As the lead singer with Swedish sensations The Cardigans, Nina Persson has dominated the charts with the group’s irresistible brand of indie pop.
Such was The Cardigans’ reputation at home and aboard that few expected Persson to use a break from the group to a debut album under the A Camp moniker. Said self-titled affair was released in 2001, between The Cardigans’ ‘Gran Turismo’ and ‘Long Gone Before Daylight’ albums, and was recorded with assistance from Spaklehorse’s Mark Linkous.
Now, A Camp are back, with The Cardigans again on the back burner. What’s more, now they are a proper band, a trio that’s settled in their roles. Their new album ‘Colonia’ is another curveball from the group, containing elements of country but also with a distinctly poppy flavour. With guest turns from Joan Wasser, James Iha and others, the album finds Persson surrounded by a highly creative cast, and ‘Colonia’ certainly doesn’t suffer from a dearth of ideas. Refreshing and invigorating, it may well mark a new direction for the singer.
ClashMusic sits down with the Swedish star to talk about the new album, and of course when The Cardigans will return, if ever…
A Camp invites a number of collaborators into the fold – what does this bring you?
Each participating musician brings out something new in us, and we want A Camp to be wider that three minds.
Your husband, Nathan Larson (who used to be in Shudder To Think – Ed), is in the band, as is Niclas Frisk of Atomic Swing. How did you meet Niclas?
I met him in a bar in Stockholm on a night when I was especially frustrated with my life. We spoke about music, and soon realised we were into the same stuff and that we both needed a new outlet. The day after, we met at his apartment and wrote ‘I Can Buy You’.
So were you aware of Atomic Swing?
Oh yes! I was at an after ski show of theirs in Sweden when I was about 18, and I messed with Niclas’ guitar pedals. I shouted at him that his fly was open, and he was really annoyed with me and my friend.
Mark Linkous produced the first A Camp album – how did this come about?
I was an old fan of Sparklehorse, and then I got to meet Mark when he played in Sweden. We hit it off, I gave him a cassette of my own material and he liked it so much that I convinced him to be the producer for the album.
The first single from ‘Colonia’ is ‘Stronger Than Jesus’ – why chose this as the comeback single? What prompted the lyrics?
When the song was finished, we simply figured that it was the best ‘introduction’ to the record, and still a good relative to songs on the first record. The lyrics came out the way they did because “I don’t wanna live longer that Jesus” didn’t make sense.
The band’s debut has country influences but ‘Colonia’ is quite different. What brought about this change?
Well, we didn’t want to make the first record over again, so we needed to free ourselves from it. One way to do this was to imagine the new music to be set in a city, and therefore leaving the country behind.
Many of the songs on the album discuss America. How do you react to the country as a European?
I have a love-hate relationship with the US. I live in New York, but I don’t think I could live anywhere else in America. Only going up to Connecticut creeps me out.
In an interview I read you said the album was inspired by a trip to Africa, and the decadence of old kings and queens – is that true?
We don’t really bother with relating anything; we enjoy mixing everything up and being respectless of borders, time lines and correct referencing. Also, if you look at all human behaviour, it can be traced back to the same drives: to conquer, to kill and to fuck, and these things are timeless and international.
How did the duet with Nicolai Dunger, ‘Golden Teeth and Silver Medals’, come about?
I have loved Nicolai’s singing since I first heard him, and this was a good opportunity to ask him to sing with me. We wrote his name into the song before we asked him, so it would have been sad if he had said no! I love collaborating with other artists, I really feel like I learn a lot by coming into other peoples’ creative worlds, and I have also made a lot of great friends this way!
Joan Wasser, aka Joan As Policewoman, is on the record too. How’d she get involved?
Joan is a really old good friend of Nathan – they went to the same rock clubs when they were teenagers. And she has always played the violin on our projects. She’s amazing and we love her.
You’ve said in other interviews that A Camp is now a proper band, rather than your side project. How does this affect The Cardigans? How will you juggle the two?
I don’t know how it affects The Cardigans, to be honest! Right now I’m focusing on A Camp, and I am terrible at telling the future…
When writing, how do you know what fits an A Camp song and what would be better suited to a Cardigans release?
I don’t really, except that each band means everything to me in the periods when I’m working with them, and the music I write for them come out differently when I work with the different people.
With the commercial and critical success of The Cardigans do you feel under any pressure to do likewise with A Camp?
No, quite the contrary! I feel like I’ve been really lucky to have experienced immense commercial success, so now I can do whatever I find important.
Okay, finally: any idea when there will be new Cardigans material?
Honestly, I have no idea!
‘Colonia’ is out now on Reveal. Find A Camp online HERE. See them live as follows…
April
28 Birmingham Glee Club
29 Dublin Academy
30 Belfast Spring & Airbrake
May
2 Glasgow ABC2
3 Leeds Cockpit
4 Manchester Academy 3
6 London Kings College