Introducing #136 - Rebecka Reinhard
Let us introduce you to Swedish dream gaze artist Rebecka Reinhard, who has released her latest single ‘Whale’ via Crowds and Power. The track is the first tease of her upcoming EP of the same name, Rebecca took a moment to talk to us about her musical journey of living in Paris and London, plus how the track came together.
So, you are originally from Sweden, which part are you from and what is it famous for?
I’m from a suburb to Stockholm called Vallentuna where the county slogan is “every tenth citizen is a horse”. It’s not really known for much else. I’d say it’s a neat place to grow up but as soon as you hit adolescence - if knives, drugs and/or (obvs) horses isn’t one of your main hobbies you’re bound to get bored.
Your track ‘Whale’ is out now, can you tel us what it is about?
Whale is an emotional jumble of disappointment, cynicism and self-doubt from the perspective of a hopeless romantic who's clutching at straws.
It is the title track to your EP, how is that coming along? Does the name have a bigger meaning?
The EP is coming along nicely, it’s gonna be a pretty diverse set of songs. I had a good bunch to choose from and I wanted to show a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The name doesn't have a bigger meaning no, but I guess there's always room for interpretation. I read things into stuff all the time, always looking for signs and patterns, connecting the dots. There's probably a bigger meaning to the title even if I might not be the person to decipher it.
Who are your key musical influences when it comes to your sound?
I've realised that a lot of stuff I listened to as a teenager manifests itself in my current songwriting and producing; The Smashing Pumpkins and Swedish indie pop bands such as Bob Hund and The Bear Quartet. Artists that influence me now are people like Angel Olsen, Mitski, Courtney Barnett, Cate le Bon and Snail Mail. And then there are bands and songwriters that I listen to endlessly who inspire me loads even if my own music doesn't sound anything like them - Deerhoof and Owen Pallett to mention a couple.
You went on a personal and musical journey of discovery before you made the EP - leaving your native Stockholm to live in Paris before relocating to London. How did that journey come about and what did you gain from that experience?
I really wanted to learn French, it felt like it was my mother tongue even though I didn't understand a thing. I had never even been to Paris before moving there, not knowing a single person, but I hated Stockholm so much that I just couldn't wait to get the hell out. Paris was great for live music, I went to gigs all the time, sometimes by myself as most of my new friends were more into fashion than music. I wrote a lot of songs during that time and started doing my first solo performances but after a while I was fed up with the harsh Parisian reality of being catcalled every day of the week and working for minimum wage at American Apparel. So I moved back to Sweden but tried Gothenburg this time. It was small, safe and cosy in comparison and my liver got a well needed respite. I kept writing songs but it felt like they outgrew me somehow. Me and my guitar were no longer enough to do them justice and I desperately longed to form a band. But I had to leave for London before finally making that happen. I think suddenly being surrounded by so many creatives all going about doing their thing and being unapologetic about it was crucial inspiration to me at that point. It made it seem so natural and easy to do whatever I wanted and identify as an artist in a way I hadn't before. Collaborations came about seemingly effortlessly with genuinely enthusiastic and kind musicians that I just sort of stumbled upon. Even if everyone works ALL of the time in London they're all up for actually doing stuff - joining bands, recording EP's in their bedroom, going to gigs and so on. It made me think less about how, when and if I could do all the things I've always wanted to as a musician - I just went ahead and did it.