Blodsmak are back with their brand new single Bang Bang and we are loving it here at Soundscape. It’s undeniably different to the songs on the band’s last album, but it’s different in a good way and it still has the same ‘Blodsmak’ vibe that we all know and love. Bang Bang also serves as a perfect teaser for their upcoming album, which is set to drop next month, and trust us when we say that if you like this track, you’ll love the rest of the album!
We caught up with the band’s frontman Tom to find out more about the track, and also go a broader insight into the album too. Check it out below…
You’ve recently released your new single Bang Bang, what’s the story behind the song?
The song is about what happens when two grown people who love each other very much decide to do something about it. The “Bang Bang” perhaps isn’t so much about the cock of the gun, but more about the gun of the cock.
What made you choose it as a single?
Most of the songs from the new album have been performed live throughout the last year or so, and Bang Bang always made the audience lose their shit. The percussiveness of the chorus is really easy to get into, so even though we had several other candidates for the first single, there really never was any doubt as to which song to choose. It’s also quite representative for where we’re heading on our new album Gjennom marg og bein. It is a bit darker and edgier than our previous effort.
Yeah, Bang Bang does sounds a little ‘darker’ than the songs on your previous album. Is that the sort of vibe fans can expect from the new album?
Most definitely. The subject matter is more less the same as on our first album Av jord er me komne, with murder ballads and songs of loss and musings on suicide, death, revenge and redemption. We feel we have matured and the songs are perhaps a bit more complex. The production is bigger and we feel we have captured where Blodsmak is at this moment. The funny thing is that every song seem to be “the odd one out”, sounding slightly different from the others, but when they all meld perfectly together to create the feeling of this album. I would say the difference between the song are perhaps bigger than on the last album, but the album still sounds more coherent.
On the subject of the album, can you describe the writing and recording process for it?
Just like last time we worked together with the wonderfully creative Endre Kirkesola. But different from last time, when we spent a month in a basement, this time we rented a cabin on a little island in the Oslo fjord. We spent a wonderful week there, recording everything except the drums. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life. The weather was awesome, just the peak of the Norwegian summer, very idyllic. Some takes were done outside, barefeet in the grass. It was just everything you could imagine the perfect summer to be. I do think you can hear the good vibes of this week saturating the sound of the album. So even though the songs are fairly grim and heavy, you can still feel the warmth of the sun.
Were there any songs on the album that were more of a challenge to perfect?
The ballad Finn Kvila was difficult. We were quite stumped as to what direction we wanted it to take, and I was very apprehensive about how to sing it. But the final result, with the odd instrumentation, endearlingly “off” timing of the vocals and its rousing Pink Floyd-esque solo, is something we are very proud of. Funny story – this is one of the songs where the vocals are recorded outside, and I got bit on my leg by some critter during the take used on the album. Good times!
Which song are you most proud of?
It’s hard to choose between your children, you know. I’m proud of all of them for different reasons, but if I were to pick one that’s a bit closer to my heart, I would have to go for Framandkar, which is The Stranger in English. It hits all the right buttons with me. A tip of the hat to “Alice in Chains” riff wise, with just the right twist of Norwegian natural scales, and haunting lyrics that could be interpreted in any which way you choose. It’s essential Blodsmak.
Back to Bang Bang, you’ve also just released a video for it, how did the filming go?
It was an amazing experience. It’s the first videoshoot we done, and everybody new to the experience. The drummer from the awesome band Arkentype (seriously, check them out if you like your metal with a solid dose of prog), filmed us while we were rocking out in a freezing barn in November. I mean, I can really relate to the ordeals Leonardo DiCaprio went through, filming The Revenant. 😀 But everybody dug in and pulled together to make this awesome. Big shoutout to our beautiful dancer Ragnhild, who wore the least clothes, but was the one to complain the least.
Where did the idea for the video come from?
We wanted to explore the contrast and duality of song and lyrics, compared to the subject matter as such. Light and darkness, beauty and beasts, neither of these things exist without the other. In this video, the dancer could be viewed as the superego and the band the id. One cannot exist without the other, and although the superego might be afraid of the id in the beginning, it shows that we need to combine the different parts together, to be a whole human being. The setting of a barn is consistent with Blodsmaks roughly hewn take on folk rock.
Do you have any interesting anecdotes from filming it?
Yeah, our costumes were all rented from Norwegian Films main costume shop, so all the clothes we are wearing have been used in famous Norwegian movies. That was kinda fun to know that I have farted in the same pants as one of Norways most famous moviestars.
