An interview with A Permanent Shadow
An interview with A Permanent Shadow
What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?
A Permanent Shadow refers to dark spots on the moon as well as to the after effects of a nuclear disaster. As the lyrics are rather bleak, I thought it would be an apt band name. As for the major influences, I would definitely cite David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed among others. I got into their music early on and I think that records like The Idiot, Low or Loaded by The Velvet Underground not only created a new musical language, they have also never been bettered.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I try to avoid boy-meets-girl stories first and foremost. Other than that, anything can trigger my imagination. On our new record you’ll find songs about my disdain for the corporate world, the pains of ageing or the devastating effect of tsunamis. Anything that has an impact on me can end up as the core theme of a song.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I try to avoid boy-meets-girl stories first and foremost. Other than that, anything can trigger my imagination. On our new record you’ll find songs about my disdain for the corporate world, the pains of ageing or the devastating effect of tsunamis. Anything that has an impact on me can end up as the core theme of a song.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
I never set out to cater for a certain audience or be part of a particular movement or style. I just write the songs, and together with my two producer friends we work on arrangements. We don’t think much about things like commercial viability or identity, we just do what we want, basically, and don`t shy away from quirkiness or weird ideas. We just want to have fun.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
We work in different formats, from acoustic guitar to electro trio to full band. Our records are pretty layered, so it’s almost impossible to replicate the album sound unless 50% comes from prerecorded tracks. So we strip everything down a bit, sometimes even omitting middle eights or intros and codas in order for the songs to work better in a live setting.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
We work in different formats, from acoustic guitar to electro trio to full band. Our records are pretty layered, so it’s almost impossible to replicate the album sound unless 50% comes from prerecorded tracks. So we strip everything down a bit, sometimes even omitting middle eights or intros and codas in order for the songs to work better in a live setting.
What plans do you have for the future?
We have a new single out, “Shining Star”. There will be another single before the end of the year and then a new album in early 2022. And hopefully we’ll be able to take the album on the road. We’re also working on our next record already and a covers EP which I’m pretty excited about. It will feature songs by The Cult, Therapy? and John Mellencamp among others.