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In a wide-ranging interview, Icelandic singer/songwriter Axel Flóvent talks about his sophomore album ‘Away From This Dream,’ explains how a classic synthesizer impressed his songwriting, and tells the tales behind his new songs.
Stream: ‘Away From This Dream’ – Axel Flóvent
“I suppose music is the best technique to journey by way of time,” Axel Flóvent tells Atwood Journal.
His sophomore album actually lends itself to this sort of sonic time journey, with emotional lyrics that can converse to listeners regardless of the place they’re of their lives and an irresistible mixture of catchy hooks and immersive soundscapes.
Axel Flóvent is a singer/songwriter from Iceland whose music combines memorable melodies and considerate lyrics that always concentrate on his inner life. He’s a particularly versatile songwriter who’s simply as snug writing a summery pop music as a ballad that stops you in your tracks.
After a string of profitable EPs and singles, Flóvent launched his first full-length album, You Keep by the Sea, in 2021, and he hasn’t slowed down since. Thus far in 2024, he has performed exhibits and festivals on a number of continents, together with headlining exhibits in Iceland and the Netherlands, a prolonged tour by way of Germany, and a spot at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Once we spoke, he had simply returned from a efficiency in Nova Scotia, and it was simply days earlier than the discharge of his excellent new album, Away From This Dream, which is now accessible in all places by way of Nettwerk Music Group. Over the course of our dialog, he touched on his inventive imaginative and prescient for the brand new document, his songwriting course of, the classic synthesizer that impressed the sound of his new songs, and rather more.
Away From This Dream is the primary time in Flóvent’s profession that he’s been capable of plan out each facet of a undertaking from conception to launch. “I needed to do justice to the sensation that I had once I was youthful, making an attempt to create a document,” Flóvent says of the method of making the brand new album. “And now I had all of the assets and devices and all the pieces, and the individuals round me to make the journey as clean as attainable. So I actually deliberate it out step-by-step.”
He additionally talks about how the sound of Away From This Dream pertains to his earlier work. “Musically and sonically, it is a sound I’ve developed through the years,” Flóvent says of the brand new album. “With You Keep by the Sea, it’s extra of a mixture of totally different sonic textures, which I actually love and can in all probability return to slightly bit after this document.”
However working with British producers MyRiot on beforehand launched songs “Metropolis Desires” and “Driving Hours” gave him a powerful sense of what he was searching for on Away From This Dream. “I knew that I needed my second album to sound like this,” he explains. The clear imaginative and prescient offers the album a cohesive sound that ties the songs collectively, whilst he strikes between upbeat synth-pop and introspective ballads.
As he wrote the songs for the album, Flóvent discovered inspiration in a classic Roland Juno-60 synthesizer that he acquired from a music vendor in Iceland that buys and restores previous synths. “Once I was writing the document, I might all the time bounce again on the Juno, and I might begin with a pad or some sort of sound to get myself within the temper to write down these songs.”
He additionally discusses how the restricted set of sounds on the synthesizer helped focus his creativity. “Having too many devices and too many choices can generally be overwhelming. It’s useful for me to restrict myself to a sure instrument, or a sure sound or theme. To search out the suitable theme is simpler when you’ve gotten the suitable instrument.”
Flóvent even modified his writing course of for this undertaking, taking extra of a constant strategy as a substitute of ready for inspiration to strike. He made an preliminary plan to write down 50 songs for the album after which select one of the best ten, and he would present as much as the studio every day to write down in the identical approach he would for every other job. “It sounds so sensible — it seems like ‘one other day on the workplace.’” However regardless of him being uncertain how this manner of writing would work out, the tactic labored surprisingly properly for Flóvent, and by the point he had written someplace round 30 songs, he was assured he had the suitable tracks for the album.
This means of writing numerous songs after which methodically chopping till solely one of the best materials was left actually pays off.
Away From This Dream is powerful from begin to end – it’s a document that doesn’t waste a second of its run time, from the opening synth loop of “Moonlight” to the title observe’s closing piano notes. And the meticulous, planned-out strategy to crafting the album clearly hasn’t stifled Flóvent’s inventive power. As a substitute, what outcomes is a gorgeous set of songs with lyrical themes that construct and recur in barely remodeled methods because the album progresses.
