Part 2

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I follow things where they lead me … up to a point. I still like to keep the goal in sight and finish what I set out to do.

Sometimes I fail though.
 
Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

If I don't apply or try the ideas straight ahead (who knows sometimes it might work and enhance and better what you're doing at that moment) I try to keep that inspiration going and put it in a separate creative "box" saved in my head for later, going down that rabbit hole for the next project.

That push and pull of staying in the present while keeping the next thing on the backburner but still putting ideas in that "box" to pull out later is very much a delight I relish and a big attraction for me in keeping going with this.

You're never finished.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

With Peter Bjorn And John the process has indeed been infinite sometimes when everyone has to be happy with everything for band democracy's sake and also working with multiple producers on the same record.

That doesn't have to be a bad thing and splitting up a record between two producers might even be to its advantage as long as the artist or maybe the mixer holds it together. But maybe not 4 or 5 producers. At least I don't think it's for me.

But when I make records solo or for SunYears I try very much to keep it together around this vague idea I form in my head of the whole album and not stray too far from that. I don't finish writing or recording more songs than I need, maybe one or two at the most. I try to keep the finish line always in sight. I even often decide on the running order before I finish. Might seem stupid but for me it helps. Of course stuff gets shuffled around but not too much.

I hate when stuff gets delayed but sometimes it's out of my hands, like the studio or musicians might be booked. Or for the duets on this SunYears album I had to sometimes wait for them to be delivered or agreements settled.

But there's also other practical reasons. Studiotime is expensive, I don't engineer myself and I want to work with an engineer I know and trust as a sounding board and use real musicians live on the floor. So for that reason alone it has to be a relatively swift process when I do enter the studio.

For my own sanity's case I set up deadlines even though they only apply to myself. But it also helps for other people to get their bit done, like a mixing engineer. People like deadlines. It's sort of a definitive "carrot and whip"-strategy that seems to work for most of us.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practice?

When an album is say 90 % done I might leave the last bit of mixing hanging until the last minute … just because I can if there's not a label or manager demanding it tomorrow. It might help to clear the head not listening to it for a while and then go back and reevaluate if some levels need changing or even maybe something needs to be removed completely or changed in the arrangement.

It has happened that I even recut a vocal that late 'cause there are some details I'm unhappy with. But it's all about the small things then. Stuff I think honestly probably only I care about.

But it helps with sleeping at night ;)

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I get very involved. Maybe too involved. If I'm singing, writing, playing, I have a hard time not also producing. I always co-produce. Maybe all artists do to an extent. But I'm pretty hands on all the time.

For me it's part of the joy, keeping control. But it's also part of the anguish and I do hope that I'm at some point are ready to let go and relax more. It has happened on occasion but it was a while ago and right now I think I prefer the control.

But it also means that it ain't over 'til it's over. I'm very present at the mixing. The mixing sometimes changes things a whole lot. Sometimes not so much. But it does demand my attention and it's crucial that I have a mixer I know and trust who understands me.

Also the mastering. Same thing. It's all connected.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Totally relatable and the best way for me is to constantly work. Take the creativity and forward momentum you get from finishing a project and throw yourself straight into the next one. That way you're always on to the next thing. When you get that empty feeling you're already somewhere else years in the future. It helps.

Still it's hard to not feel empty when an album just dropped that you've worked hard on for years and poured your soul into. Then suddenly it's just out there in the vast pile of new music trying to get attention.Hopefully you get some pats on the back, some nice reviews or airplay, some gigs. Some evaluation.

But sometimes it's just empty without very much at all. And then you begin to question what you're doing. That's when I try to remind myself that no one is forcing me to do this. It's my own choice. And I always learn things along the way. I get better at it. At least to my own mind.

So I pursue it. And again being halfway into the next thing is the best help. Writing before the emptiness hits you. And when it does, if you're not gigging at least you got the mixes for the next project to worry about.