A Voice from a Distant Land: Interview with Stranded Mermaid

Read it in spanish here!

You’re wandering in the middle of the woods, with Mother Nature overrunning all your senses. You can feel the sun delicately warming your skin, the wind stirring your hair. In the air the taste of earth and trees, and the smell of a storm that’s about to arrive.

Suddenly, a whispering voice, floating, tempting. It’s calling you from everywhere: the rocks covered in moss and the nearby river, the flying clouds and even from the smallest, falling leaf. It talks about bloodsheds, fires from the underworld, spoiled bees, unforgettable chases, and chatting ghosts.

It’s a voice from a distant land, inviting you to its territory. All you can do is to follow its lead and dance to its beat.

I’m not sure when or how I discovered them. It could have been a magical encounter, predestined, or just a simple casualty of life —is it just me or are those the best discoveries? I do know one thing: it was many years ago, and I keep listening to their stories every time I need to visit a world full of modern myths. I keep coming back to Stranded Mermaid.

The swedish band was founded by its lead singer, Louise Lindenger, while she was still at university. She started it with musicians Håkan Persson and Peter Turesson, and throughout the years, new members arrived while others followed their own path. Stranded Mermaid is currently integrated by Louise, Håkan, Gustav Magnusson, Jacob Larsson and Victor Lange. Their sound is an example of contemporary folk stories. Believe me: their notes travel beyond the realm of cotidianity and come back with words destined to be listened to under the stars and around the bonfire. But, flattery aside, what if I let them tell us more about their peculiar musical universe?

LSM, FA: “Stranded Mermaid”, such an evocative pair of words. What’s the story behind your band’s name?

STRANDED MERMAID: When we started the process of writing music for Stranded Mermaid, we had this idea of the project being both a band and a comic with a superhero theme about a stranded mermaid saving rock music from extinction. Later on the project changed and into something else, but you can still see the early vision in this music video.

LSM, FA: How did you discover that music was the best way to express what’s inside you?

SM: Guess it’s the way music and sounds surround you when you listen to it. It’s also such an unlimited way of expressing yourself. All the instruments, sounds, ways of expressing your emotions.

LSM, FA: Your songs are like fairy tales from a different time and a distant land. How’s your creative process to achieve that kind of sound and lyrics?

SM: Wow! That’s quite a review. Thank you so much!

We are very inspired by cinematic music and soundscapes. We always search for a certain nerve or feeling when we work with a song. We produce all the songs on our own to be able to maintain control over that process.

LSM, FA: To you, what’s the best part of creating music?

SM: Being able to shut out the world and be inspired and creative in the moment. To create beautiful things from nothing and see your ideas coming to life.

LSM, FA: From all of your songs, which is your favorite? Why?

SM: “My last summer on earth” released back in 2014. It was made in one or two takes and was partly improvised. We really feel like we captured something simple, yet so magic and mysterious. Just love how the sound and mix turned out as well.

LSM, FA: Is there any story about the band that you could tell me? Something that has marked or changed you.

SM: Releasing “In the jaws of the wolf” was a golden moment. We had just found our unique sound and got a lot of good attention through that song. It was an important moment for the job we’d done so far. People started writing to us and we gained our first fanbase.

LSM, FA: What would you advise to any person who would like to start in the world of music?

SM: That it’s not only hard, it’s super hard and you really have to keep continuing to just make songs and find inspiration even when it’s difficult. We have several bands and projects with different sounds. We also run a studio and a label. This keeps us going and gives us inspiration for the entire creative process. Also keep the paperwork in order and make sure to do the “boring stuff” as well. You have to work 360 to get the music out there.

LSM, FA: What’s the next step for Stranded Mermaid?

SM: Finishing up some songs we work with and continue releasing our gems.

What do you think? Below you will find a playlist with my favorite Stranded Mermaid songs in case you want to visit their land right away. And if you want to, you can follow them on social media to discover their latest releases: Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

I’d like to thank Håkan and Louise for taking the time to answer my questions. Thank you, guys. Keep on traveling your mystical paths!