try the free Cage Piano App<\/a>?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014I always ask about the gear that bands are using in some records, and in this case I am really interested: how did you manage to record a song like \u201cDead Stars,\u201d it sounded modern but still have some early nineties vibe.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Thanks, we love our gear and take great pride programing them. \u201cDead Stars\u201d was made mostly with the Nord Modular from Sweden. An amazing instrument still unrivaled with its possibilities<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014For Northern Light<\/em>s, although Jacob Hellner (a producer famous for working with Rammstein) is producing, the band keeps the sound of the previous record. Why did you work with him? Did you like his work with the famous German band?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Working with Jacob was the best thing that ever happened to us. We learned so much and he had so much patience with us not giving up until he thought it was perfect. Thank you, Jacob! And Rammstein<\/strong> are great. We supported them on their first tour in Sweden 1998.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u2014What happened during the recording of Skyshaper that took the band 14 months to finish it? I also read that \u201cBrave New World\u201d went through 150 revisions. It reminds me of the perfectionism of Charles Chaplin during City Lights asking for 342 takes of the final scene.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, we will release an earlier version of \u201cBrave New World\u201d \u2013 much better! I learned not to work so long on tracks anymore. Sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home. I was stressed then, but now I know things takes time and that is OK. The band was going through changes with Clas leaving. Joakim thought it would be our last album, and wrote the text to \u201cThe World Is Growing Loud\u201d as our own funeral song<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014From Modern Ruin <\/em>(2011), I really like \u201cLightbringer,\u201d the collaboration with Necro Facility. What\u2019s the story behind this collaboration? Also, this is the first album with Daniel Myer, what was his contribution to the band?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Thanks, I love \u201cLightbringer,\u201d it was our first collaboration and now we do that on every record. I love the unexpected it brings! Daniel Myer brought a very steady and professional sound and attitude to the band and he has been with us since once in a while taking a break for his own projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014In some versions of your album Leaving Babylon<\/em>, there were included a CD with 76 minutes of spoken word by the poet Helena \u00d6sterlund. How did you get the idea for this?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014She rented my apartment when I lived in Berlin and was in Sweden to write Skyshaper<\/em>. When she later sent me her first book, I loved the restless attitude and anger. I asked if she wanted to do something and the idea slowly came together. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong>\u2014And talking about The Blinding Dark<\/em>, your last album, do you think that it was a comeback to the previous sound?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Well, there are a lot of great new bands we listen to that happened to sound like our earlier material. What Joakim and I listen to always reflect how our music will sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014The band has always said that they were apolitical, but in the last albums and interviews, a more active political point of view can be noticed. Is it going to influence Covenant? Is the next record going to have more political lyrics?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014We don\u2019t want anyone to tell anyone what to or think do but to inspire everyone to take time and find one\u2019s own opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014On your current tour it\u2019s possible to buy your new EP: Fieldworks: Exkursion. What can you tell us of it? It\u2019s based on field recordings, right?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, we will bring the EP to Spain. It is inspired by field recordings and the five songs are made by each member of the band reflecting the passion and tension we have.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>\u2014One of the songs of this new EP is called Popol Vuh. Do you like this classic krautrock band?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, we love the sound track by Popol Vuh<\/strong> to the film<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Aguirre, the Wrath of God\u201d Werner by Herzog but also the Mayan myth<\/a> itself.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Being fans of science fiction, and with a name like Covenant and a song named Prometheus (although without relation I know), I have to ask you: do you like the new Alien movies?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014I like all the Alien movies I just watched them in a row over a whole weekend. We actually made our own title song to Alien: Covenant, one day we might release it!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Three years without a new Covenant album, don\u2019t you think it\u2019s time for a new one?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014It doesn\u2019t feel like three years to us we have been busy! We are releasing another EP at the beginning next of next year, and then we will collect them in new version as an album along with a new single.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014What can we expect of your concert at Spanish tour?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014We have been touring a lot this year and feel really good about being on stage together. Can\u2019t wait and I love visiting Spain enjoying the food and atmosphere. Madrid and Barcelona will rock! Along with the new songs and our own light show, it will be strong nights. Hope to see you there! <\/span>Please go to the event pages and write what songs you would like to hear from us that you haven\u2019t heard live before. Thank you!<\/span><\/p>\n