Holy Moly! You’re telling me there’s new music from Blues Pills? You gotta be kidding me?! No, we are not kidding you, the Swedish/French/American psych-rockers are back with their brand single, and accompanying new music for, “Low Road,” the second song lifted from their upcoming new album, Holy Moly!, due on June 19th via Nuclear Blast Records.
To any longtime fan of Blues Pills, “Low Road” has the distinction of being one of the heaviest songs that they’ve ever written, not only sonically but lyrically. Very raw in essence, “Low Road” was composed for anyone who has ever found themselves fumbling with their lives, feeling as though they are confined to the dark where no one is paying attention to them. Musically, the song translates well in a live setting for its sheer, unrefined rock n’ roll power that pounds you smack dab in the middle of the face. If you’re looking for a small sense of relief, Blues Pills hopes that you may find it in “Low Road” and its no-nonsense, high octane music video.
Holy Moly! is a brand new prescription of Blues Pills, their third proper full-length release. Completely written, produced and recorded by the members themselves, it’s somewhat of a DIY creation that was fine-tuned inside their own old-school analogue recording studio located in the countryside of Närke, Sweden, a province in the country’s southwest. Situated in a building that was home to an old factory, singer Elin Larsson, guitarist Zack Anderson, and drummer André Kvarnström spent nearly one full year writing and recording songs and demos. Anderson primarily took care of the recording process but was assisted along the way by Nicolaus Arson and Johan Gustafsson of fellow Swedish rockers The Hives and Martin Jacobsson of Rovljud Sound.
Holy Moly! stands out for being perhaps the most fluid recording the group has yet to do. It truly affirms that Blues Pills have found their sound and are a group of musicians together for a reason. What is that reason you may be pondering? Because they absolutely rock and there’s no mistaking their presence in a world full of synthwave and pop-rock bands. No matter which direction we go from here, it’s nice to feel that reassurance that Blues Pills are back with the fire, fury and attitude only they can deliver.
If I had to describe your new single, “Low Road,” in one word, I’d probably say “intense.” What was the first component of the song that you started off with? A lyric? A riff? Drumbeat?
Zack Anderson: “It started with a guitar riff, but I remember the first version was pretty laid back, and the song evolved to be more and more aggressive.”
There’s a real classic rock sound to “Low Road,” along with a punk rock energy. It reminds somewhat of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock N’ Roll” but with more attitude and vigour. Were you trying to emulate any band, artist or sound when you wrote the song?
“We weren’t consciously emulating them at the time when we wrote the song, but I love the MC5 and when I listen to the song now I think that shows. Maybe a bit Stooges too, it’s definitely a bit punkier than some of our previous releases.”
There’s such an intensity to “Low Road” that it almost sounds like it would be a challenge to play live with such power. I’m not sure if you’ve played it live yet, but would you say that this song is any more challenging to play than any of your other material?
“For some reason, it’s actually the opposite I feel like, that it was very easy to start playing it live in the rehearsal and it just worked. I think because it’s just raw and heavy riffs so it sounds powerful regardless. The only thing a bit challenging with it is it’s really fast!”
“Low Road” certainly differs from Holy Moly!’s first single, “Proud Woman,” which is a little more bluesy and toned down. Can we expect a lot of different sounds and styles on Holy Moly!?
“For sure, the songs are really varied on Holy Moly! There’s something for everybody on there.” (smiles)
Let’s just close off with a more general question about Holy Moly!; What can fans expect when the album is released in June? What approach did you take to the songwriting that may be different than your first two records?
“The approach was different in that we wrote and recorded the songs ourselves. We took with us everything we had learned from making our first two albums, but this time all the decisions were in our own hands. The result is I think this album is more stripped-down, a bit dirtier, raw and spontaneous sounding, but at the same time, with more tightly nit arrangements. The lyrics are more personal. Whether anyone loves it or hates it, we know we made the best album we could, the way we wanted to. We did our own thing, and for that I know I’ll always be proud of this one.”
