by Alexandra Mrozowska
— Senior Columnist —
Probably a lot of people would have described 2020 as the moment when the world turned upside down. Consequently, the title of the new album by the Swedish rockers Electric Boys – Ups!de Down – comes as no surprise. But was really the coronavirus pandemic the sole inspiration behind the new offering by Conny Bloom and his bandmates…? To have it explained once and for all, Conny checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss it as well as his latest solo effort Game! Set! Bloom!, the band’s current situation and more…
Hardrock Haven: What was 2020 for you like, and in what way is it reflected on the album released at the moment when the world is still literally “upside down”?
Conny Bloom: Well, obviously it was a really fucked-up year – and still is, actually. Although now, of course, with vaccines and everything it’s like you’re starting to see some kind of a light at the end of the tunnel… But it was a difficult year for everyone. We decided early on to try and stay creative and write lots of songs and record the album, so we kept ourselves busy. And the title was funny, because it was that actually my roommate has bought a bottle of Coca-Cola. And the bottle cap was laying on the table, and on some of these there’s something like a little message. It can say anything. But it said “Upside down” and it was laying upside down. And that was supposed to be the cover, but then when we started brainstorming, this whole idea with this box with a shipping ticket and everything came up. But yeah, the world’s been – and still is – pretty much upside down (laughs). Crazy times.
Hardrock Haven: Definitely. Speaking of themes utilized on the album, you’re quoted as saying that “Tumblin’ Dominoes,” which is in fact the new single, is not only about the pandemic but also about social media and its influence on people. Are social media more of a blessing or a curse for you personally as well as for you as an artist?
Conny Bloom: It’s a good question, but a difficult one to answer, because just like you were saying – it’s good and it’s also bad, you know. Of course, you need the social media if you do what I do. If you’re an artist, a musician, whatever… then obviously that’s how you stay in touch with people and promote your work and your music. But I think what’s kind of scary nowadays is how it can affect people – so fast, and maybe sometimes in the wrong way. I mean, there’s lots of times there’s lies [there], to be honest. Somebody just posts something and then a lot of people believe it, and they share it and all of a sudden this becomes a big thing… while it might have started as a lie. And all these conspiracy theories and all sorts of stuff… I think it just feels kind of chaotic a lot of times and I don’t think that’s really good. It becomes kind of messy and I also find there’s a lot of hatred on Facebook and stuff like that. I didn’t see that before and I thought it was more entertainment and fun, but now people are getting more and more aggressive and everyone’s like, “No, this is the way it is!,” “No, this and that’s bullshit!” and so on. Like that, it can be negative, but then you need to promote things and there’s a lot of good stuff out there – and a lot of laughter too, of course.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely. And what was the inspiration behind other lyrics on the album?
Conny Bloom: I think a lot of different things. Some of the lyrics were written before the pandemic and some I wrote during the recording. But some of them were inspired by that [what was going on] in a way… I mean, there’s a song called “Super God” – it’s a second song as the album starts with an instrumental track [“Upside Down Theme”]. This song is us playing around with the idea from the old Superman magazines, that Clark Kent would get inside a phone booth and change and come out as Superman – and save the world. And we were just saying, “If there was ever time when you really needed someone like that, it would be now.” So we had this idea and that one was inspired by the pandemic, when all of a sudden there’s this big crash and you don’t know where to find help or where to [go] and you don’t know who or what’s gonna get us out of this. And obviously in this case it’s doctors and all those kinds of people who are working to save people’s lives as we speak… But then again, there’s a song called “It’s Not The End,” which is a very positive song [stating] that this will indeed pass and we just gotta move on and live with it for the moment. So there’s a lot of stuff and I think the inspiration for the songs and the lyrics can come from any place really.
Hardrock Haven: What was the process of songwriting and recording the album like?