Flóvent describes the totally different initiatives he has launched as having distinct moods that evoke totally different settings and instances of day. He sees his first two EPs, Forest Fires and Quiet Eyes, as morning and night music, respectively, and he’s continued that mind-set on his full-length albums. Now, on Away From This Dream, he explores the late-night hours. “That is the evening album. You Keep by the Sea is the entire day, and Away From This Dream is the entire evening.”
He additionally needed to verify the visible points of the album got simply as a lot consideration because the musical components. “Earlier than we went into the recording means of this document,” Flóvent says, “I assumed it might be so wonderful to get one inventive director for the entire album.”
To deliver this concept to fruition, he labored carefully with filmmaker and photographer Magnus Andersen, who directed the music movies and took the pictures for the album cowl and single covers. This offers the visuals a unified coloration palette and really feel, constructed across the darkish blues of the evening sky and the nice and cozy, reddish tones of streetlights — colours that completely complement the temper of the music. On the album cowl, Flóvent is laying down in the midst of a car parking zone at evening, with multicolored balloons mysteriously hovering above him, masterfully bringing to life the album’s title and its themes of inside emotions and goals.
Now that Away From This Dream is out on the earth, Flóvent will proceed to play his music stay for his followers throughout the globe. He has exhibits deliberate in Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands within the coming months. He will even be performing the whole thing of Away From This Dream on a livestream filmed from his residence studio on June 20th.
However whilst he continues his busy touring schedule, Flóvent is already fascinated by what comes subsequent within the studio. Followers will probably be pleased to listen to that he’s excited to get again to creating new music. “I’m able to go write once more. Most likely most of this 12 months will go into writing the subsequent undertaking, and I’m actually trying ahead to that.”
Greater than something, Flóvent hopes that his new album, and all of his music, will probably be a companion for his followers and develop together with them.
“If I take heed to a document that I used to be obsessive about in 2010, I get the identical feeling that I received again then, once I was 15 or 16. I need my music to have that affect on individuals and for individuals to have that relationship with my albums.”
As you take heed to Away From This Dream, the brand new album from Axel Flóvent, let Flóvent himself information you thru the songs in his personal phrases. Try his track-by-track rationalization of the album under for the tales behind the songs:
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Stream: ‘Away From This Dream’ – Axel Flóvent
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Moonlight
I’m a giant fan of intro songs, and generally I’ve an concept, and I feel, “yeah, that’s a gap concept.” Nearly from the get-go, I knew I needed this to be the opening observe of the album. I wrote the music in two components. The primary half is centered round a loop on the Juno synthesizer, and it’s very atmospheric, after which within the second half, the music actually opens up. I nonetheless get the identical heat feeling from the top of this music, and it’s considered one of my favourite songs on the document. It actually begins you on the journey you’re about to go on listening to the document.
Lyrically, the music is about acquainted love—loving one thing as a result of it makes you snug or reminds you of residence. And within the music, I’m considering whether or not that’s a very good factor or not. It culminates within the line on the finish, “However I need you right here with me now.” It’s a realization that it doesn’t matter what that is or what it means, it’s one thing that I need proper now, and that’s the one factor that issues.
Don’t Wait For Summer time
All through the method of penning this album, I used to be continuously reminding myself to write down about constructive issues and constructive affirmations that will be very nice to sing stay and remind myself of. “Don’t Wait For Summer time” is a music that’s constructed across the concept of seizing the day. In Iceland, it may be snowing in June, and persons are livid as a result of it’s June, and it’s not speculated to snow now. However the concept behind the music is that in the event you await the summer time, properly it would solely be at some point of sunshine, and then you definately’re not going to have the ability to take pleasure in it.
