ChitChat - With Björn Strid from THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA
INTERVIEW BY: BEN LAMB
Listen to the interview below!
Today we're here to chat about your awesome new album, Aeromantic II, which I know was made in lockdown, what was that like for your all? And how did you cope with everything going on, I know your tour got cut short.
Yeah, I mean, it's been an interesting one and a half year for sure. And I mean, basically, like, like you said, Our tour got cut short. And it was after 10 days in to the tour. And that was a big anticlimax. And no, we really, you know, we're trying to do because he was coming home, and we were so excited building up so much for to release that album, which we were really proud of, you know, and we're really excited about to take it on the road. And then that doesn't happen. I mean, a lot of other bands were in the same situation. So it was not only us, obviously, it was tough. And we tried to stay within our bubble. I mean, we all got Corona coming home from the tour. And yeah, I mean, we did fairly well, nothing, you know, Major, nobody had to go to the hospital or anything like that. But still, you know, it's kind of scary. But once we got, well, we took the test, see if we had antibodies, and then we we booked some studio time and tried to stay within our bubble, you know, and, but it was, you know, at the same time, we felt that, I mean, we're not done with Aeromantic I, you know, but at the same time, it's like, let's write some new music, because that's all we can do right now. And, and that's soon led up to, you know, shaping up to be an album. And then it's like, well, you know, we're not done with Aeromantic I, but then we have this other album, so we might as well called Aeromantic II so that, once everything opens up, we can we can bring both of the albums on the road, you know, so there was no plan behind it. I don't think that would have been Aeromantic II if Corona didn't happen, you know, so though, there was no master plan behind it, or anything like that. So yeah. But it's been an interesting one and a half year. I mean, I we've been recording a lot of music and obviously I've been doing stuff with Soilwork, too. So I've definitely been staying staying busy and not I don't know, of course, I've been watching the news, but it's like, it gets really depressing, doesn't it? You know, it's it's tough. So I've done what I'm the best at and that's like, you know, I know, writing music and being doing a lot of singing, singing as well and keeping the pipes warm. So that's been good.
Comparing something like The New Flight Orchestra to Soilwork. It’s clearly a different vibe - does it feel different for you? Are you still able to get sort of a catharsis and your emotions out? When you're making music making like Aeromantic II when things weren't looking good? Was it hard to create this happy feeling and feel good music?
Um, yeah, cuz that was pretty much all we got, you know, and, of course, there's like, things are just falling apart and outside, you know, outside of studios, we kind of that that was our little temple, you know? And so, maybe at times, it was hard, but at the same time, you know, I'm so emotionally connected to what I do with his with his band, you know, and it's, it's very sort of Can I say, my life like, picture generating, you know, it's generating a lot of pictures in your mind. It's very, like cinematic, you know, and it's very, has like a soundtrack fields. You know, and that's what we do work a lot with, you know, to sort of, I think it comes, comes out pretty natural. And somehow it's always easy to connect no matter what, what what's going on in your life, you know, or what, what's going on in the world. And I think that's, that's a beautiful thing that you can actually escape there, you know, and I'm, of course, I'm also connected to the real world. So it's not like I'm ignoring it. But it's like, that's, that's my, that's my place where I can go when things get too much. And I'm always able to connect emotionally through writing that kind of music, you know, and that happens with Soilwork. To him that's sort of like a darker sort of as a darker vibe, and more sort of melancholic feel to it.
Yeah, and what about on the live stage? Is it the same kind of emotional connection you get with this music? Or do you kind of get something different about playing The Night Flight Orchestra music live versus Soilwork?
Yeah. Well, of course, I mean, it gets, I definitely connect emotionally live as well. But there, it's also sort of putting on a rock show. And it's more like a party vibe, I would say with the night flight orchestra and and I love performing these songs live, it's, it's, it's, there's something really special about it. And obviously, I had a little bit of a persona would sort of, you know, the suits and the brace and sunglasses and isn't that the so it's a, it's a special vibe. And, and with soil working, I've had soil work for for such a long time, you know, since 97, it's it's also something you connect to emotionally but it's it's different musical expressions, it's different emotions to I think, and and I feel that, you know, I have these two bands, I mean, I have other stuff going on as well. But it's like, I have done I kind of wanna which I play guitar in together with my girlfriend as well. And that's cool, you know, playing guitar for a change, but it's like, as far as vocal skill. These are my two main bands. And I feel like I have the best of both worlds. And I have, I can express just but all my feelings through these two bands, you know, and I think they represent me as a person in a pretty good way.
Yeah, and then all of you in the Night Flight orchestra are obviously super talented. And because you're also well versed and experience in the music industry, where do you pull influences from? Do you go back to the old school rock bands? Or do you kind of look into more modern things that are coming out?
