Stars In Coma Talk about Their New EP ‘Reality Denier’
We recently caught up with André Brorsson, the driving force behind the innovative Swedish band Stars in Coma. Renowned for their genre-defying fusion of guitar rock, disco, funk, and electro-pop, Stars in Coma has been a musical force since 2005. In this interview, we’ll delve into the intricacies of their latest 5-track EP, ‘Reality Denier.’ The EP is characterised by a gentle yet brooding undertone, and the vocals, alternating between laid-back and incredibly impactful moments, seamlessly weave through synths, unconventional chord progressions, and a hypnotic rhythm section. Now, grab a cuppa and press play as we discuss creative processes, explore potential influences, and uncover more about ‘Reality Denier.’
What inspired the ‘Reality Denier’ EP?
All the songs were written during peak Covid, and the record is mainly a reflection of the pandemic lifestyle and spending too much time on the Internet.
Can you walk us through the creative process behind the EP?
I recall writing most of the songs in the winter of 2020-2021. As my previous album “Farewell, Bacchus Point” had leaned more toward conventional guitar pop, I wanted to mess around with some weird synthesizers this time, and I heavily relied upon Reason Studios and Izotope plugins for these sounds. I also came across this cool distortion plug that I used for some unconventional guitar sounds. I wanted both the melodic guitar and synth parts to really be “in your face” in the mix. There’s also a rad keytar on one of the songs that was fun to play!
Musically, I can’t even pinpoint the influences because the whole thing just happened very fast and spontaneously. But it sounds a bit like Brian Eno’s Robert Fripp collaborations mixed with 80’s mainstream pop with sprinkles of Brian Wilson’s offbeat musical harmonies.
What’s your favourite track on ‘Reality Denier’ and what do you like best about it?
I think “Stars on the Map” just because of how it slowly builds up and how strange the chord progression is. I don’t recall writing that one at all, but it was for sure a pain in the a** to mix.
Are there any specific themes or messages you hope listeners take away from the EP?
Not really, I just wanna create some enticing pop music with interesting lyrics. Some of the lyrics are just various snippets from social media comments that I turned into some kind of poetry, like David Bowie/William S. Burroughs’ cut-up method updated for the 21st century or something 🙂
What challenges did you face during the creation of ‘Reality Denier’, and how did you overcome them?
So the five songs on Reality Denier were initially gonna be part of this album that I scrapped in mid-2021. Not because I thought the music was bad, but mostly because I didn’t wanna get involved in the whole music promotion business at the time. I had also outgrown some songs on the album, which I felt had too much of a nasty bitter tone to it. As some additional time passed, however, I finally felt ready to release these five “leftovers” as a document of a specific and defined period in my life.
What does the future look like for Stars in Coma? Do you have any additional projects on the horizon or further releases around the corner?
So, that scrapped 2021 album will eventually see the day of light next year! Eventually, I started over and wrote some new songs and now I’m really happy with it. I kept three songs from the original album, with “Atomize Us!” (also the first track of “Reality Denier”) being one of them. Soundwise, it will have similarities to my new EP, but with a slightly warmer and optimistic vibe. It’s gonna be called “We Were Already Islands.”
As for other news, Stars in Coma will hopefully get back to the live stage at some point if we can muster up the confidence!
Well, we hope you do! Gratitude, André, and wishing you all the best from TIG.
Stay in the loop with Stars in Coma by following them on their social media channels below:
Facebook / Instagram / Spotify
