Daily Discovery: Tribe Friday Brings Swedish Rock Stateside With “Talk So Loud”

From the woods of Northern Sweden emerges an ensemble of 20-year-old rockstars banging out what has been described as, “Punchie Swedish Indie Pop.” The band is comprised of Noah Deutschmann (guitar/lead vox), Anton Hillvall (drums), Isak Gunnarsson (guitar), and Robin Hanberger Pérez (bass). Drawing influence from Indie-Rock, Post-Punk revival bands such as The Strokes, Velvet Underground, and Ramones, the breakout-group, Tribe Friday, continues on the path of the avant-garde. 

For this gang of young Swedes, New York City is a place visited only in movies and daydreams. When the group found out they would be playing at the Mercury Lounge this month on their first trip to the United States, their excitement could only be expressed sonically. The result is their vibrant lead single, “Talk So Loud” out everywhere today. 

“I wanted to write something that paid tribute to the sound of New York City while adding my own touch of Swedish teenage angst to it,” explained leader singer Noah Deutschmann. According to Deutschmann, this song about post-breakup apathy lands at about an “11 on the sad-chart.”

Speaking of the sad-chart, Deutschmann shared that his best songwriting is at its peak when he is working through emotional times. In the absence of gloom, Deutschmann seeks something tragic to think about to simulate a bad mood. He believes there should always be a touch of self-pity. 

“It’s a bit ironic, seeing as most of the stuff we’ve got out there is super bouncy and upbeat, but it’s true,” Deutschmann admitted. “On the flip side,” he continued, “I write the most excruciatingly sad songs when I’m really happy. Is that normal?”

“Talk So Loud” was recorded between the band’s living room and the studio in their hometown of Örebro, Sweden. Deutschmann produced and recorded the track himself. Admittedly, he became extremely particular, drawing out the production process. Previously Deutschmann had refrained from the introduction of quantizing (time-fixing) drums. This go-round, the band embraced this common-place practice, overturning his “old-school” beliefs surrounding music production.

“Anton is a fantastic drummer, so he wasn’t too happy about me spoiling his great performance and turning him into a robot. But, I think the rigidity of it really added to the final thing.”

Mixed by Magnus Pejlert, the track is a dynamic departure from the band’s previous work. The introduction of new elements elevates their sound within the bounds of their self-defined genre. The rigidity described above creates an edge that competes with the vulnerability of some of the lyrics. Emotions bounce between razor-sharp pop hooks. The tone is frantic, and the vibe is electric. 

“I’m super proud of the production on this thing, to be honest,” shared Deutschmann 

Tribe Friday’s lead singer most admires The Stroke’s songwriter, Julian Casablancas, for his talent with melody and Jordan Dreyer of La Dispute for his emotional storytelling abilities. At the moment, his favorite lyric line is, “Wake up, it’s Monday morning, and we’ve only got a thousand of ’em left” from “People” by The 1975. 

“The line sums up the amount of climate anxiety I feel over flying back to the US this month. I actually considered doing a Greta Thunberg and traveling by sea, but apparently, that takes over 2 weeks. Ended up just paying for CO2-compensation, instead.”

“Talk So Loud” is the first single from Tribe Friday’s upcoming EP, ‘Chasing Pictures,’ set for release in March.