- Today marks the 22 years anniversary of when Broder Daniel stood on the stage at the television program Sen kväll med Luuk and played Shoreline for the first time. And the rest is history. Fast forward to last week when swedish synthband Red Cell realesed their latest ep -covered in red. On that ep they cover classic swedish song, amongst them is offcourse Shoreline
- I got the oppurtunity to asknthe guys in Red Cell a few questions.
- Let's start with who Red Cell is and how would you describe your music?
Jimmy: Red Cell is me and Stefan. Two versatile musicians in our prime! We create music with one foot in the greatness of the 80s and the other foot in modern times.
Stefan: Red Cell is a synth/electropop band consisting of me, Stefan Aronsson, who writes songs and produces, and Jimmy Skeppstedt who writes lyrics, melody, and sings. We make electronic pop with a lot of synths and strong melodies. We always try to put a strong song in focus.
- You recently released the EP "Covered in Red." How did the process of choosing songs go, and how did you approach them? It's bold to cover Shoreline, which has such a cult status.
Jimmy: The first idea was that we wanted to do some covers. We put together a long, schizophrenic list. I think "Om" and "All that she wants" were nailed down first. And then we came up with the idea of only choosing songs from Swedish artists. After a lot of back and forth, we managed to narrow it down to 5 contributions. It happened to be mostly big, beloved songs, some with a significant cult status. It was, of course, nerve-wracking to tackle such songs, but also extra fun.
Stefan: We wanted to keep the momentum going after the album release last spring but weren't quite ready to start producing our own new songs. So, we casually talked about doing some covers instead. Jimmy and I started selecting songs we liked and thought we could do something interesting with, and along the way, it became clearer and clearer that it would be an EP with a Swedish theme. We are well aware that Shoreline is a challenging song to take on because the original is already perfect. But BD fans (and our fans) seem to have approved it, so we're incredibly happy about that.
- What does the future look like for you? Is there a tour planned?
Jimmy: We rarely play live. Unfortunately. But we focus on creating, recording, and continuing to release Red Cell songs at a hopefully faster pace than before.
Stefan: No, nothing planned right now, but we hope to get out and play more in the spring. Otherwise, I continue writing the next song.
- In March, you released the album "Red Cell." A really great record, if I may say so myself. I got real Depeche Mode vibes from the song "Coloring my bones." Who else are your musical influences?
Jimmy: Thank you! Yes, we're pleased with that album. Many get DM vibes, absolutely. There are worse vibes to get, hehe, so it's a compliment. We never go into the studio thinking it should sound like Depeche or something else. We only think Red Cell in the studio and that we should be damn satisfied when we're done. I love so much music, and influences/inspirations are everywhere. But primarily, in all categories, it's Tom Waits.
Stefan: I'm inspired by a good pop song. And good pop songs sounded extra good in the 80s. Pop in the 80s sounded like synth no matter how you did it, so that sound and the type of songs written then have inspired me, especially for the latest album. My electronic idols are always NIN, Erasure, and to some extent DM, although DM is more of Jimmy's favourites, I think. But a good melody is always a good melody, and a good pop song is always a good pop song, whether it's Lasse Holm or Vince Clark who wrote it.
- In 2005, when the debut "Hybrid Society" was released, you were four in the band, and now you are two (Jimmy Skeppstedt and Stefan Aronsson). How does it feel to be a duo now, and how has it changed your working method?
Jimmy: Being just two works excellent. It's usually easier and faster to bounce ideas and make decisions. Stefan and I are quite different and sometimes have completely different opinions. But then it's fortunate that we're only two and not more. Stefan usually sends a draft of a song idea to me, I think about lyrics and vocal melodies and send it back. Then we book a recording somewhere, and usually, it goes quickly and smoothly when we record.
Stefan: In a strange way, it feels like we started the band now, even though we've been a duo for over a decade. We've got a new energy in the band now, and we work faster than ever. It's a completely different process now than when we were a quartet. Although we've never been a band that rehearsed a lot in the rehearsal room, we used to meet more physically in the studio altogether to actually play and create the music. It was, of course, incredible to have that camaraderie that a band carries with it. Today, I usually write and produce the music in the home studio and then send it to Jimmy, who writes the topline. Then we usually meet and record the vocals, and the last few times, we've done it in my cabin in the woods, which has been creative and pleasant. We live in two different cities, so there's some individual work involved.
- What does the future hold for Red Cell?
Jimmy: As long as we create music that we ourselves think is damn good and as long as it's fun, we will continue.
Stefan: After 20 years, we've just begun...! I'm continuing to write the next song, and we can promise that it won't take seven more years for the next record.
- This year's Christmas gift in Sweden is board games. Do you have a favorite game to recommend, or what do you think this year's Christmas gift should be?
Jimmy: I only play games with the kids these days. Skip-Bo and Fia med knuff are probably my favorites.
Stefan: In these times, you can really only say world peace and kindness.
A big thanx to Jimmy and Stefan for answering my questions. And keep an eye out for a song bybsong review of the ep in the coming days.