#joel borg

– What have you guys been up to since the ‘Modern Hex’ era? – That really depends on how we should define when the ‘Modern Hex’ era begins and ends. We started working on new material almost as soon as the old LP was released in January of 2010, and that continued until May or June of 2012. We’ve also played live a lot, most recently in Germany, Belgium and Holland. Last time we played in Sweden was sometime in November 2011, so we’ve been quite busy nonetheless.

– When comparing your debut EP and album they feel almost like their from two entirely different bands. Can we expect some changes like that on the new album as well? – Well, it’s still some sort of hard rock music that we’re doing, but sure, it’s different from the previous two releases. The new album is somewhat darker both musically and lyrically.

– Is “hard rock music” the label you use to describe what kind of genre you’re in? – That really doesn’t matter to me that much. If somebody asks I usually just say it’s some kind of punk music, but our aim is playing march music in the future. Perhaps it’s ultimately up to you writers out there to really figure out what we do.

– Speaking of writers, the reviews for the previous album were pretty positive but at the same time it felt like a lot of people totally missed out on you? – First of all, P.Trash was not the right record label for us, and I haven’t actually seen that much reviews of the previous album so I don’t know how they worked with that part of the promotion. The label is still quite cool but not for what we do. Also, perhaps the cover design didn’t attract nihilists to buy the album, but in the end I think we should’ve played more live so that people could hear the real We Live In Trenches. Oh, and then we have the entire networking thing. We really suck at that, but I don’t think I have any deeper analysis than this.

– How come you’re releasing your album through La Familia Releases and Farsot? – As I mentioned before, we should come out and play live more. Especially in other countries than Sweden for people to hear us. I think it’s the only possibility for record labels to find the bands they’re interested in today. Of course it’s also about having some luck as well. The people behind Farsot and La Familia are people we know since before. You mentioned starting a record label when I spoke to you about our new songs at some show we both attended. You also said you’d release anything with us without a doubt, and I thought you were merely kidding, but I didn’t forget about it and here we are now.

– Robert has known Stachel from La Familia for a long time and we also met him at Truckstop Alaska when Victims played there a couple of years ago. He mentioned he’d been trying to get his hands on a copy of ‘Modern Hex’ in Germany but hadn’t found it, which seemed odd since P.Trash is a German record label. We asked him if he’d be interested in releasing our upcoming material, and he said yes. He only releases bands of which he has some kind of friendly relation with, hence the name La Familia.

– A lot has happened since ‘Modern Hex’, a member replacement for example. Where did Anna go and is Johan managing to fill her shoes? – Anna moved to Skåne some years ago. She quit the band because she had too much to do with her hair salon, and that was a very sad loss for us. She also became allergic to some kind of hair coloring cosmetic which damaged her voice, and as if that wasn’t enough she also had problems with one of her wrists. In other words, she decided to quit the band because the stress was too much to handle when having a hair salon and at the same time having to deal with three grumpy geezers nagging about rehearsals and gigs. I probably missed a couple of important details now,  but she has a new band called Night Minutes now, though I don’t think they are that active at the moment.

– Johan’s probably the most musically talented of us all if you ask me, and quickly filled the position as our bass player. He’s also a very social person and that’s a goo thing when hanging out in minibuses or in small rehearsal spaces.

– Has Johan contributed to anything concretely when it comes to your sound? – Both yes and no. He fits great with his bass playing and back-up vocals. Together with our drummer David he forms a very sturdy rhythm section. He’s, as everyone else, part of the arrangement of songs but not directly regarding any change song-wise. Maybe in the future.

– ‘Modern Hex’ was a relatively dark album and you can sort of guess that the direction of the upcoming album since it’s titled ‘Life Crisis’. What are the thoughts behind the title and music all in all? – The soundscape has definitely become darker and darker. There’s a lot of shit happening around the world and that affects us both as a band and as musicians. Still, we have to point out that we do not sound like we do as a result of what happens in the world.

– I’m of the opinion that it’s hard to write about sunshine and ice cream, lyrically, when I’m putting down words to the songs. I’m interested in politics and shake my head at the things happening, to later give my point of view in the lyrics. I read a lot and have stolen some things that have ended up in my lyrics. The title ‘Life Crisis’ is about when all the shit hits the fan, when there’s no safety net to keep you safe and when you hit rock bottom only to realize it’s also full of holes. I’m not in that position myself, but I have friends that are there, and I’ve realize I can’t help them and that I’m not enough. It’s unreal.

– You played together with the canadian band Metz at Pustervik yesterday, and you’re doing it again this Friday in Malmö. How did you get booked for these shows? – It was Joel Borg who contacted us regarding the shows, asking if we’d like to play with Metz. I think he thought that we’d fit well together with them. I was just about to buy myself a ticket to the show but I let it linger for a while, and a couple of hours later we got asked to play. So because of that I guess What We Do Is Secret is missing out on some ticket sales. I’m really stoked about playing together with Metz, and our new EP “Out of the Dark” will be sold at the shows even though we don’t have any official release date for it.

– It’s great that the EP was ready in time for the shows, but what will happen when the album comes out? Any plans on touring and will you tour outside of the Swedish borders? – The plan is to get out and play as much as it’s possible. Hopefully the album will be out so that people who are in the right mindset to appreciate it will be able to get their hands on it.