Then Comes Silence Talk New Album, Their Voices And More

Swedish post-punk/goth icons Then Comes Silence will release their new album ‘Trickery’ on Friday 5th April 2024. We sat down with the band to learn more about the new record and the band: 

Who is in Then Comes Silence and how did you meet?

Jonas: I was working as a promoter for Klubb Död, a goth club in Stockholm, the first time I saw Then Comes Silence. I think it was 2013 or 2014. Later on Klubb Död got a call from Alex who was searching for a new drummer, he thought the club who knew most of the musicians in the area might know of a drummer. I’ve had a rough year with heavy depression but with this opportunity to play in TCS I found the spark and a purpose of life again. I will be forever grateful for that.

Alex: I started the band back in 2012. I’m the only one left from that constellation. We’re definitely not the same band. In the beginning we sounded grittier, noisier and louder. The band started changing somewhere around the third album, ‘Nyctophilian’. Hugo was a friend of Jonas’s and was a substitute for another guitarist that couldn’t make the tour back in 2018. He then became a full-time member when changes were made in the group.

Your new album ‘Trickery’ is released on 5th April 2024. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

Jonas: We have tried different methods of recording but we all agree that recording live, with all of us playing together, is the most fun and genuine way to do it. Blood, Hunger and now Trickery has been recorded in this way, and most probably all the future recordings.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

Jonas: Trickery was recorded at Kapsylen in Stockholm, same as Hunger. The Engineer at Kapsylen is Jörgen “Jugglo” Wall. He is a great guy and an experienced drummer who knows how to record drums and make them sound great. The producer is Tom van Heesch whom we have been working with many times now.

You have also released the single ‘Ride Or Die’ from the album. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Alex: Frequent touring and travelling as a band is the biggest motivation for the song. You tour with other bands that have other routines and different ways of doing things on the road. You don’t have much other choice then staying, working and sleeping close together with your bandmates every second, every moment. You depend on everyone and they depend on you. You are away from dear ones at home.

There’s not much space for divas and special treatments. Luckily I really enjoy being with my bandmates on tour. We have our differences, but we seem to have developed a high threshold and a way of accepting each other. Like brothers without competition.

We probably realize the value of being friends and if, for some reason we’re not, we’re trying to make it work. On tour you get to see the worst sides in everyone. Your own bandmembers and other bands as well. When friendship is highly valued it’s so much more lasting, joyable, easy and memorable. All in all, it’s about friendship and the sacrifice you make to make it last.

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

Jonas: We had very limited time to make the video, it had to be a quick process. Alex called me and told me he was about to paint a room in his apartment and got this idea with him writing the lyrics on the wall. So I went there and we made that shot in one hour. My wife Gözde (Aux Animaux) filmed and directed the rest in our parking garage.

Who are some of your musical influences?

Hugo: Killing Joke, Danse Society, Lords of the New Church, The Clash…

Jonas: Killing Joke, Bowie, The Clash

Alex: Ramones, Bowie, classical music, electronic music of the 70’s

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Hugo: That the audience had a good time, and that I had fun myself.

Jonas: Making an impact. Gaining new fans.

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

Hugo: Many people after the shows seem surprised that I play an inexpensive Squier guitar, which I think it’s only a prejudice. I’ve changed the bridge pickup for a Seymour Duncan SH-4 to have more gain, and also I changed the tuners, because I can play quite hard and I need my guitar to stay in tune. I also use a Boss ME-80 Multi-Effects pedal, and a Boss WE-60 Wireless, which is the best thing I’ve ever owned. Then I go through a Fender Twin Reverb amp, and that’s how I get the evil sound that I like.

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

Hugo: My hometown is a little town in the north of Spain called Miranda de Ebro. In five words, “Simpsons’ Springfield in real life”.

Alex: I was born in Stockholm and I live there now, but a big part of my childhood I lived abroad in countries like Peru, Argentina, Switzerland, Spain and Colombia. Stockholm is beautiful, cold, modern, quaint and expensive.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

Alex: To be honest, this was a very easy recording to make. We didn’t bump into anything weird or didn’t have any situations of mischief or troublement. All the heavy work lied in the preparations and the reahearsals. Writing the album was a tough one. So we might not have many memories from the making of ‘Trickery’. Sounds boring, but it was a couple of really smooth days at work.

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

Hugo: After a spring tour in the US, we are going to play some festivals this summer, like Amphi and W-Fest, and then tour Europe in September. In November we’ll be back in the UK for Tomorrow’s Ghost Festival in Whitby, and a special appearance in London with our friends from Reptile Club.

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

Alex: a) ‘Like a Hammer’, b) ‘Blind Eye’, c) ‘Ride or Die’ and ‘Runners’

Was it a difficult album to write?

Alex: It surely was indeed. I knew and the whole band knew we were going to make a different recording from all the previous ones. The history and experience we already had we checked out at the door. We had to figure out new influences, new methods and new ways of working. Hugo’s guitars are sometimes just fillers in the background. No tricks and fancy stuff. We chose to use a lot of synth bass parts instead of my bass guitar. There’s a bass solo in one song, my first one ever. We sometimes used drummachines and sound effects.

Well, we’re still the same guys, but we jumped in from another angle and with other perspectives. Some songs took an awful time to write, such as ‘Ride or Die’ and ‘Ghost House’. It was a bit exhausting.

How do you look after your voices?

Alex: A long time ago I went to an opera singer to learn how to sing. He was a retired old fashioned kind of teacher. It was clear from day one that I would never go as far as singing opera or jazz. I’m a rock dude. I wanted to learn how to find my voice, how to use the body, the lungs and the belly support. I got to learn how to warm up and stretch my limits. After a while I found my natural voice and that made it more fun to sing.

Who created/designed the album artwork?

Jonas: Alex is the mastermind, like for most things regarding Then Comes Silence, everything always starts with an idea from him. I have a background as an Artworker/Graphic designer and have made the artwork for all albums since Blood.

What makes Then Comes Silence happy and what makes you unhappy?

Jonas: Touring. Not touring.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Haris Mlivic

Then Comes Silence’s new album ‘Trickery’ is released on Friday 5th April 2024 on Metropolis Records.

The album is available on vinyl, CD and all digital platforms. Pre-order it here: https://ingrv.es/trickery-fqf-x 

Then Comes Silence will perform on Saturday 2nd November 2024 at Tomorrow Ghosts Festival at Whitby Pavillion, Whitby, United Kingdom. Tickets are onsale and for more information visit: https://www.tomorrowsghostsfestival.co.uk/november-2024/ 

For more infromation visit their official website here: https://thencomessilence.eu/