Bird and Beast – das sind Malin Mared und Kim Gravander aus Schweden – und für mich eine der schönsten musikalischen Neuentdeckungen in diesem Jahr. Das Duo spielt abwechslungsreichen und emotionalen „Nightmare Pop“, der von Malins grandioser Stimme getragen wird. Ihre Musik beschreiben sie selbst als „das Gefühl, in einem unangenehmen Albtraum gefangen zu sein – eine Mischung aus tiefer Dunkelheit, Melancholie, schöner Tiefe und einem erlösenden Gefühl.“ In Kürze veröffentlichen Bird and Beast eine Single beim Stockholmer Label åtåmåtån – ich bin gespannt und freue mich darauf!
Who is behind Bird and Beast? What made you decide to start the project?
We (Kim and Malin) met in 2001 and became a couple. We had both played in different punk and rock bands before, but it took until 2009 before we got around to doing something together. Music has always been with us in different ways, and after purchasing a synthesizer, Bird and Beast happened automatically.
Can you tell us a few things about the connection between you two and your journey into music?
Malin has played guitar in bands before and has always been singing. Kim played bass in various bands and has also always been working with computers, creating electronic music. Our shared love of dark, slow, and sensitive music made it easy to find our sound once we made our first song together. Creating music together is the best thing we know, and since we’ve lived together for over 20 years and know each other inside and out, it’s easy to work together.
How did your band name come about, and what does it mean to you?
We sat and talked about names and wanted to include something about animals and the forest. Both birds and beasts live in the forest. Bird and Beast for us means something about contrasts. Just like our music, it’s fragile and beautiful but also hard, dark, and aggressive.
If you had to describe your music in terms of not music … what would you say?
Over the years, we have called our music different things: trip-hop doom, electronic melancholy pop, etc. What we feel describes us best is „nightmare pop“. The feeling of being trapped in an unpleasant nightmare, a great darkness with a lot of melancholy, a beautiful depth, and a redemptive feeling.
What are you looking for in music? What are the boundaries that you look to explore with music?
Creating music is our way of channeling our innermost feelings. Sometimes it gets dark and very noisy. Sometimes it becomes beautiful and with redemptive harmonies. If we hear sobs between our songs when we play live, we’ve succeeded. In other words: To make us and the listener feel it.
What are your first musical memories? When did you first fall in love with sound?
Malin: My mother and I sang all the time growing up, in the car, at home, always. Hmmm, tough question. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had different favorite songs on repeat in my room. But it was in my early teens that music became more important and bigger to me. I heard Nirvana and started listening to grunge/riot grrrl. There was something very appealing about the powerful, aggressive, and simple songs.
Kim: A strong memory from when I was very young was my father’s alarm clock radio going on and then Alphaville’s „Sounds like a melody“ was played. I didn’t know the name of the song or what band it was for years. And I still feel the same feeling I got when I heard it the first time.In my teens, a friend played Kraftwerk and Skinny Puppy to me. The sounds of those synths and rhythms blew me away.
What impact do your surroundings have on your art?
We have placed ourselves in an environment and situation that gives us a lot of inspiration and makes it easier to create.In 2017, we moved from Gothenburg to a farm in the forest. We built a studio in the barn and got two wonderful dogs and a cat. Around us, we have amazing friends who are creative and inspiring. It’s luxurious to be able to walk across the lawn into the studio and play some synth or start a punk project. It is not far to test an idea; if the idea is bad, we can always take a walk in the forest and fill up with inspiration.
How does the birth of a new composition happen for you? How does your compositional process work?
It varies. Kim often has a loop or rhythm in his head; many times there is a rough demo verse and chorus that Malin hums a melody to, then we build on it. Sometimes we „jam“ for 5 minutes and then we have a new song, while other songs take a lot of time and revisits.
How does the visual aspect relate to and reflect your music?
If the opportunity exists, we have a projection on our backdrop that enhances the atmosphere. We have started working with an artist who will take care of the imagery and lighting on stage.
What artistic influences, outside of music, have had a significant influence on how you approach your art?
Film has always been a great interest, to watch that is. Emotions and quotes can kick off a song.
How would you describe the world you are trying to create during your performances?
When we play live, we want it to be emotional and have an atmosphere where you can get lost and dream away.
What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to?
In the near future, we will release a 7″ vinyl on the åtåmåtåm label. We will also release our music video that we recorded a couple of weeks ago. Several songs will also be released digitally in the near future. We hope to get out and play even more next year. Traveling, playing, and meeting new people are among the best things we know.
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