We're really all over the place. I think it's it's very hard to say, I mean, obviously, you can, you can definitely throw a lot of references from late 70s and early 80s. You know, there's some ABBA, you know, there's, yeah, yeah, there's, there's, of course, the typical American radio rock, you know, there's foreigner, and there's, you know, journey and as Boston and but there's also a little bit of Steely Dan at times. And there's, nowadays, it's, it's also, there's also a lot of sort of 80s pop, there's a Duran Duran, you can definitely hear in our sound as well. And there's also a 90s indie pop that, you know, was pretty, you know, both me and David were really into in the 90s, you know, Swedish in the past, you know, and Britpop as well as I mean, there's, I don't know, it's really all over the place. But I think we managed to channel all all of our influences into something really interesting and found our own sort of trademark, you know, it took some time. And, but I think we have a very personal sound. In the end, you know, it's something that it's very nostalgic, obviously, but it's also something that's very refreshing. And I've got that kind of response from a lot of people. It's like, wow, it's like, it's almost like bringing you back to tomorrow, somebody expressed. And I guess that's sort of, you know, describes that pretty good, pretty good way.
Yeah. And then in terms of the whole, like, songwriting process, and this is you've also got the new keyboard player, john. So with that in kind of the dynamic in the group, what's the kind of songwriting process like? Do you work on a separate song, bring it together? Or does it stay collaborative?
Well, we usually, you know, write the song separately, and then we bring it to the studio, but it's really in the studio, where everything is coming together, you know, some songs may change completely from from the demo, you know, and it's a very, you know, it's, it's very creative. It's a very creative band, and, you know, there's a lot of knowledge and good players, you know, and so it's really interesting to see when you have this like sort of skeleton of a demo, when you take it to the studio and how you sort of watch it sort of all come together. It's It's amazing. thing it's like, really, really exciting. And, you know, I just love being in the studio with this band too. You know, it's it's very special, but we write songs separately. You know, it's main, I would say David writes, maybe 60 70%. And me and Sebastian writes the rest, basically. And so it's, but we write separately and then and then bring it to the studio. That's, you know, that's that's where that's where all the magic happens, I guess. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. And then kind of a looking now the things across the world are sort of looking a little better. Are you looking to to this album, or, like, get onto some festival somewhere or something?
Yeah, I mean, we have some stuff planned. But I mean, I don't know. It's, it's like you don't dare to to, you know, keep your hopes up anymore. Because it's, I don't know how many times we've been postponing tours and gigs. And it's the same for everyone, you know, the scene. So but maybes, you know, we'll be able to do something in the spring, you know, or beginning of next year. There's some shows booked this this fall as well, but I don't know, I doubt they're gonna happen. I really don't know. Because you now you see a bunch of other countries in Europe that are planning to have a lockdown in the fall as well. So I, man, it's tough.
It must be super hard to plan for you all, because you just don't know what can happen tomorrow.
Yeah, I mean, I think that's the worst part. You know, it's the uncertainty. You know, it's that's what kills you. And, but I mean, we would love to go everywhere with this album, or these two albums, I would say, you know, and would love to come to Australia as well, though, would have been amazing.
Yeah, that’d be awesome. One day, hopefully soon! And then kind of to finish up, what do you want listeners to get out of this album, any particular message or any, any emotions?
W it has, you know, it's, we started this band, to create create a soundtrack of being in motion. You know, and, and I believe that we have managed to do that. And I think this new album has even more of that feeling. You know, and if you're, if you're not in motion, it will put you in motion when you listen to it, you know, and it also when you sort of, listen to it, it feels like a little bit like you're in a movie because it has that sort of soundtrack field to it now and super melodic and very detailed. So but there's definitely a lot of different emotions running through this album. You know, it will take you on a journey for sure. So So give it a spin.
Awesome. Love the album. And thank you so much for taking some time to chat with me today.
Thank you, my pleasure!
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is back! The band that formed as an idea of friends from several well known rock/metal bands (SOILWORK, ARCH ENEMY, MEAN STREAK) back almost a decade ago and has been dropping jaws ever since. With 5 albums already under their belt, 2 nominations for the Swedish Grammies, countless live shows and praises from fans and media alike, TNFO have steadily upped their game when it comes to paying tribute to a decade that influences all sorts of people and even industries to this day - the 80s. With hits like „Domino“, „Lovers In The Rain“, „West Ruth Ave“, „Divinyls“ or „This Time“, the band manages to maintain a variety of vibes and emotions within every album. From hard rockers, poppy digressions to progressive epics, disco-esque songs and almost cheesy yet loveable ballads.
Enter 2020, TNFO had just released their recent record, »Aeromantic«, and kicked off their European tour in support of it, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Björn Strid, the AOR dictator helming this exceptional collective called NFO, recalls “We made it one week into the tour after some absolutely amazing shows and then it all went south and we had to go home. Just about everyone on the tour got sick when they came home, with varied conditions.”
