Swedish producer Boerd (or Bård) is set to release mini-LP ‘Static’ via Anjunadeep Record, in early April. He recently releases the single ‘Blind’ taken from the LP.
Exploring dark and beautiful music, he refers to as ‘a sound of beautiful sadness’, he tells us more about his classical influences, what we can expect from his LP and more.
What was the inspiration behind ‘Blind
The inspiration for the lyrics is based on personal experiences. The music, I’ve been wanting to move away from the all-electronic. I’ve been listening to a lot of trip-pop from the UK recently and that’s part of the musical inspiration. As for the lyrics, it came after the song. The lyrics came from personal experiences. I draw my inspiration from both my personal stories as well as general things. I try not to tell specific stories, but try to capture the feeling of the story.
Does the track come with a message? Do all the tracks on ‘Static
It’s a song about feeling vulnerable. When you’re in a relationship- romantic or otherwise- it can be dark sometimes, yet really beautiful. It’s a bittersweet song.
The rest of the tracks, they might come with a similar message. Most of my music is instrumental, so I don’t really think about conveying something specific. But I try to capture a beautiful sadness in my music.
What gave you the idea for the script – to use a car and road to symbolize relationships- of the music video?
It was my friend who also stars in the video- the guy driving the car – he said that the song is really good for listening to in the car, and that’s where the idea for the music video initially came from. Then I came up with the idea of the music video showcasing two people in a car where something feels a bit off in their relationship. It just came together naturally I think – combining the aspect of driving in a car with a relationship- it went well together. We actually hadn’t decided on the specifics of it, the video was recorded in one day and a lot of it was improvised, even though I wrote the script.
Is this kind of improvisation common with the music videos you film?
I haven’t made many music videos, but when I do it’s usually improvised. You get ideas and change things. I could never write a script that then follows on exactly in the music video, I don’t know if I could ever do it like that. I edited the video myself, so I added ideas when they came up in the editing process as well.
How would you describe your sound? Would you say it’s evolved?
Dark and beautiful, it may sound like those two things never go hand-in-hand, but for me they do. I’ve never aspired to make dance music, just songs to listen to. Its changed a lot over time. I started making electronic music when I was 15, and I’ve gone through many different styles since then.
But the main difference is that then the songs were a lot happier than they are now. The main reasons for that are maybe that I’ve grown up- the music I listened to back then was happy and naïve electronic music, those songs don’t interest me as much now. Another reason would be on the technical side of things, when I was younger maybe I wanted to make serious music but didn’t have the technical skills to make it happen. My music today is more focused on the soundscape and sound production, which takes time to learn.
How has your background in classical music influenced you?
I studied classical music for five years. All the theoretical stuff I learned, listening to and playing opera, symphony and orchestra for many years, inspired me and my music a lot.
For example, in one of my songs ‘Brain Fog’, the baseline is a reference to a symphony by Shostakovich, I don’t think anyone’s noticed it, but it’s there.
What’s been a highlight of your career? Future ambitions?
It’s something that hasn’t happened just yet- the album I’m releasing now is quite different. It’s the first time I’ll be releasing on vinyl and it’s with a major label. I think the highlight will come soon.
As for other future goals, I would like to make a longer album with specific concepts. A big idea for the whole album, with all the songs blending together. I’d love to have some collaborations coming up and more that I’d like to do.
One song on your personal playlist that you’ve had on repeat recently?
The album ‘All Melody’, by Nils Frahm, I’ve been listening to it a lot. It’s the type of album that I’d like to do. The whole album seems like an idea to me. It’s inspiring me because it’s what I want to do as well.
‘Static’ was released on 6th April, 2018.
Follow Bård’s music on Spotify and SoundCloud, and keep up with him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Watch the officlal music video for ‘Blind’ below:
