A PERVASIVE MELANCHOLY AND SCANDINAVIAN NOIR VIBE

From Malmo, Sweden, Black Light White Light was formed in 2009 by guitarist, singer and songwriter Martin Ejlertsen. The band started working on The Admirer in 2019, when Martin Ejlertsen, drummer Viktor Höber and pianist Pontus Örnstrand retired to Viktoria Studio in central Copenhagen, Denmark, where they recorded demos in close collaboration with the Danish musician, friend, and producer Christian Ki.

Building on a retro 60’s vibe with strumming acoustic guitars, grand piano, groovy bass lines, spacey synths and layers of choir backing vocals The Admirer certainly shows that the cosmic pop and neo-psychedelia, that the band has embraced, has developed further into modern chamber pop with ambiance of atmospheric indie rock. Today we are excited to feature this beautiful single and video ‘Epilepsy’, slightly reminiscent of early Tame Impala and even The Beatles.

The album was mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Kennie Takahashi (The Black Keys, Broken Bells) and mastered by the Danish engineer Casper Hesselager and Matt Colton (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Thom Yorke), and features strings by the Grammy-winning composer Davide Rossi (behind works by Coldplay, The Verve, and Goldfrapp).

Greatest inspirations or influences?

Over the years, numerous musical and literary works have had an influence on my music. Looking back and deciphering how much what has meant to where I am today is actually quite an impossible task. Musically, however, there is no doubt that The Beatles are the band that has had the greatest influence on my approach to songwriting and my perception of what music can be. Being able to work on making everything from small poplars to large orchestrated masterpieces and acidic psychedelic elements.

This goes into reality again in, for example, The Flaming Lips, which I believe is a modern version of The Beatles. They are innovative in their sound and approach to creating completely unique works, while perhaps being the wildest band to see and experience live. I am also a deeply into the work with melodies and harmonies in the vocals. It is something that repeats itself in many of the artists that I have really cultivated. This applies, for example, to Alice in Chains in the 90s, which has darkness and a melancholy and then the synchronous harmonies that really hit home.

The one and only Jeff Buckley has also had a special significance to me. His perfectionist yet playful approach to music is inspiring. Literature has also had a significant influence on my approach to writing texts and my text universe. If I have to make a few special points of impact, it probably applies in particular to Tom Wolfe's The Electric Cool Acidtest and Jack Kerouac's On The Road, which have a coincidence in the person gallery and both have the pivot point around people with an alternative lifestyle and approach to life.

Also Haruki Murakami's dreamy and often strange universe is deeply inspiring. I also get a lot from movies. This applies, for example, to David Lynch and his uniquely disturbing and mind-bending visual work. Or Michel Gondry's visual style and distinctive manipulation with time and place.

Tell us about the creative process in putting this album together.

The approach to making this album was really much the same as on the previous album Horizons. Here, me and the band found out for the first time what actually works for us in the studio. I've had a number of initial and loose ideas and sketches for songs - some a little more fleshed out than others. I took them into the studio and then we just played and experimented with idees until they initially became songs. This approach has typically set off a chain reaction to new ideas and songs. This is a somewhat more time-consuming process than taking 2-3 handfuls of fully written and well-rehearsed songs to the studio. But the approach is far more inspiring, and my clear impression is also that the final result is far more exciting.

You mention that this is your most " personal" album to date, in what sense? 

On this album, it's the first time I've written songs that are really based on my own life. Where previously I have been very open-minded and unspecific in my lyrics, so that the listener can set the scene and decide what the song is about, this time I have been very specific. A lot of things have happened in my life in recent years. My daughter has been diagnosed with Epilepsy and I have written a despairing love song about it. I have had a son and this inspiration and hope for life and the future has given birth to Beautiful Boy.

What does wellbeing mean to you?

Wellbeing is very subjective. To me it implies being healthy, happy and to love and being loved. Finding the right balance between these elements and keeping it constant is probably close to impossible. And by the way, when are we happy and healthy enough?

There may be shorter periods when everything is in total shambles. That must be the ultimate state of happiness. And then there can be periods in life when certain of these elements weigh more heavily and either pull you down or lift you up. It's a struggle to get the balance right. And I also experience that struggle.

Anything else you would like to share with us?

First of all, we have some concerts in Scandinavia lined up for the autumn together with Badlands, who come from Malmö like us. She is an exciting upcoming artist and I think it will be a good experience for both us and the audience. We've also been playing around with some new ideas and material in the rehearsal room, so maybe we'll find a studio and record a few new songs in the near future as well. So, let's see where it takes us.

Photo credit Jannick Boerlum

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