Conny Bloom: Usually most of the songs were written by me but two, co-written by two of the other guys. I make demos at home and then I would listen to them and then we’d decide what songs we think are the best. We recorded [the album] as always in a big studio with the four of us in the same room, because that’s the only way we know how to do it. And then we did some overdubs afterwards in my home studio and in the rehearsal place – stuff like that. So I guess it’s pretty much like we normally do, but just because of the pandemic we were in this big studio only for maybe four or five days and then we continued working on it in smaller places and separately. So I was doing some guitars on my own while the other guitar player [‘Slim’ Martin Thomander] did his on his own.
Hardrock Haven: Ups!de Down is really a diverse album stylistically. Was it any challenge to make it cohesive at the same time?
Conny Bloom: Well, I think it’s important to be quite varied and I wouldn’t want our band to be predictable. I don’t want people to know what to expect and to always get the same thing. It’s good to surprise people a little bit, and especially nowadays when there’s so much music and it’s hard to reach people because there’s so much stuff going on. So I think it’s important to be diverse and to have a lot of different things going on, so hopefully people listen and they go, “Aha, what’s this?” and then, “Now there’s another song that’s totally different.” Because I think otherwise people would maybe listen to a couple of songs and then move on to something else.
Hardrock Haven: True! You’re often quoted as saying the band is still rooted in the ‘60s and the ‘70s in terms of inspirations, and obviously it shows on the new album as well. What do you think was so special about music of that time?
Conny Bloom: Well, first of all, it was around when I was growing up, so it’s my roots and it’s impossible to take them away – even if I would like to. But I also think that back in those days, both Pop and Rock music were real and kind of new, and it was really exploding at that time. There was so much inspiration and so many great bands, and it was like on a high, so to speak. So I don’t know… I just think that the level of a musicianship and songwriting as well as performing, singing, guitar playing – everything was just so good.
Hardrock Haven: In the press release for the new album, we can find such names as Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple, but are they indeed your biggest influences and is the album targeted at their fans?
Conny Bloom: They are a big influence, absolutely, but I’d say the album isn’t targeted at anyone – if you played it to someone else, they would come up with some other names. But those two acts are [important] for sure, I mean, especially as a guitar player I was really inspired by them. But I’m just too close to our own album and to our songs to tell anyone what they sound like. For me, it’s just our new songs… But when you release an album, it’s always interesting to hear what bands and songs people compare it to, and sometimes it comes as a total surprise.
Hardrock Haven: Recently you’ve put together a Spotify playlist showcasing what’s influenced you guys in the band’s early days. Do you think it’s actually easier to understand the band’s music once you discover who they were influenced by?
Conny Bloom: Yeah, I guess so. It can be and at least it’s something that can be fun for a fan to listen to and sort of understand where you favorite band comes from. At least that’s how I feel… Like it was when people I listened to, like Jimi Hendrix, talked about who they listened to – I’d hear them and that made me wanna check that out too. And like with Jimi and Led Zeppelin, for instance, there was a lot of Blues [in their music], and the Rolling Stones too were inspired by a lot of Blues artists, so I listened to a lot of Blues because of that, you know. So yeah, I think it can be interesting.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely, that’s how it works. You collaborated with a producer and engineer David Castillo on Ups!de Down. What do you think his input on the album was?
Conny Bloom: This time around it was mainly the sound and the recording. He recorded everything and he mixed it – in terms of production, he’s a co-producer on the album together with me and our bass player Andy Christell. On the previous album [The Ghost Ward Diaries, 2018], he was the producer and we just took a step back, but like I said, this time we knew we were going to record some of the stuff away from the studio and we’ve always been really involved with the production. I mean, when I make demos, a lot of them sound pretty much like a finished song would have ended up sounding like when it’s on the album. It’s just that the sound would be much better if [the song was] played by the band instead of me and some drum machine… But he [David Castillo] is great with everything – but I’d say, especially the sound. He’s amazing at getting a good sound out of all the instruments.
