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IsolatedYouth2019 03 byJakobEkbrant Interview with

William & Axel Mårdberg, Egon Westberg Larsson and Andreas Geidemark from ISOLATED YOUTH

Evenings of musical discoveries happen rarely, but right on target. That’s exactly what I can say about the Post-Punk band from Sweden, ISOLATED YOUTH, whose performance we saw in the framework of ICEAGE’s show in Kyiv, where the guys played as the opening act. ISOLATED YOUTH has existed for only two and a half years and consists of four members: brothers William & Axel Mårdberg, Egon Westberg Larsson and Andreas Geidemark. In February this year they released their debut, ‘Warfare’ EP, consisting of five songs. The band also managed to share the stage with LEBANON HANOVER and SHE PAST AWAY. And just the other day ISOLATED YOUTH has released the ‘Warfare’ music video directed by Jörgen Brennicke, the title track from the self-titled debut EP. We are really glad to show you this interview with these Swedish musicians.

< Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Hi guys, a couple of days ago you played a concert in Kyiv, being support for ICEAGE. And in hot pursuit I would like to know your impressions of the concert. Are you satisfied with your performance? Did you like the audience?
Egon: I really liked the concert. The sound was great on stage so I hope it was good for the audience as well. I’m satisfied with our performance. The audience was really responsive and I loved the energy in the room. I think they responded well.

IsolatedYouth2019 01 byJorgenBrennicke

RoD: Your first EP, ‘Warfare’, was released earlier this year. How long did the work on the album take? What is the main concept of the album?
William: ‘Warfare’ was recorded in only two days. However, the process before the actual recording was longer. The concept is a spiritual call to arms - and it circles around an attempt to keep your dear ones from harm.

RoD: Who writes lyrics and music in your band?
William: William and Axel write the music. Lyrics are written by William. Every song is then arranged by IY.

RoD: When did you start to make music professionally? Do you have a music education?
Axel: We’ve made music professionally for a year or two, and we have very little music education.

RoD: Do you have any other hobbies besides music? If I’m not mistaken, William is interested in painting? Have you already had exhibitions?
William: Yes, I have had three solo exhibitions so far and I have received one award for young artists. It is a demanding but important part of my life. And my work is a small part of a bigger jigsaw. The motifs are poured through the filter of my mind. And then they tell a slightly different story than you might see, at first glance.

RoD: How has your collaboration with William Maybelline (QUAL, LEBANON HANOVER) begun? Is he the producer of your band or is it just a friendly collaboration?
Axel: We played with LEBANON HANOVER and we became friends, and he wanted to make a remix of one of our songs. It is just a friendly collaboration.

IsolatedYouth2019 02 byJorgenBrennicke

RoD: You are from Sweden. Such genres as Post-Punk, and Coldwave are popular in your country? Or these genres apply to the underground?
Andreas: I wouldn’t say these genres are particularly popular in Sweden. Most bands that I know of are very underground at the moment.

RoD: What music / art inspire you personally to be creative?
Axel: Recently I have found the works of Jean Michel Basquiat to be very inspiring, I like how he balances chaos and beauty!

RoD: How often do you attend concerts of other artists? Can you name the most memorable concert in your life? Maybe your favourite band…
Egon: Personally I don’t go to concerts very often at all. Maybe two or three times a year. The most memorable concert I’ve been to would probably be when I saw the Swedish Post-Punk artist THÅSTRÖM in Stockholm a year ago. That concert had great energy. I am never going to be able to decide what my favourite band is but one of the bands I’ve listened to the most would be THE GUN CLUB. I think a lot of their early material is fantastic music.
Axel: I very rarely attend other band’s concerts because I’m nearly always playing my own. A memorable concert for me was hearing a choral piece by ARVO PÄRT set up by a choir in a church in Stockholm.

RoD: Are there a life motto that you follow?
William: “Your habits are what you ultimately become” … is my own saying that I’ve found truth in.

RoD: What are your creative plans for the near future? New singles, videos, concerts?
Andreas: We have recently recorded our next project in Athens where our label is stationed. We’ll be releasing new material fairly soon. We also have a new video coming up from our latest release ‘Warfare’. Right now we are preparing for more substantial touring in the near future.

IsolatedYouth warfare

Photo Credits: 1 & 2 - Jörgen Brennicke, 3 - Jakob Ekbrant
Russian version of the article: https://gothic.com.ua/index.php?news=4325&vote=5&aid=4325&Vote=Vote
The EP ‘Warfare’ is out now via Fabrika Records - https://fabrikarecords.bigcartel.com/product/isolated-youth-warfare
Info: www.isolatedyouth.com / www.facebook.com/isolatedyouth /www.instagram.com/jeuneisole /www.youtube.com/channel/UC36K7-or1OW_FKeHFfvRNvw

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