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Signed to Metropolis Records, Stockholm alternative rock / post-punk trio Then Comes Silence has unleashed their seventh album Trickery. This time around, frontman Alex Svenson, drummer Jonas Fransson and guitarist Hugo Zombie worked with producer Jorgen Wall (Jay-Jay Johanson, The Hellacopters) and mixer Tom Van Heesch (Rammstein, Apocalyptica) – a capable team infusing extraordinary power in a collection of tracks that is ultimately about friendship, unity and a sense of belonging.
Hi Alex and Jonas. You are over a decade into this journey now, but can you tell me how the band came together and how it has changed over time?
Alex: I am the only original member from the start, but that’s probably because I was the one who came up with the idea and wrote the first demo. Since the beginning, I have been the artistic director. Today, it’s more democratic, and we all share ideas and arrangements. The past’s noisy, gritty, and thundering psych-shoegaze-hard rock has been replaced by today’s Then Comes Silence with a more organized and structured sound. We stopped playing songs from the first two albums with the previous album. It’s another band.
The current single, “Like A Hammer”, arrives ahead of your new album Trickery. How representative would you say the single is of the rest of the album? What should we expect from this release?
Alex: I am pretty sure that every song on this album has its own sound in a way. “Like A Hammer” is one of the more melodic tracks with a chorus that wants to take its place. It’s a tribute to Halloween and the passion we share for its attributes. It’s part of the album’s theme: friendship and unity. I hope the album stays in that powerful vibe until the last song.
Can you explain your “inside joke” that tends to appear on every album, and does this album really have an ABBA moment?
Alex: Artists hate being compared or mentioned for having a similar sound as any other artist, but to be honest, we’ve had rock music for 70 years, punk has been around for at least five decades and rap music turned 40. The space for originality is limited. When I make music, I often stumble into a riff or a feeling that reminds me of something from my childhood. It’s usually ABBA, Ramones or AC/DC. I use that as a positive thing. I give it a name and call it “a blah blah moment “. The track ‘Stay Strange’ has a Ramones moment, and the track ‘Chain’ from the previous album’ Hunger’ has a significant ABBA moment.
Your production team of Jörgen Wall, Tom van Heesch, and Svante Forsbäck has worked with the great and good of the hard rock community. What was it like working with them, and what does each bring to the process?
Jonas: Jugglo (Jörgen Wall) has become our favourite sound engineer, especially for the drums. He is a great drummer and a master of recording drums. He really knows what works and how to get the best sound out of the drums.
Alex: I have known Tom for many years. I remember when he started as the apprentice for Jacob Hellner, who is one of the legendary Swedish producers of the 90s and 2000s. That’s where he worked with Rammstein and got to learn a lot about mixing rock and metal. Tom was the producer of our album Blood, which was released by Nuclear Blast in 2017. He was the natural choice of mixing Trickery. Tom and Svante always work together. It’s a magic team. After Tom delivers the mix, Svante completes the mastering as he knows how.
Intriguingly, you describe the new album as a salute to your punk past and note that electronic elements are essential to your current sound. How easy was it to mesh those two sounds, and how did this change occur?
Hugo: For me, it’s a natural thing because I’ve been doing it for more than 20 years now. I love the extra spice that synths and electronic elements provide to punk rock music. And it’s because of the band Lost Sounds from Memphis, which was the first band doing that, that I really liked. Powerful punk rock with heavy synths and weird sound effects, they really made an impact on me. So I must admit that synth punk is one of my favorite genres. Another current band doing this that I love is Frustration from France. It’s more about how you mix the organic and the electronic elements, keeping in mind the sound you want to achieve.
You’ve signed with Metropolis Records, which we know from its many other great releases. What is it like working with them? How did this relationship develop?
Jonas: We’ve been on Metropolis for several years, but this is the first year with a worldwide deal. It feels great so far. The split between different labels in different regions was more of a hassle than a gain, so it was definitely the right decision.
Alex: This time, we work much closer with Metropolis. What Jonas said, we worked with them before, but that was different due to a dual deal with other labels.
You will be touring North America soon with Vision Video. Please tell us about this tour – where are you playing, when did you tour here last, and what should folks expect from your performances this time?
Hugo: We start the tour on April 20 at Dark Force Fest in New Jersey. There, we will join Vision Video on their tour, which will take us to Pittsburgh PA, Rochester, NY, Brattleboro VT, Boston MA, Lewiston ME, Montreal QC, Toronto ON, Cleveland OH, Grand Rapids MI, Chicago IL, St. Louis MO, Dubuque IA, Milwaukee WI, Minneapolis MN, Kansas City MO, Louisville KY, Detroit MI, Baltimore MD, Hamden CT and a last show that it’s yet to be announced. Our last tour in the US was in March 2023, also with Vision Video. From these shows, folks can expect energetic shows with a band giving 100% on stage.
Finally, what does the road ahead look like for over the next year or so? Any plans or desires to be pursued?
Jonas: It feels like we are on the right track. The venues and the crowd is growing, and our music is reaching more people. So our plan is just to keep on going and hope for the best.
Alex: I would like to play more live shows and don’t write songs for a while.
Learn more about Then Comes Silence at www.thencomessilence.com or http://thencomessilence.bandcamp.com and catch them on tour – get tickets at https://thencomessilence.eu/index.php/tour
TOUR DATES
April 20 – Parsippany, NJ Dark Force Fest
April 21 – Pittsburgh, PA Cattivo *
April 23 – Rochester, NY Photo City Music Hall *
April 24 – Brattleboro, VT Stone Church *
April 25 – Boston, MA Sonia *
April 26 – Lewiston, ME L/A Arts *
April 27 – Montreal, QC Bar Le Ritz PDB **
April 28 – Toronto , ON Velvet Underground **
April 30 – Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom *
May I – Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme *
May 2 – Chicago IL Subterranean **
May 3 – St. Louis. MO The Crack Fox **
May 4 – Dubuque, LA Fox Den Motel *
May 5- Milwaukee, WI The Vivarium *
May 6 – Minneapolis, MN Green Room *
May 7 – Kansas City, MO Recordbar *
May 8 – Louisville, KY Art Sanctuary *
May 9 – Detroit, MI Smalls ***
May 10 – Baltimore, MD Metro Gallery ***
May 11 – Hamden, CT Space Ballroom ***
May 12 – TBA ***