Have This Dance
In a approach, “Have This Dance” is the only music on the document. It’s one other music that makes use of plenty of the Juno synthesizer. I’m making an attempt to not be too sophisticated with my lyrics on this album. I really like discovering the suitable stability the place it’s clear what I imply, however it nonetheless isn’t too literal. I wish to take cliches or frequent phrases after which change them slightly bit, in order that it doesn’t sound like the identical factor you’ve heard in a music one million instances earlier than. So, this music is in regards to the feeling of not needing to go looking anymore since you’ve discovered that particular person—you’ve discovered someone that you simply need to dance with.
Wash It Away
This is among the large ballads on the document, and it’s the one music on the document that I used to be doubting at one level. However what gave me the arrogance to place it on the album was once I began recording it with MyRiot. Once I wrote it, it was simply the primary vocals, the backing vocals, and a piano. However then Tim and Roy (of MyRiot) got here in and added all the extra components, after which it made sense to me. That’s the gorgeous factor about working with producers that perceive your music.
“Wash It Away” is a music about overthinking and doubt. It’s about how the extra I take into consideration one thing, the blurrier it will get.
Chasing the Night time
This is among the most enjoyable songs on the document. It’s a music that brings collectively plenty of the concepts which are hinted at all through the album. It’s probably the most enjoyable to play stay as properly due to the power it has. It’s a music about these moments the place you’re doing one thing that you realize is doing extra hurt than good, however you retain going as a result of the stubbornness inside you is so large which you could’t take a step again and take a break. It’s that feeling that occurs proper earlier than you burn out, and I actually needed to write down about this sense of not realizing when to cease.
This Feeling
It felt actually enjoyable to make this music, too. From a manufacturing standpoint, I needed to write down one thing that had a bit extra of a groove to it, and to me, this music has a little bit of the jazzy, fusion really feel of Prince. That was one thing that I’d by no means executed earlier than as an artist. I have a tendency to return to this theme of overthinking in a number of of the songs on the album, and right here that exhibits up within the lyrics about indecisiveness. It’s about being in your individual head and considering, “I really like this particular person a lot, however why am I doubting all the pieces?”
When the Solar Goes Down
Generally I get too centered on success and what success means to me. I are likely to put myself down and press myself to do higher, or I examine myself to different individuals. “When the Solar Goes Down” is a music that I can sing and be reminded that on the finish of the day, I am a musician, and I’m doing this factor that I’ve all the time dreamt of doing—and that my 14-year-old self could be actually pleased with me. So, it is a music that jogs my memory to not decide all the pieces a lot, and I hope it could actually do the identical for different individuals, too.
Asymmetry
“Asymmetry” is probably the most weak music on the album. It’s largely simply piano and vocals and a soundscape. I normally need to cowl all the pieces with backing vocals to make the sound greater and wider, however for this music, I actually simply needed it to be one vocal. It’s about my sophisticated relationship with wanting to sort things and understanding when one thing must be mounted. I’m asking myself, if you see the issues that you simply suppose are imperfections, do they have to be mounted, or do they have to be liked? Would you like all the pieces to be totally different, or do you need to discover ways to adapt and truly love the issues that you simply don’t know the way to love from the beginning?
Honesty
I are usually a individuals pleaser, and there are moments the place I’ve caught myself mendacity to somebody as a result of I’m making an attempt to guard somebody that I really like from the reality. And it may be simpler to do this than to inform someone the reality if I’ve an assumption that the reality goes to be hurtful. It’s a quite common factor in relationships. So “Honesty” is a music that picks this aside. Within the refrain, I’m asking, is it simpler so that you can be alone as a result of you realize that in the event you’re in a relationship you’re going to finish up mendacity to your self and to the opposite particular person? The world is a sophisticated place, and this music is about discovering your individual honesty in your coronary heart.
Away From This Dream
That is one other anthem for the codependent and the individuals pleasers. It’s exploring the thought of feeling dangerous about myself as a result of generally I really feel like the one time I’m being good to somebody is once I’m being a individuals pleaser. And on this one, I actually needed to write down a music that had a nostalgic feeling. I wasn’t essentially making an attempt to write down the closing observe, however I feel it ended up being an ideal closing observe that places all these concepts from the document collectively.
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