Sleeve Notes: 1987

Sleeve Notes is a series where we pick an artist and get them to make a themed mix. This week: 1987 brings you music that sounds the same way love’s (supposed to) feel like.

Noisey: Bring it on! What did you choose as a topic for this mix?
1987: Songs that sound the same way love feels.

That’s cute. So, what does love feel like?
I didn’t know until recently. I didn’t believe it existed for a long period of my life – I had given up all hope anyways. But then I fell in love. That was when I understood that it's truly impossible to explain love with words.

So these tracks are your way of trying to explain through music how love feels?
Yeah. I think it’s easier to describe love through music than through words. The feelings that I experienced – and still experience – when I fell in love are assuring me that I’m supposed to be with my girl forever. It’s like you’ve been separated from that very person before you were born and your mission is to find your way back to each other. And when you finally do, you find home. It’s awesome.

Have you ever been unhappily in love?
Yes a thousand times! Not that I have been in love a thousand times – I haven’t. But I have fallen for girls and I’m extremely bad at sensing vibes or feelings from other people, so the connection was never really there. Combine that with the fact that I am super shy and extremely frightened when it comes to women… Let’s just say it made me avoid relationships. You don’t want to be unhappily in love. It’s easier to not go down that road at all. Or at least that was my belief for a long time.

So how did you roll with girls when you were younger?
Well. I didn’t really know how to handle all that and I was, well, I guess really immature. If it wasn't for text messaging I don’t think I would have talked with any girl at all [laughs].

But now you are in love and married, how did you propose to your wife Rachel?
Well it all went pretty fast, we had been together for just over a month or something. Just before my proposal I talked to a family friend whose parents got married after seeing each other for five days, and they are still together to this day. So I just asked Rachel during a walk by the Thames. She said yes.

Was the story of the parents an inspiration?
Yeah! It was a nice sign that indicated that I wouldn’t be a complete lunatic to ask Rachel to marry me after a month only.

Tell me about the video you released a few weeks ago. Who made it?
"Bomb!" Well it was funny, it was a guy who initially contacted me through Twitter asking me about the release of “Ocean". His name is Ty Olson. That was the start of our relationship. I think it's amazing that we managed to get to know each other since I suck at the Twitter thing. I didn't know how to reply to him at first so I had to tweet to him in public. But then we started talking properly on Skype. We talked about art, movies, music, life and philosophy – everything basically. From what we had been talking about during those endless hours Ty concentrated everything down into a script, and the result is the video for “Bomb” that we filmed in Stockholm.

Do you miss Stockholm?
I miss friends and family but I have a complicated relationship to Stockholm.

Is London your home now?
Yes, totally. I mean we have the cosiest little flat here. We have our dog and there is plenty more work for me to do here than in Stockholm. The music industry is massive in London. I didn't want to move from Stockholm before I met Rachel but I didn’t have a reason to stay either. Home is where Rachel is. Home is wherever we would move, as long as we do it together.

Where does all the darkness in your songs come from?
Life is awful in so many ways, and I've had a rough time with many things in my life. When I do music I like to run through all the shitty things that have happened and write songs about it to like, kill the existence of them. You have to deal with stuff since life is really weird. I am a really dark and depressed person and quite a thinker so I have to get rid of the demons in my head to be able to focus on the amazing things in life.

What have you been doing during 2014?
I’ve been recording my next album alone here in our flat the entire year. I think I just got hit with cabin fever in a way. I’ve been at home with my dog making music 24/7. It’s been hard; it was a really stupid idea to do it at home [laughs]. I have been sitting here alone most of the time and haven’t spoken to many people outside of what has become my world, for the last year. I wont be doing it again.

Are you happy with your upcoming album?
It’s hard to say. I think I could probably work on it for the rest of my life. It feels like I have no idea what I am doing or what I have done. I think it sounds great, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be satisfied.

My final question is if you and Rachel have “a song”?
A song? Hm, yeah we do. The Strokes with “12:51”.

What’s the story?
I’ll keep that to myself.

I can see why. Well super nice talking to you Victor. Good luck with the album!
Thanks!

1987’s upcoming album will come out later this spring.

Soundcloud/thisis1987
Facebook/thisis1987

TRACKLIST
Led Zeppelin - "That's The Way"
Joni Mitchell - "Both Sides Now"
Primal Scream - "'m Comin' Down"
Arne Domnérus - "The Midnight Sun Never Sets"
Van Morrison - "Sweet Thing"
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - "In A Sentimental Mood"
America - "Ventura Highway"
Bill Evans - "Peace Piece"
Joy Division - "Atmosphere"

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