A Q&A with Misty Coast

Norweigian alt-folk duo playing with noise and melody…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
We are releasing our third album When I Fall From the Sky April 16, 2021. The title is a play on dreams about falling.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
We struggled a bit to complete one of the songs on the album, but once producer Emil Nikolaisen got his head involved, it immediately started to make sense. He understood where we wanted the song to go, and he rearranged everything, ran most tracks through a bunch of pedals and synthesizers and turned it into a fun, psychedelic piece. We actually named it ‘Fun’, and now we will always remember that struggles can end up rewarding.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
Our long-time friend Emil Nikolaisen (Serena-Maneesh, Sufjan Stevens) produced When I Fall From the Sky. We have always been big fans of his work, and were (and still are!) stoked that he said yes to be a part of this album. I think the most important things Emil brought to this production is his approach to creating music. He feels music in an admirable way. His involvement definitely led to an experimental edge, warm and raw sound and spontaneous star dust from another world.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
We hope our music makes people feel something. This album has songs that fit every situation. We made it for heartbroken joggers and euphoric stoners, and everyone in between.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
We are not typical songwriters in that sense. We never write a song with chords and vocals, and then record it. Most often we “build” the tracks, and create vocals to tie the other elements together. Often we start off with a beat to have a steady foundation. Then Richard might record a guitar hook and Linn adds a bass line on top of that. First we build the structure – like the walls of a house – and then we make the interiors. We can play with different elements – synths, guitars or sounds and noise. Once the flooring is done, we create vocals to fill each room.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
Broadcast: The 2005 indie classic Tender Buttons has been one of our guiding stars musically for a long time. Trish Keenan and her fellow Broadcasters’ ability to blend beautiful pop songs with experimental electronic music is very important to us.
The Flaming Lips: Whenever we think of great live shows, The Flaming Lips comes to mind. Monster bubbles, confetti, costumes, gongs and humongous installations on stage. We love that. And their songs also of course.
Big Thief: We love everything Adrianne Lenker does. It feels like the meaning of her words and guitar chords are greater than most musicians these days. It’s inspirational.
T-Rex: We actually took our name from one of their songs. Marc Bolan is the king! R.I.P.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
Right now every destination beyond our doorstep seems adventurous. Whenever covid lets us tour again, we will for sure go back to Japan. And if Brexit allows it (without ruining foreign bands economically), we’d also love to tour the UK again. There are also lots of great venues in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands that we hope to visit again soon. One of our favourite venues is Le Botanique in Brussels, the former greenhouses of the national botanical gardens. Rumours say that this amazing building once housed Europe’s biggest cactus, and inside the huge glass and iron construction you’ll find fish swimming around in canals, lots of big green plants, several venues and art exhibitions.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
‘In a Million Years’ is the first single we released from our upcoming album, and this tune shows several different sides of Misty Coast. It gives you the raw feeling of our live shows, and you’ll also get a sense of how we love to play with sweet melodies and noise.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
We want to continue making music and playing live as much as we can. Our ambitions beyond that is to gain more listeners, and to spread our music wider throughout the whole world.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Hade på badet! Stay indie.

The debut album from Misty Coast, ‘When I Fall From the Sky’ is out 16th April
For more info visit: facebook.com/mistycoast