In Conversation: Lowly

Honing in on the incredibly creative Danish alt-pop project...

Remember when you were forced to do group work at school? Having to interact with a mismatched bunch of shirkers, egomaniacs and oddballs, all in the name of learning how to “cooperate with others”? It’s surely not something that any right-thinking person would enjoy.

But then there’s Danish five-piece Lowly. Nanna Schannong, Thomas Lund, Steffen Lundtoft, Soffie Viemose and Kasper Staub took to it to such an extent that they’re still at it to this day, having first got together for a group music project at high school (which we can only imagine they aced).

A first single in April 2014, then a debut EP and handful of other singles followed, showing the beginnings of an idiosyncratic pop sound; but ‘Heba’, the band’s first full-length released in February, is a game-changer for the group.

A satisfying combo of organic and electronic sounds that recalls both ‘Kid A’/’King of Limbs’-era Radiohead and avant-garde singer-songwriters like Jenny Hval or Julia Holter, ‘Heba’ is danceable, heartfelt, and easily odd enough to single the group out amongst the current host of Scandinavian pop acts. It’s the little details, like the electromagnetic-interference warble of a background synth in ‘No Hands’ or the intricate drum-rolls that pepper ‘Prepare The Lake’, which really make the songs shine.

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There’s a socially conscious streak to the album also, as reflected in its name. Heba is the name of a Syrian refugee, whose story the band heard while they were recording. According to Nanna: “Soffie told us about this refugee named Ahmed who was staying with her father, who had been on the road for two years coming to Denmark. And he talked about Heba, his wife, who was finally allowed to come here, and he hadn’t seen her for two years.”

Ahmed and Heba’s story of love, separation and perseverance against the backdrop of a wider crisis resonated with the group. “When we were in the studio there was a lot happening at that time in Denmark regarding refugees”, says Nanna, “and it just touched us a lot, the fact that we weren’t able to do that much. When we heard the story we thought her name, and the story, was so beautiful, and just fit the vibe that we had in the studio regarding this terrible situation.”

While the album isn’t explicitly about the refugee crisis or Heba’s journey, there’s a through-line in it of love lost, longing and personal turmoil writ both small and large. Nanna and Soffie’s lyrics, and their soft but penetrating vocals, manage to be simultaneously intimate and epic – with lyrics like “could someone save the baby” and “lose the kids”, they could be referring to a break-up, or a war. It’s a tone that’s matched in the music, which is grand and spacious but hones in on the heartstrings.

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When we heard the story we thought her name, and the story, was so beautiful…

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Steffen gives Soffie’s lyrics for ‘Deer Eyes’ as an example of this; it’s a song, he explains, inspired by Britney Spears’ public breakdown, but also general feelings of being alone in the spotlight. “She’s in the media but she’s lonely. Soffie’s got a good way of writing about something specific but also zooming out and getting it to be more emotional.”

“At the same time it’s a reflection on her own emotions; that’s what makes it so intimate,” Nanna adds. Is this something that bothers the band, then? On the cusp of fame, do they fear the prospect of increasing media intrusion into their lives?

“Because I have two children I think about that,” admits Steffen. “But whenever I get those thoughts, I think… we’re much more a band. If I was in the pop industry where the artist is the focus [I’d be concerned]. We focus on the music, not one person… But of course, it’s there.”

In an always-important step for an up-and-coming band, Lowly have also taken a hold of their visual identity. Their videos for ‘Deer Eyes’ and ‘Prepare The Lake’, while very different from each other, both deal in a lo-fi internet-age aesthetic that almost makes one think of memes. It’s a product of the group reaching out to rising artists whose work they see and like online. “We see the videos as collaborations, because [the artists’] aesthetics inspire us also,” says Nanna.

What’s next for the group? Right now they’re touring, and in England they’ll be performing at End Of The Road and Sea Change festivals later this year, while trying to put together their second album “when we have time”. “We’ve just learned that having an album out means we need to play the album…” laughs Steffen. “We’re busy.”

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Words: Tom Marsh

'Heba' is out now on Bella Union. Catch Lowly at the following shows:

May
12 Manchester Gullivers
13 Glasgow Broadcast
14 Middlesbrough Westgarth
15 Birmingham Hare & Hounds
16 London The Victoria
17 Bristol The Louisiana

For the latest Lowly tickets click HERE.

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