Very quietly (or at least at a modest volume) practitioners of a very Swedish version of Americana, Slim Loris, have been making a nme for theselves across the interwebs and radio waves. We spoke to head Loris, Mattias, about their stealthy assault on the music world.
What attracted you to the style of music you work in?
We love all kinds of music but grew up with pop/rock being played around us so I guess you could say its in our genes. Its also a genre where you can borrow from anything and still make it work.
What is your local music scene like? How do you think you fit in?
There´s lots of great bands in Sweden in general, so any gig you know you have to bring your best to be able to compete. There is a rock scene and a small Americana scene too. It might not be the trendiest but it’s there and its vital.
Where did the band name come from? What alternatives did you reject?
It comes from a mis-pronunciation of the animal, “slow loris”. Someone close to me talked about a film they had seen about it and called it Slim Loris. I just instantly liked the name and kept it for our band. Can’t actually remember if we had any other rejected names before that!
You’ve got a huge concert lined up – what would be your dream venue?
Glastonbury or Roskilde or any big outdoor festival. Can’t beat it.
Tell us about how you go about creating your music, from initial idea to completion. What equipment do you use?
A lot of songs start out by me or sometimes Leon writing a song and presenting a demo that we then work from together or it could be a guitar line that Robert give me that I write a song from.
I play a Fender Jazz bass 76; Robert, a Fender Stratocaster; Leon, a Hagström or Fender Telecaster, and Jonas, Gretsch drums.
How do you look at this EP in relation to your previous albums?
It was a rebirth for us as a band after a long period or personal issues to finally come back and be able to do what we love again. We switched to the EP format to be able to bring out music more often. Once a year is the aim.
What inspired “Hideaway’s” saxophone solo? It’s not what you expect!
We wanted an instrumental climax at the end of the song and Leon suggested a saxophone. Luckily our producer knew Per “Ruskträsk” Johansson who’s one of the best. We told him to do whatever he liked as long as he went completely nuts!
Tell us about the inspiration and making of the video to “Hideaway”?
It was an idea from our director Jonas Hong Soo Eriksson. For a middle-aged man to escape a life that hadn’t turned out the way he wanted for a minute by returning to the innocence and glory of his childhood room. Jonas told me to dance like I was just letting loose by myself at home to a great song, so I did! For someone who never danced sober in their life before, it was challenge but Jonas was great and made me feel comfortable.
What would be your ultimate aim in the industry?
To be able to live off our music but still get to do our own thing, just like now.
Is there anything you would like people to know about your current release?
It’s our most personal and close to heart work ever so I just hope that comes through.
Slim Loris’ Wild & Untamed is on sale now
