Alphabeat are back! Best known for their hit singles, ‘Fascination‘, and ‘10,000 Nights‘, as well as their eponymous debut album, the Danish pop group from Silkeborg return from a six year hiatus with their new single, ‘Shadows’. Their fourth album is set for release later this year via Warner Music.
Lisa caught up with the group after their recent appearance at SXSW and asked them six quick questions!
First off – hello and lovely to meet you! Alphabeat has been on hiatus for the past 6 years – you’ve had other projects, what were they, and what else have you been doing? What made you decide to come back now?
Yeah we’ve all been exploring other creative outputs. Stine has been releasing solo stuff and Anders SG and Anders AB have had their “Thanks” project. We started awakening from our hiatus when those two Anders’ suddenly sent us all an email with a song they wrote and asked us if it could be an Alphabeat song. That really sparked this new energy between us and made us wanna write and record a whole album together. It feel so good.
You’re back with a new single, ‘Shadows’, which comes ahead of your fourth album! For those who might remember you from ‘Fascination’, and ‘10,000 Nights’ and so forth – it’s still got your signature upbeat sound and a great video that looks like it’s shot in a sauna! Talk us through the song, and the clip.
We have recorded the video in a summer house where we have spent a lot of time writing, rehearsing and recording the album. It is a quite special place to us. It just made sense that our first video would be situated in the place where we have been having a great time working on the album. The song came quite quickly and naturally to us that is probably why it sounds so much like Alphabeat. We have taken a step back to recording live as a band again and that just feels very right to us at this moment. Everyone contributes in the rehearsal space and in the studio.
You’ve just been to SXSW – what was the reception like there?
It was amazing. We did not expect much being that far away from home and playing in a country where our music never has been released before but we were surprised that so many people turned up to see us. We asked the audience during the show if anybody knew us beforehand and it was a 50/50. It really amazed us that so many knew our music and then we played our butts off to convince the other 50% to come back next time we visit the US:)
Getting back together after all these years – what was that like? Did you have trouble recapturing the vibe? Or was it like stepping into a comfy pair of slippers, like you’d never been away?
Musically it just made sense. The very first thing we worked on was a tune with just acoustic guitar and SG and Stine on vocals and we instantly felt like we struck gold. Writing new songs has been an absolute pleasure as we work more as a team now and feed off each other’s energy.
What’s next for Alphabeat? You’ve got your new album coming out, but will there UK tour dates as well?
We are working on it as we speak. We would love to go back and play to a UK audience. It feels like a second home to us so we are working hard on making this happen soon.
What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview but nobody ever does?
“Isn’t it just confusing with all those Anders’ in the band??”…just kidding! 😉 We answer that all the time. So thank you for NOT asking us that 🙂
Stream ‘Shadows’ on Spotify. Check out Alphabeat online on Facebook and Instagram.