Blues Pills are back with their third studio album ‘Holy Moly!’ and it could very well be the best yet. Released on August 21 through Nuclear Blast, ‘Holy Moly!’ is a collection of eleven songs that will tease and tear at your emotions as well as drag you in to the bands roots & inspirations of yesteryear. A line-up change has seen former bass player Zack Anderson shift his attention (and talents) to lead guitar, as once again he and vocalist Elin Larsson (vocals) have combined to write songs that pull at your heart strings, make your hairs stand up on the back of your neck or just make you want to rock out and shake all you’ve got. Drummer André Kvarnström continues to keep the band in rhythmic check but he is now joined by Kristoffer Schander on bass guitar to complete the latest line up of the Swedish rockers.
With the album recorded using analog equipment at their own factory studio based in Närke, the band have captured the essence of their sound perfectly and with the added involvement of Grammy award winner Andrew Scheps behind the mixing desk, it’s easy to see just how the band have lifted to yet another level. With delays to the release earlier in the year due to the pandemic, Blues Pills can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. The Rockpit managed to grab some phone time with Zack Anderson to discuss the way the album was created, just how important the chemistry within the band is and the influences the late Peter Green instilled into Blues Pills from the start…
Sean: Hi Zack, it’s Sean from The Rockpit over in Perth, Australia. How are you?
Zack: I’m good. How are you doing?
Sean: I’m great thanks. I’ve got to start by saying congratulations on the album because I have had ‘Holy Moly!’ on for the last few days and it’s fantastic.
Zack: That’s awesome. Thank you.
Sean: Eleven amazing tracks and every listen highlights a different song for me. How did you begin putting this collection of tracks together?
Zack: Basically, we made the album by ourselves and recorded it by ourselves, as well. We have our own studio in Sweden, and we started out by getting together in the studio just to make demos but we never could have known that it was going to become the final album when we first started. As we started putting the demos together, we realized it was starting to sound pretty good, so we decided to take it one step further and then we started to see the final album slowly evolve from that.
Sean: The studio you refer to is called Lindbacka Sounds, which is an old factory in the rural area of Närke, I believe?
Zack: Exactly. Basically, I guess I was the sound engineer on the album, and we have a couple of friends who are a little bit like me also, one of which is named Martin who is a sound engineer too. Then there was also the bass player from The Hives (Johan Gustafsson) who is also a sound engineer as well so he was there some days too. Sometimes we drafted some extra friends in just to get some extra ears in the studio, but I guess ninety percent of it was just totally our own.
Sean: Plenty of input. There’s been some changes within the band also since the last studio album. I see you’ve moved across from bass guitar to lead guitar. That’s quite a change from being more of the rythmn section of the band to taking on the lead role. How did that feel?
Zack: When we had the line-up change, it wasn’t immediately decided that I would take over playing the guitar but then because of the fact that me and Elin had been the songwriters since we formed the band and that we were going into the new album already beginning to write songs like we always had done, I felt that as I was already writing the songs and playing the guitar on the demos anyway. So, we decided to continue in this direction and make our lives easier rather than search down another guitar player. It was also made easier by the fact that we already knew Kristoffer (Schander) as a friend years before so it was very easy to bring him in on the bass. It’s more than just finding a guitar player… it’s about finding someone you get along with and also where they live. We had to factor in all these things so it just sort of made sense, I guess.
Sean: From the way you described how you recorded the album, it seems a very relaxed atmosphere in and around the studio, especially with friends coming in to have a listen while you are demo-ing and also with that bond you all have as band members. If I had to pick one song that hits me every single time it would have to be ‘California’. That guitar solo near the end and Elin’s vocals are just incredible.
Zack: Thank you.
Sean: I’m a huge fan of heavy rock but it’s the slower tracks on this album that really bowl me over with their rawness and emotion – tracks like ‘Dust’ and ‘Song From a Mourning Dove’ are just so powerful, Zack.
Zack: [laughs] That’s great to hear. There is quite a wide variety of songs and there are quite a few people who like those slower songs but others like the heavier songs, so I think it has something for everyone.
Sean: The two singles that have already been released ‘Low Road’ and ‘Kiss My Past Goodbye’ are obviously more rock orientated and punchy, which I loved too. You also managed to get to work with Andrew Scheps who has been involved with some incredible artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers & Rival Sons. How did that come about?
