We had an opportunity to interview Swedish DIY musician Augustine! He's dropping a new single titled "Prom" tomorrow! Get the scoop on the single and more right here!
1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it?
"I believe I came to pursue it because my mum and dad were listening to a lot of different records when I was young. Also, my two older brothers played many different instruments and wrote songs, so I guess I really wanted to be like them! It started out there when I was around nine or ten years old."
2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
"It often starts out with production ideas. Like bars of chords that we loop around. I think that an idea is always worth working on if you can loop a small section of it for a very long time without getting tired of it. But the process is then a mess that I wish I had figured out in a more efficient way! I like to throw the structure around until I'm surprised myself when I’m listening to the song, that a chorus suddenly pops up where you didn’t expect it to, and so on. So a lot of puzzling and throwing paint on a wall."
3. What artists have inspired you in your career? "There’s been a lot of listening to Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Phoenix and then some older like David Bowie and Leonard Cohen. I think I’m drawn to that alternative melancholia and sadness while still dancing."
4. Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use? If so, what’s the story?
"My friend (and producer) Rassmus had a Mellotron in his studio last year and I could really waste hours playing on that thing. Every tone sounds beautiful!"
5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?
"Liberating! Dancing, dark and clubby. The beer right after the show is a really, really good beer. And to meet and talk with people at the venue is so much fun."
6. Tell us about your new single “Prom”. What does the song mean to you and how was the writing and recording process for it?
"For me, “Prom” is about change. When something you’re used to ends. Environments, relationships etc. I think it’s both scary and exciting when things change. Some days you’re totally up for it and you want to explore the world and all that’s in it but some days you just want the time to stop so that you can stay where it’s comfortable and where you know. The writing of the song began last fall on a trip to Los Angeles and then found its natural place here in Stockholm this winter during the quarantine. Maybe that has something to do with how it turned out. Two very different sets and feelings bound together."
7. What’s next for you?
"Now there’s an album in the works! I really look forward to putting the ideas and songs into a context and some kind of world. Then of course I really want to play these songs live when the world goes back to normal. Fingers crossed that everyone is staying safe and are well until then."