Chosen by Monk
My latest choice is a song whose title is something of a double-edged sword – recalling a rather traumatic ‘Birthday’ party but at the same time celebrating singer Elin Larsson’s journey into motherhood.
The song itself tells the tale of an incident that took place on tour in Mexico on the singer’s birthday. She invited the whole band and crew out to celebrate her birthday and things turned sour when a waiter decided to ruin her birthday.
I don’t know what the f**k this guy was thinking or doing, but he took liberties and crossed personal boundaries acting in a very disrespectful way, Elin told us.
When the band got home, they wrote the song:
It has some humour to it, states Elin The first verse is written from the perspective of the aggressor, but this is not a song to feel like a victim to; this is a shit-kicker of a tune with a f**k you attitude to get wild to.
Co-incidentally, as the band were writing and recording the album, Larsson was pregnant with her first child, something which added a new dynamic to the recording process, with the singer often feeling like she was gifted more energy and a new sense of freedom by her growing son inside her, as she laid the vocal tracks down. The other members of the band – guitarist Zack Anderson, drummer André Kvarnström and bassist Kristoffer Schander – explained:
With this album we truly let ourselves be free, leaving all the boundaries and expectations behind to write music we love. We wanted to capture the raw and authentic feeling from when we play live on an album yet pushing ourselves to create and write the best work we’ve ever done. Elin was pregnant during the recordings, and what isn’t more rock’n’roll than that? To create human life and music.
Majestically featuring her pregnant body front and centre in the accompanying photoshoots for the album, Larsson has naturally and unashamedly stepped into her power. Knee high arse-kicking boots at the ready, power stances levelled up, she and the band also see the album as emphasizing the band’s combined feminist stance on every aspect of everything they do:
I need to do this for myself and for other mothers, so they don’t abandon their own passions after becoming mums. It’s going to take time to combine the two worlds I love, but I can only think it will do my son Loui good to experience other cultures, countries and music. I really think it’s important that I can do this. To empower other women, and to meet this new state proudly and enjoy.
A lot of the years I’ve been taking shit for being a woman in rock n roll, Zack sees it all first hand and it gives a new perspective. For everyone in the band it’s a constant driver.
Zack Anderson emphasized his partner’s point:
We support each other. It’s always been, since the beginning 12 years ago, Zack & Elin. We’ve seen it all. The band and I are happy to stand behind Elin and call ourselves feminists too. This doesn’t seem controversial to us. It’s not a radical thought or a major statement. It’s just the right thing.
- ‘Birthday‘, the album, will be released on 2 August.