Hardrock Haven: You’ve also welcomed “Slim” Martin Thomander, who played on Freewheelin’ album years ago, back in the band. What is it like to collaborate again with someone who’s been a part of the band such a long time ago but then spent so many years apart from it?
Conny Bloom: It’s great! And also, he’s pretty much my neighbor – where he lives is next to the next tube station and it’s like ten minutes’ walk from me, so we’ve been bumping into each other a lot over the years. When I started releasing my solo albums, I involved him in some gigs. He’s one of those guys I can be singing and playing [with] like I do and with him, even if I play licks and solos and stuff and he plays licks and solos, we never sort of step on each other’s toes. It’s always a really good combination. So just because I’ve played with him with solo stuff, I thought that this would be great [if he returned to the band]. And obviously now we’ve all matured actually, I think, and we’ve developed as musicians and songwriters, so it’s just great. Great there’s some new blood.
Hardrock Haven: You’ve just mentioned your solo career. And even though your last solo album Game! Set! Bloom! wasn’t really a drastic departure stylistically from what we associate with Electric Boys, it was sung in Swedish – just as its predecessor Fullt Up. What differences do you see between writing and expressing yourself in your native language and in English?
Conny Bloom: I started doing it because I felt there was a challenge just to see [if it’s possible] just to change my old sound I guess. And it’s been said by the people – obviously those who understand Swedish – that the lyrics are a bit more open and very honest. But I actually think my lyrics in English are the same as well… I think it’s probably just the fact that if I’m singing in Swedish, the people who are Swedish will listen to the lyrics in a different way than if the songs were in English. That’s what I think, anyway. And musically, I see Electric Boys more like a Hard Rock band, more like an Arena Rock band, and I think my solo stuff is a little bit more dynamic, more Rock – maybe a little bit more oldschool and closer to The Doors and Hendrix, and Cream, and stuff like that… It’s not so much Hard Rock. That’s how I know when I write songs, that I can feel where a song is gonna end up due to these differences.
Hardrock Haven: Speaking about Game! Set! Bloom!, it has this tennis theme to the title and the album cover and I believe you’ve actually been a tennis player in your very early days. So was is for a bit of nostalgic trip to actually refer to that on the album?
Conny Bloom: Well, I did play tennis when I was a kid. I started playing the guitar and playing tennis at the same time, but I never got that good [at tennis] – I never won the games. I was okay, but not a number one (laughs). At the same time I was playing the guitar behind my neck, you know (laughs), so I eventually thought that I’ll continue with music instead. But I had that song called “Dags Att Vinna Wimbledon,” which means “It’s Time To Win Wimbledon,” and it’s not about playing tennis actually, but about just going for something, a goal in life… it can be anything. More an attitude song. But just because of that title, when we took a lot of pictures with a photographer, I brought an old tennis racket that I have at home. The pictures turned out so good and then I came up with the Game! Set! Bloom! title – but there was never a big sort of thought behind it. It was just kind of fun, you know… But it was unfortunate because the album was released on the 13th of March last year…
Hardrock Haven: …the worst moment possible.
Conny Bloom: Yeah, and it was actually right on that day when there was a lot of things changed in Sweden – like venue capacities… And in Norway, in our neighbor country, it dropped down to one hundred [people per venue] or whatever, and you just could sense that. It was like, “Uh-oh, this is gonna be bad.” On that day, we were supposed to have a release party in a record store which had to be cancelled. So, we’ve been joking and saying I released a solo album and a big pandemic at the same time (laughs). So it was really bad timing. It’s out there, but I even haven’t had the chance to do a proper tour to promote it. And that is kind of sad. But it’s a good album, so I’ll be playing more of it in the future.
Hardrock Haven: And throughout the years, you’ve recorded and performed with different bands, including Hanoi Rocks of course. Do you think these side activities had any influence on your artistic development?