The band didn’t step back and accept the situation but decided to do what they do best instead: “It was pretty clear after some months into the Covid madness, that it was here to stay and that we weren’t gonna be able to tour for quite some time. So we made the best out of it. The remedy was simply to hit the studio again as soon as everybody was well again. It ended up being an incredibly creative 1,5 years and so many amazing songs came out of it.”
That being said, the second part of the »Aeromantic« saga really captures what this band is all about: being in motion and romanticizing traveling, sometimes even with a broken heart - accompanied by the good things in life. Namely with songs like „White Jeans“, yet another jaw dropping classic rock gem about hot young love, cramped with nostalgia, or “Change”, which encompasses all the vibes you know from your favorite decade: Urgency, emotion, warmth and excitement. But also groovy danceable songs like “Chardonnay Nights”, a groovy, dreamy, yet uplifting homage to parties and hot love, or “Burn For Me”, a true feel good anthem for the summer - driving people to dance in the streets, all worries aside, to a brighter future.
On the other hand there are tracks like the almost progressive “Amber Through A Window”. A little throwback (at least titular) to the NFO’s epic 2017 album »Amber Galactic«: “Amber is with us wherever we go and I think she’ll keep coming back. She’s our mascot of escapism. The song was very interesting to compose. It takes you on quite a journey with key changes and goes from minor to major when you least expect it and throws you between different set of emotions. At the same time it feels pretty direct and operates like a mini epos. Really happy with how it turned out“, cites Strid.
With new keyboardist John Lönnmayr in their ranks, the NFO has also added fresh talent to their unique sound as Strid puts it: “John is definitely a keyboard and music wiz. He’s been playing a lot of different music styles, from fusion jazz to straight up commercial pop. He has a brilliant ear and have brought so much fresh blood to the band, both on a personal side but also musical side. John is a childhood friend of Sebastian so it was Sebastian who recommended him. We always trust Sebastian’s judgement.”
Besides all this, the band has also stepped up their game when it comes to music videos for their timeless anthems. “White Jeans” for instance features Swedish TV personality Fredrik Lexfors and is a sweet little homage to the LGBTQIA+ community. “Fredrik is a good friend of mine and has loads of experience in the musical/theatre world and is super creative. He created this character called ”Kantorn” (The Cantor) some years ago and became a hit on YouTube. He has a very twisted and unique way of singing and acting, which is very funny. He was a part of Sweden’s Got Talent TV Show and went really far and became a crowd favorite. Fredrik has a lot of friends in the LGBTQIA+ community and I also have quite a few. We saw it as a joyful tribute and we’ve only gotten really good response. It’s of course also humorous but has a very nice balance and a very positive message.”
The bold and jovial video for “Burn For Me” on the other hand maybe among the biggest and best productions, the NFO ever recorded for the depths of the internet: “I’ve had this idea to film a ”Dancing in the Streets” video, where curious people come out of the woodworks and join the party in the streets. It’s a very classic 80’s scenario and very common in videos back then. Sort of the video to IRENE CARA’s ”Fame”. You don’t see it very often these days. We felt that it was needed and after “Burn For Me” was done I immediately envisoned it being the perfect ”post corona dancing celebration in the streets-song”.”
Those two videos are by far not everything the band will have to offer visually, but we won’t tell any more just for now. To be continued…
With all that new greatness up their sleeves, NFO are ready to take the world by storm – again! Even though coming up with a setlist for their scheduled tour starting in September may prove to become problematic according to the AOR Dictator: “Making a setlist might end up being a nightmare haha… I would be up for doing only songs off »Aeromantic I« and »Aeromantic II« since that’s really where we’re at right now, but I think most of our the Midnight Flyers would like to hear some old stuff, too. Maybe we could get away with it as long as we play “West Ruth Ave” as the ending song and create the good old conga train?”
»Aeromantic II« in the NFO’s own, cryptic words:
Violent Indigo: …is, of course, about the inherent violence of indigo. It destroys.
Midnight Marvelous: Daylight will be the end of us.
How Long: 90’s Deep Purple on cocaine, and the anxiety of waiting for something to happen.
Burn For Me: How could you ever not want someone to burn for you?
Chardonnay Nights: The nights marinated in a full-bodied grape extract always seem to be the best ones.
Change: Because a tiny bit of invention never killed anyone.
Amber Through a Window: Fever is rising. And if you have never seen Amber through a window, you’ve never actually seen Amber.
I Will Try: If you haven’t been at that train station, you have no idea what I’m talking about.
You Belong To The Night: Because someone has to.
Zodiac: On the cusp of every sign, there is something waiting to happen.
White Jeans: What is there to say? Just that some of us has an inclination for lightly coloured jeans. And that they symbolise freedom.
Moonlit Skies: The end of an era, and the beginning of an empire.
