Q: For those who may not be familiar with your music, how would you describe your unique style and what sets you apart as an artist?
A: We’re proud to have conceived the genre of Death Disco completely on our own. It’s characterized by electronic keys and a general sense of doom and dread. All of us are major audiophiles, so a balanced sound is key. The use of effect pedals and tape recorders helps us reach that patented sound of ours. What really sets us apart though, is our live performances. We program our own light show to make sure it’s a spectacular experience. The psychedelic and striking visuals in combination with the death disco beat make for a one-of-a-kind experience.
Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest single, “Greasy Makeup”?
A: The song paints a canvas of post-apocalyptic life. There’s a certain moment when you don’t know if someone painted for war or if they’ve just ruined their makeup by crying tears. Everybody reacts differently to traumatic events and with Greasy Makeup we’ve tried to capture that.
Q: How would you describe the overall theme or message conveyed in “Greasy Makeup”?
A: It’s about coming to terms with a situation that’s very bleak. There’s strength in seeing things the way they are, daring to admit to yourself the reality of the circumstances. In the reviews so far we’ve seen interpretations that go all the way from rape to longing. That’s a broad spectrum, just the way it should be. The sound is very classic KÅRP, long-time fans, and listeners will no doubt recognize the telltale keys and Anna-Maria’s haunting voice.
Q: What was your creative process like when crafting this particular song?
A: Too long, for starters. The short story is that life happened between the sessions. The longer version, and here I’m actually honest for once, is that we had gone to the roots of why we were making music together in the first place and questioned each other’s roles in the band in order to finish this track. Maybe there’s some trace of desperation that made it into the cut. What do you think?
Q: Are there any personal experiences that influenced the lyrics or sound of “Greasy Makeup”?
A: One of the things that brought us together as a band in the first place, is that we all share psychic abilities. We find that communicating with spirits is an incredible way to elevate the creative process. After all, there is only so much the human mind can conjure on its own. Our rehearsal space is an excellent location to make contact with the supernatural, it comes pretty naturally there.
Q: How do you feel your musical style has evolved or progressed with this new single?
A: Better and more to the point. Interesting answer, right? We always wanted to go darker, but I think we went the other way this time. And it’s bothering us a bit that it worked so well…
Q: Were there any challenges or obstacles you faced while working on “Greasy Makeup”? If so, how did you overcome them?
A: As we’ve previously mentioned, our rehearsal space is a very accessible spot for the supernatural. Why this is, we’re not sure but it’s possible that the veil between dimensions is thinner there or that the location is of some historical significance. We found bits of ropes and felt a very strange energy radiating from space. At one point someone told us it’s on an old gallows site. Early in the writing process of Greasy Makeup, our keyboard player found himself haunted and harassed by a dark spirit. The situation quickly got out of hand, so we contacted a medium. With her help, we managed to exorcise the spirit after an almost 7-hour ritual. We felt it necessary to take precautionary measures for the future and our rehearsal space is now grounded with totems.
Q: How has your music evolved since your first album?
A: An excellent question! More expensive synthesizers, and, that’s about it. The original vision of KÅRP is still very much true, we strive to keep mapping out the new territory of Death disco and to evolve as a band, obviously the longer you play together, the better you understand each other’s creative processes.
Q: Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about after the release of this single?
A: Gothenburg is known for its many microbreweries, so we’re currently in the planning phase of making our official KÅRP beer. A dark, dark lager that captures the taste of doom, hopelessness, psychedelic out-of-body experiences, and strawberries. On another note, we’d love to get into the movie score business. We’ve reached out to several major studios pitching our ideas and are currently negotiating with Clint Eastwood’s own production company regarding an upcoming thing. They assured us that Clint is a big fan of the band, but it just sounds too unbelievable to be true!
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