With a couple of singles out recently and an album committed to vinyl, it’s been a busy time for Kimme, so I sat down with him to find out how the musical project came about, what the music means to him and where it might be heading.
Last time we spoke, we talked a lot about your musical journey and looked into inspirations and how the recent album came together. Now I’d like to dig a little deeper.
What is your recording process like, and what else is involved?
Once the lyrics and melody are in place, Limme produces the music. Usually we bring in a good drummer, Magnus Consitt, bassist Peter Sundberg and saxophonist Annelie Olhaver, and always the singers Lotta Lennartsson and Filippa Starfelt for backing vocals and harmonies. An important part of making the album and the songs after it is that I try to involve musicians I know and have a relationship with. It should be as personal as possible.
And taking another recent song, ‘Yngsjö,’ this has a gentler, almost country vibe, and again is a conduit for memories of youth, but also deals with more universally relatable themes. Can you tell me more about that song?
‘Yngsjö’ is a pure nostalgia trip back to the carefree summers of childhood, up until the teenage hormones kick in. Girls become interesting, but suddenly you also become shy and a bit unsure. I did, anyway. Even if the listener didn’t spend their summers in Yngsjö, I hope many recognise themselves and that it brings back nostalgic memories and feelings.
You have released your music on vinyl; what was it like to hold a physical copy of your own music in such a digital age?
Releasing my own album on vinyl was the whole journey: visiting Spinroad Vinyl Records a couple of times while waiting for the pressing, and the finished album packed in a gatefold sleeve, because I wanted to do it properly, with photos connected to the songs. My friend Micke Nordström at Npp Photo helped me with that. For an even more personal touch and more background on the songs, I also made a handwritten lyric booklet that comes with the album.
Do you plan to play the music live, or do you see this as a more personal project?
Making a whole album on vinyl was purely a personal project and a dream, which started when the seven songs after the first single were presented at Christmas 2019. Then the idea grew to do a release show when the vinyl album was finished, and we had it in February 2023: an acoustic show for about 50 invited friends. That gave me a taste for singing in front of an audience more often. Not dreams of big arenas or being a rock star, but smaller performances. There have been a few, though not as many as I’d like, since I’ve had two knee operations in recent years. But there was a small performance in Drøbak, Norway, where I lived, arranged by Sofar Sounds, plus three more.
And what does the future look like for you? What plans do you have, and what goals would you like to realise next?
Right now I’m looking for someone to accompany me, to perform mostly calm songs, some of my own but also covers of songs I like. When I find the right musician, I hope to sing in churches, at care homes and maybe at smaller events and festivals. I also plan to record more covers, and there are more songs written in the style of ‘Yngsjö’ and ‘Jag sålde huset och gav mig av’, but I don’t know yet if they will be recorded.
Several songs have been made into music videos on YouTube, and there are plans to make more with Micke Nordström. ‘Yngsjö’ in particular is a song I really feel should get a music video.
