Dim Gray Talk Their New Live EP, Their Hometown And More

In August and September 2023, Norwegian rock quintet Dim Gray undertook their first extensive tour of the UK and Europe, playing 15 dates across nine countries with Big Big Train. The band recorded each show and have picked out a selection of songs and performances that will form a live digital EP to be released in the autumn. Dim Gray chatted to us about the new EP, their hometown and more:                 

Who is in Dim Gray, what do they play and how did you meet?

Tom: Dim Gray are Håkon Hoiberg on guitar and vocals, Oskar Holldorff on keys and vocals, Kristian Kvaskrud on bass, Milad Amouzegar on guitar, keys and vocals, and me on drums and vocals. Most of us met when we were studying, but Kristian was an acquaintance of Oskar that he’d played with in another setting.

When did you begin songwriting and recording music?

Tom: Dim Gray started in 2013 and we started to write and record the music for the band that year. However, we’ve all been composing music in other capacities before Dim Gray.

Your new single ‘The Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever (live)’ is out now. What is the story/inspiration behind the track?

Tom: “The Wave” was one of the first tracks we wrote and was on our debut album “Flown”. It initially started out as a weird cover of another song, which then took a completely different turn and developed an identity of its own. The lyrics are about the universal fact that nothing stays the same and nothing lasts forever, and you usually don’t notice until it’s over.

In addition, you will be releasing a new live EP. When did you get the idea for the live EP, and how did you want to approach the making of the album?

Tom: We knew that all the shows on the tour would be recorded, so we figured we might as well take advantage of that and use the recordings for something. So the idea came about before the tour. Also, we mixed up the setlist slightly most nights, so we had a lot of songs from different cities, which gave us the opportunity to pick the best performances from around Europe and put together the best compilation we could.

Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

Milad: The EP is a compilation of songs performed in different venues and countries during the last tour we played in August and September last year supporting Big Big Train. As well as the already released single from Cadogan Hall in London, the EP will also include performances from venues such as Z7 in Pratteln, the Mozart-Saal in Stuttgart and Cosmopolite in Oslo.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Milad: My favourite stage instrument is my favorite instrument in general – my Mayones Legend electric guitar which has been with me for more than 10 years on every gig. As for an honorable mention; my Persian santoor is also really fun to include live whenever we get the opportunity to bring it along.

Tom: There is one tool that I cannot be without these days, and that is the Roland SPD-sx Pro. I use that with several bands, and in so many ways. It’s such a versatile and reliable instrument.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Tom: Well, even though the band is based in Oslo, none of us are actually from here. We all come from different parts of Norway. I would describe Oslo as both urban and rural, as well as accessible, easy-going and finally a little dull!

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

Milad: Currently we have no live shows planned for this year as our main focus is working on our third album. But we intend to hit the road again in 2025 and take Dim Gray to the next level.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Oskar: Guillermo del Toro is currently working on a stop motion adaptation of one of my favourite books, The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s a philosophical fable set to a fictional version of post-Arthurian Britain, where everyone suffers from a haze of memory loss. I imagine it could have a really enchanting and slightly gloomy vibe, and would be a treat to score.

Which of your tracks from the new EP hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Oskar: We don’t tend to do happy songs, but 52~ has a sense of sad happiness to it, or content longing. The lyrics tell of someone who just takes a break from everything and hides from the world. We don’t tend to get too angry either, but the anti-war song Ashes is probably the most confrontational one of this bunch of songs. Reflection, on the other hand, is something we do a lot of! Both Black Sun and Abalus | In Time comfortably tick that box. There’s a lot of melancholic introspection in our music. Reflective songs aren’t necessarily the most immediately infectious, but when they connect they do so in the most meaningful way.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Tom: We all have such different musical tastes and influences, but as Dim Gray there are of course a handful of bands and artists that have influenced the way we compose our music. Beach Boys, Keane, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Norwegian and Irish folk music, Susanne Sundfør; a lot of bands, artists and genres have influenced us in the years.

How do you look after your voices?

Milad: By not being a singer in the band.

Oskar: Evidently insufficiently.

Tom: Copious amounts of whiskey

What makes Dim Gray happy and what makes you unhappy?

Tom: I know stress makes us unhappy, and some of us are prone to stress, especially on tour. So a stress free environment is always preferable.