Conny Bloom: Yeah, I’m sure. I mean, everything you do and everything you read, hear or see is gonna come out in some way later on. But it’s difficult to say exactly how… Right now, if I thought more about it, maybe I could tell. But playing with Hanoi Rocks, for instance, was great and I was also playing with this guy called Ginger from the Wildhearts [real name David Walls, also known as Ginger Wildheart] in the UK and did a couple of tours in Japan – just like we did with Hanoi Rocks too. So obviously, those tours and those records and stuff were great moments. And you always learn – there’s always something there to learn.
Hardrock Haven: Both when I interviewed you for the first time a decade ago, around the time And Them Boys Done Swang was released, and also just a couple of minutes ago, you said the band members are older and wiser these days and you don’t fight as much. Do you think maturing is the best thing that can happen to a band at a human level?
Conny Bloom: Well, it’s difficult to answer that, because all that fighting and arguing can also be good for the creativity… I don’t know. I just think that right now we’re in a good situation with the band. We’re having a good time and we’re being really creative. We’re just waiting for the things to change so we can go on the road again. It was really unfortunate for Martin to come into the band when we can’t do it, so all we wanna do is get out on the road and start touring. We can’t, so the spirits might be low, but [it’s gonna happen] soon and I’m looking forward to it. And there’s some other stuff that we’re doing, like we’re gonna record a concert soon and that’s gonna be broadcast with us live in the studio – we’ll do like a Q&A and maybe play a couple of tunes acoustically and watch this live concert. And there’s a thing that was just announced and promoted today that we do for Sweden Rock. They do sort of the same thing [an online event featuring Electric Boys, Thundermother and Bombus on Friday, March the 26th] and we do like a twenty minutes show. So there’s things to do anyway and there’s a new video to be done and more singles to be released and stuff like that.
Hardrock Haven: Something to look forward to for sure! Talking for the first time ten years ago, we also discussed covers – ABBA, if I remember well – and back then you’ve mentioned you have some unreleased Joe Walsh cover recorded by the band years prior to that. Is it exactly the same one you’ve released on the single “The Lion’s Roar” last year, or was it re-recorded?
Conny Bloom: No, you’re right. It’s the same recording that I was talking about. It’s been laying around since we were at the Abbey Road [Studios] in 1992 or something like that. We just had it around – it’s not like it’s the best piece of music we’ve ever recorded, but it’s a fun thing for fans. And also, it’s the only one with the whole band actually singing lead… And yeah, it was just a fun thing for our fans.
Hardrock Haven: You were talking about all the restrictions on mass gatherings in 2020, but as they weren’t as severe in Sweden as in other parts of the world, I’d like to ask if you perhaps managed to play at least some shows in 2020…
Conny Bloom: I was actually doing quite a lot of shows, but they were very different from normal shows because it was all outdoors and it was maximum of fifty people with distancing and stuff like that. But it was interesting, because people really enjoyed it – even though it was so different… You know, they couldn’t believe that I was in their garden playing. They were like, “We go to Sweden Rock and watch you guys play where there’s twenty thousand people and all of a sudden you’re in my garden and I’m standing here and talking to you playing.” ‘Cause I did these gigs all alone – some of them with one more guy – just because there was so few people and it wouldn’t work financially to travel around [with] the whole band. But it was different and I’m sure that people who were there, at these gigs, they’re gonna look back and remember the summer… the Corona summer with all these little gigs that were actually quite a nice thing in the middle of all the shit. And I don’t know what’s gonna be this year… everyone’s just waiting for the vaccine and this kind of stuff, so I don’t know if there’s gonna be any shows this summer, or if it’s gonna be towards the spring… I don’t know what’s gonna happen.
Hardrock Haven: The earlier the better, so let’s keep our fingers crossed! And as you’ve already revealed the band’s plans with a livestream and a Sweden Rock Late Show, is there anything else you’d like to add in the end?
Conny Bloom: I think I’ve talked about the most things for now. It’s hard times for everyone, so all we can do is just cross our fingers and keep the faith – and move on, I guess. I’m really looking forward to play… I can’t say it enough (laughs).
