SPDS Photo credit: Stefan Klapko
Danish trio Smag På Dig Selv (SPDS), comprised of two saxophonists and one drummer, have built an international reputation since 2018 as one of Scandinavia’s most intense and unconventional live acts, blending acoustic instrumentation with techno structures, punk energy, and references to 90s dance culture. Their performances have taken them from major festivals in Europe to SummerStage in Central Park, New York City, as well as showcase platforms such as SXSW, The Great Escape, and Eurosonic.
Musically, Oliver Lauridsen (tenor sax), Thorbjørn Øllgaard (baritone and bass sax), and Albert Holberg (drums) are older now and are starting to take their music and their lives more seriously. Stripping away some of the self-ironic titles and musical choices that may have frequented their previous work, their new album This Is Why We Lost features the band’s moms, a nod to minimalist composer Kali Malone, and a Palestinian folk song. Different voices, different stories, all finding space together.
Still, there’s a red line running through everything. This time the band have tried to have things less in an arm’s length. The curiosity is the same, but it’s more focused now — more confident, more open. It feels like a step forward, without letting go of where they came from.
The core ambition behind This Is Why We Lost was to create music that can exist within a trance or club-oriented setting, while still carrying a strong melodic and narrative arc.
Recently, Smag På Dig Selv (SPDS) performed at Indie Week in New York and stopped by Better Company Studios to record a live session, including “Let’s Go!” from This Is Why We Lost, plus also this exhilarating performance of one of their older cuts, “Total Full Power Extreme Nuclear Confusion 2000,” which we are excited to premiere today on The Big Takeover.
New music on the way? Pitch Big Takeover Exclusives.
