Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
Swedish indie outfit Hearts return with new EP and discuss the state of guitar music and more
The indie group from Sweden have returned to us with their latest release ‘EP2’, a four track concoction of stadium ready indie-rock bangers. After wrapping our ears around the latest EP we wanted to know more about the band, the new EP, and more.
So, we caught up with Jesper Jansson to chat all things Hearts!
Kieran: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! How have you all been?
Jesper: Don’t mention it, thanks for having us! We’re all good, happy that summer and festival season is finally upon us. Currently counting down the days until our first UK festival which will be Isle of Wight on June 22nd. Would be great to see any Clunk readers attending the festival in the crowd!
Kieran: How’s 2024 treating you all so far?
Jesper: It’s been a fantastic start of the year. We’ve been fortunate enough to stay busy with plenty of shows both around Sweden and in the UK. We were asked to join Slovenian indie stars Joker Out on their Scandinavian dates back in March, which was a blast. Their crowds are very committed and we feel we have been embraced by that community.
Kieran: So, your new release EP2 is out now and consists of four large sounding, stadium ready BELTERS.. how do you feel now this is out in the wide world?
Jesper: It feels great as we are extremely proud of these songs. We’ve been playing them live for a while now and apart from being fun for us to play, they have been received very well by the crowds. I’m looking forward to being able to play them now that people have had a chance to listen to them. I’ve got a feeling that’s gonna make the next couple of shows extra special!
Kieran: What are your favourite tracks from the EP and why?
Jesper: I will have to say it’s ‘In Over Our Heads’, purely based on the fact it’s taken me the longest to finish. I first started playing around with the song before Covid, so, it’s a big relief to finally have it recorded. And, it sounds mega!
Listen to ‘EP2’ here:
Kieran: Can you talk us through the writing and recording process of this release?
Jesper: I had the foundation for ‘In Over Our Heads’ and ‘FOMO’ and a seed of an idea for ‘What Do You Want Kid?’ before we started writing the EP, but they found their final form in a rehearsal room when we got the band together. The creative process consisted of us locking ourselves into a barn over a weekend and basically just jamming it out. Fueled by alcohol and microwave pizzas we kept playing until we had the songs ready for recording and it was during this session ‘Sideways’ came about.. The final tweaks were made in a Gothenburg studio called Audiofabriken with producer Fredrik Serholt and his brother Robert Serholt engineering. They are fantastic musicians who really helped elevate the songs even more. All the foundations are recorded live, which I believe has a big impact on the recordings and really makes it sound like there is a band playing the songs.
Jesper: Did you learn anything new from this process? If so, what and how did it shape the sound of the release?
Jesper: I think we have learned not to overthink things and trust our gut feeling. We just strive to have as much fun as possible every time we get together and so far it seems like that has been a great recipe for creativity.
Jesper: There is always conversations around guitar music but what’s your opinion on the state of it?
Jesper: We actually had this conversation recently, and have come to the conclusion guitar music is back! It’s been simmering for a while, but now you’re seeing indie and emo kids as well as punks on the streets again which we believe confirms it. Also, we’re seeing loads of great guitar bands popping up everywhere so it’s definitely an exciting time to be around.
Kieran: Do you think the industry needs to support it more?
Jesper: I don’t think the industry necessarily needs to support any specific genres per se, however I would love to see more support for live music in general. It’s becoming increasingly expensive for bands to tour, which I believe will have a big impact on the state of music in the years to come. It would be sad to see the next generation of music lovers being robbed of the opportunity to discover new bands live.
Kieran: Lastly, what else can we expect from you in 2024?
Jesper: Apart from our appearances at Isle of Wight and Victorious this summer we are planning to be back in the UK this autumn. We’ve already got our next EP recorded which will be out before the end of this year as well. Want us to come play in your city? Give us a shout and we’ll be there!
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