As we bid farewell to 2023, come along with us for a series of interviews with a few artists. We’ll chat with them about their experiences, challenges, and successes throughout the year. These talks give you a close-up view of what happened in the metal music scene in 2023. We chatted with the Swedish industrial band THE BELOW about how they’ve experienced 2023.
2023 seemed to have been a productive year for THE BELOW as you released two singles, “Heebie-Jeebies Süssigkeit” and “Artificial Lights (Dystopian Haze).” What other things have you accomplished in 2023 with THE BELOW?
In addition to those two singles, I also gave LUNA SQUARE‘s electro-blues song “Space Cowpoke” an industrial makeover for the charity project FUCKCANCERBAND, a nonprofit venture where all proceeds go directly to The Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund (Barncancerfonden). Quite an unexpected remix request, but, of course, I took on the project with great enthusiasm (and a bit of fear). To be able to contribute to a good cause, even if it’s just a small contribution, always feels good.
I don’t really set up any goals (the best way to avoid disappointment [laughs]), but I really wanted to create the video for “Artificial Lights (Dystopian Haze)” in Ukraine with a Ukrainian crew; anything else would have felt totally wrong. After some initial problems, I got in contact with director Kate Tiuri. From then on, everything went smoothly, and the video was filmed on location in Lviv. Big thumbs up to everyone involved in the production; I really love how it turned out.
To reach a slightly larger audience with each new release is perhaps more of a hope than a defined goal, but especially with “Heebie-Jeebies Süssigkeit,” we did achieve that! For this release also, I want to highlight the video. It was filmed and directed by Anders Larsson at Good Evening Pasadena!, and I’m confident that it has played a significant part in the success of the song.
I’m also very fortunate to have had the opportunity and pleasure to work with the two very different but equally talented vocalists, Aaron Sutcliffe and Jesper Hanning.
Is there anything you learned during 2023 that you can use in THE BELOW’s music?
Even though I work digitally, I’ve always thought in analog terms. However, I believe that I have now picked up a useful trick or two when it comes to programming and production. I’ve also learned that piezo microphones without casings are incredibly cheap; that’s something I will definitely utilize in the future. On a more existential level, the world is in an increasingly dire place, which, of course, is an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Have you (re-)discovered any new music during 2023?
We truly live in dark times, and dark times make good music. 2023 hasn’t been any exception. During the year, we have seen a plethora of great albums from old favorites as well as from new acquaintances. Bands that I have followed for some time, including ALGIERS, WHALESONG, OXBOW, BIG|BRAVE, SWANS, and many more, have certainly not disappointed. There are also a lot of bands that I haven’t encountered before that have released some remarkable stuff: SPRAIN, THE TUNNEL, STUCK, LAVORO, MODEL/ACTRIZ, and… I could go on and on.
I mostly listen to new music, but during the summer, I browsed through a stack of 12″ singles and EPs, mainly from the early to mid-eighties, in a series of Instagram posts. There were definitely quite a few great artists that I hadn’t listened to for some time. Some that come to mind now are ESG, BLURT, RIP BIG & PANIC, MALARIA!, and TUXEDOMOON.
Spotify playlists:
What can we expect from THE BELOW in 2024?
I guess I have an album’s worth of material in different stages of readiness, ranging from only fragments to being in the final mixing stage. Not all will be finished, but I’m pretty sure we will see the release of at least a few new songs and videos. Hopefully more than this year, but only the future can tell how many.
