Name: The Mary Onettes
Nationality: Swedish
Members: Henrik Ekström, Petter Agurén, Philip Ekström, Simon Fransson
Interviewee: Philip Ekström
Current Release: The Mary Onettes's new album Sworn is out via Welfare Sounds. For physical copies, go directly to the label's store page.

If you enjoyed this The Mary Onettes interview and would like to stay up to date with the band and their music, visit them on Instagram, Facebook, and bandcamp. 



When it comes to experiencing strong emotions as as a listener, which albums, performances, and artists come to mind?

There are so many. But someone that has been very important to me lately is Joni Mitchell. Her lyrics and way to express really gets to me strong.

To me she is a master when it comes to asking the big questions. The way she sing about love, honesty, how she debates capitalism and toxic leadership in her songs is just so strong!  

There can be many different kinds of emotions in art – soft, harsh, healing, aggressive, uplifting and many more. Which do you tend to feel drawn to most?

I would say the feeling of melancholy is what I'm drawn to the most. That beautiful landscape of sadness and hope. But also when we are doing our instrumental songs there is a feeling of relief and healing added.

A good example of that is the song “Palace” from the What I Feel In Some Places release.



My instrumental tracks (some of them end up on The Mary Onettes releases) always had that purpose of healing for me and works very much as a therapy.

Leaving out vocals and words can sometimes make a stronger feeling of honesty and raw emotion.

For Sworn, what kind of emotions were you looking to get across?

Early on we discussed we wanted to have a strong feeling of honesty through the process. And we wanted to make that obvious in the songwriting and production. This is really something that’s been a key through all of our records. But this time we wanted to be even more isolated with that feeling.

Also I think we wanted SWORN to represent the honesty and love we still have within the band. The fact that we are still together after all these years and still can relate to the fundamental feeling that we created in the beginning.

There is a success in that and hopefully we can radiate that with this record and also in our live shows.

How do you capture the emotions you want to get across in the studio?

Mainly I'm looking for a sound or instrument that represents the emotion that I have at the time. And it’s mostly a pretty sad feeling combined with what I want the song to represent.

Always felt that those melancholic emotions ever since I was a kid. It’s such a big part of me and it’s been the source for my output ever since.

So I'm always on the hunt for a new sad-sound in the studio. :)

What role do factors like volume, effects like distortion, amplification, and production in general for in terms of creating the emotions, energies or impressions you want?

A big part. Because when you are searching for that specific sound that represents your inside, it involves a lot of technical stuff to get there. It’s a time-consuming process and often involves a lot of effects and pedals, reverbs etc.

It’s a fun process and I would say it’s a very important process when making our records. Almost as important as putting words to the music. I'm especially interested in synths and keyboards that have a bit of a skewed or imperfect sound. It enhances my melancholic vibe and I can connect the sound with my inner world.

You can hear this particularly strongly in the record Portico from 2014. I wanted to create something that almost was swaying forward, like something natural and organic. Almost like a wave. I acknowledges that I probably took it a bit far though :)



For example “Silence Is A Gun.” I experimented with tape and It all got skewed and pitched up. But It was fun.

In terms of emotions, what changes when you're performing live on stage, with an audience present, compared to the recording stage?

For us there are a lot of things that are changing. We become a totally different and very much vivid group when we’re on stage. And we are very sensitive to environments and circumstances which always brings the feeling that anything can happen.

It’s both very exciting and scary :)

What kind of feedback have you received from listeners or concert audiences in terms of the experience that your music and/or performances have had on them?

We have always heard from people that we are a different band live. But it’s the whole point for us.

I’m the one spending most of the time alone in the studio, tweaking and putting out layers etc. Creating our sound like that in the studio is of course important and crucial but when we gather in the rehearsal space, there is a whole different vibe. We a are much more in the moment and it’s a vibrant and organic process.

I think what people hear live is that nerve we have between us and it’s quite special! It’s a nice contrast which also reconnect us with the energy we had when we started the band.

The emotions that music is able to generate can be extremely powerful. How, do you think, can artists make use of this power to bring about change in the world?

100 %. Who would we be if we didn’t express and experienced the arts? For me it was seeing others making art that fueled me to get out there and make my own.

I think I’ve always had lots of art in me. It’s very existential for me. To find that output. Everyone has that ability to find an artistic output. Seeing my favorite artist on a stage as a kid completely changed my path forward and if I can transfer that to someone else, it feels very beautiful. It feels like I’ve made a huge difference.

I am worried, though, that we are loosing the ability to see the arts in these difficult times. I wish there was an easy way to change that path. To create more. Spend less time on hating. There are infinite ways for us to change timelines. Everyday. In every moment we can choose art and that’s so exciting.

I wish more people could find that path.