Zack: Yes, he mixed the album. It was like a dream come true for us and totally unexpected because we didn’t really know who was going to mix the album up until the very last second. The album was practically done, and we really didn’t know who was going to mix it. Our manager contacted Andrew early on to see if he could do it, but we never heard back, which is what you expect with a big name like that. So, we didn’t hear anything back for a really long time and then suddenly at the last second when we were all getting stressed about who was going to mix it, all of a sudden he actually wrote back and said he liked the music and he wanted to do it.
Sean: And now you can put your names alongside some of those wonderful artists that Andrew has worked with because this album will sit alongside some of those artists quite comfortably, especially bands like Rival Sons & the Chili’s.
Zack: Thank you.
Sean: With what’s going on in the world right now I do try to avoid the dreaded ‘C’ word in my interviews because it seems to get mentioned all the time of late, but it sadly caused a few delays in the release of ‘Holy Moly!’. Final there is light at the end of the tunnel with the release of the album on August 21 but how is it going over in Sweden now and what are the next steps for you guys?
Zack: It feels like we are a bit lost at times and that no one really knows what’s going on but the next step is really that we don’t know when we will be able to tour again so what we do now is to try to be as productive as we can and to try to promote the album in whatever ways we can through social media and try to do some live streams and things like that. We are working on maybe a couple more music videos, so we have something to give to the fans now while it is impossible to tour. So, we will try to do a bit extra through the internet, I guess.
Sean: It’s funny because when live streaming first became the only option to watch live music, it all felt a little weird but it’s kind of become the ‘new norm’ now especially as it gives the viewer a chance to interact with the artist with Q & A type shows as well as more stripped back acoustic type events too.
Zack: Yes, for sure. It has made artists have to look at things a bit differently.
Sean: I look forward to seeing you guys online. I just wanted to ask you a couple of my more general questions if I may. What was the last album you listened to Zack?
Zack: What was it? It was probably something modern… Let me think.
Sean: I find it always interesting to ask because many people tend to listen to playlist now rather than full albums.
Zack: One album that I listened to quite recently, and it’s pretty random with not much connection to Blues Pills, is Orville Peck, who is like a country artist but with quite a modern weird twist to him. He’s like wearing a mask and stuff. It’s got an old school country vibe with like a modern touch to it – it’s pretty interesting.
Sean: I’ll check him out – someone new to listen to. If you could have three guests from the music world, dead or alive, to come join you for dinner for a couple of hours, who would you invite to the table?
Zack: Interesting question. I have to say Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac because when we started the band, he was our main inspiration. I think if you listen to the first Blues Pills album it is pretty obvious. He’s always been one of my main hero’s.
Sean: Such a sad loss with him passing just recently.
Zack: Yes, it was a sad day. I guess it’s hard not to say Jimi Hendrix even if it’s just a cliched choice.
Sean: He gets a lot of free meals at the Rockpit Restaurant funnily enough because he is a popular answer but if he is an important person to have at the table then he rightly deserves to be there.
Zack: [laughs] Yes, for sure. Maybe one more and right now I’m just thinking about guitar players, so I guess Duane Allman would be there as he is my other great guitar hero.
Sean: A new name to sit with Jimi. A great table of iconic but sadly deceased guitar players. Final question Zack, if you could be credited with writing any song every written, what song would you choose?
Zack: [laughs] The song that I wish I had written? I think the first thing that comes to mind is coming back to Peter Green… something like ‘Black Magic Woman’ or ‘The Green Manalishi’ or something like that. That was my very first reaction to that question.
Sean: A wonderfully fitting answer to wrap up with Zack and a new addition to my playlist for that question too. It’s been great to talk to you and we wish you all the best with ‘Holy Moly!’. Please send our best wishes to Elin & the guys as well. It’s so great to hear another band introducing more incredible music to the world. Bands like yourselves, DeWolff, The Vintage Caravan & Rival Sons still produce this fantastic new sound while picking up those classic tones & vibes from the sixties & seventies that I love, so thank you. And its great when kids of today are listening to bands like Blues Pills but then go back to revisit where your influences come from, which in turn keeps those iconic eras very much alive.
Zack: For sure. It’s about keeping that flame alive.
Sean: It sure is. Thanks again Zack.
Zack: Thank you and take care.
