MØL: A Crushing Hug
Few bands in today’s heavy scene are capable of creating compositions that can cross genre boundaries effortlessly. Drawing inspiration from a variety of genres and elements to combine into something that can become far more than sum of its parts. Transcending labels, MØL are just such a band. Since their earliest releases of EPs through to their critically acclaimed full-lengths of Jord and Diorama, the Danish quintet has become a phenomenon. Once heard, never forgotten and they write music that captivates people from many different musical backgrounds. The latest release, DREAMCRUSH, sees MØL ramp up the emotive depth of their creativity. In the way of all truly great artists and musicians, they are able to tap into the subconsciousness of the audience and deliver something that can truly move an individual.
“It’s an album that has been in the works for while, for me at least, it’s been an album of exploration.” For those that have heard the current singles from DREAMCRUSH, it’s clear to hear what guitarist Nicolai Busse is referencing when it comes to exploration. There are various genre influences that are prevalent in the MØL sound. Yet the new album really pushes these alternative rock and shoegaze techniques while still retaining a core of metal. This blending of styles is not unique. Yet the compositions of MØL are executed with such poise that they shine with individuality. There is an overarching feeling of authenticity when it comes to their music. As Nicolai explains, “there’s always doubting and second guessing yourself.”
“Tell me about it!” Interjects vocalist Kim Song Sternkopf smiling along as Nicolai talks of how when he has a composition and presents it to drummer, Ken Lund Klejs, who proceeds to pick it apart. “He’s ruining it!” Laughs Kim, assuring though that it is constructive feedback.
Perhaps one of the remarkable things about MØL is that they come from a self-taught background and face internal doubts about what they create. This is shared between both Nicolai and Kim. “Always second guessing yourself and asking, is this good enough?” is how Nicolai phrases it with Kim acknowledging with an enthusiastic “tell me about it”. Nicolai goes on to express how that with the writing process, while there is a back-and-forth element with other band members alluded to. He primarily writes for himself in beginning. “I try to work it out as close to the finished product as possible. Making something that first and foremost I want to listen to.” This dedication to a finished product from the outset is borne out by the results. Every track on the new record sounds meticulously thought about, yet totally organic.
A difference that both Nicolai and Kim reflect on is the undertaking of collaboratively writing and recording. With DREAMCRUSH compared to previous albums, the band were able to come together and rehearse and record together collectively for a longer period of time. “We spent a lot more time in the studio this time around, with working with local producer Frederik Uglebjerg at Aarhus Studio. It meant we could make it as comfortable for ourselves as possible and take as much time.” Remarkably, Jord was only five days worth of recording in the studio by comparison. While that stands as a phenomenal debut, delivering the foundation of the enthralling MØL sound, DREAMCRUSH delivers everything on a much broader scale. Of course, with more time to record comes more time to tweak and adapt, sometimes at the detriment of the original ideas. With a flexible deadline, many artists have fallen foul of when to actually call a record done. Nicolai confirms that for him “it’s a gut feeling, I’m able to see that there is no more guitar to add and that the idea has been achieved. Of course, Ken might add another fill or kick drum that he feels it needs. Holger, (Rumph Frost) might add a bass line I hadn’t thought of.” With knowing looks and smiles between each other, it’s very obvious that this way of creating suits all of MØL to a tee. Both Kim and Nicolai are immensely proud of the way this record has turned out and with all jokes aside are keen to ensure that everyone’s contributions to the sound are properly acknowledged. With Nicolai expressing “it’s a pleasure that we can collectively lift something that I may have initially thought was pretty good.”
For those that are already familiar with MØL, they will know that each album is a journey. While there are standout tracks and singles, the format presents an experience that MØL capture perfectly. This is something that Kim is keen to highlight. “When it comes to what does a song need, it’s about looking at the other songs too. We like the album format; it’s a neat way to present something. For me it’s about the coherence, the songs have an identity and then the album has an identity.’ This is true of even the instrumental versions of their two previous releases. Musically the albums are unified and then when the lyrics are introduced it solidifies this. Kim laughs, “it works, at least for us.”
As a band that are constantly evolving with each album sounding different to the last. There is a core DNA to MØL not just in their sound but also in how they are happy to reach back to previous compositions and give them new life on the latest album. Mimic, one of the heaviest tracks they’ve committed to tape and a standout moment on DREAMCRUSH, began life as Nicolai tells it as a demo on Jord. “I was never happy with it before.” He opines, continuing it was not coherent enough and was discarded for Jord.” Kim offers with good humour, “I remember that discussion!” Adding with a broad smile “it was a particularly furious one.” Discussing how it ended up on the new album Nicolai adds “it was not something that I thought about initially, but I wanted to revisit it and while the verse parts are the same, we reworked it. It became a great example of how things just click.”
The lyrical focus of MØL comes down to Kim and his experiences. On Mimic he explains, ‘In many of my lyrics you can feel the ghost of God.” His relationship with faith is a complex one and he alludes that it is something that he has had many differing and complex thoughts and emotions about. “With Mimic, for me, is about those conversations. For me in some way there was so much lost time.” He is keen to explain that there is nothing inherently wrong with prayer or meditation. However, the point he expresses, “there is a lot of hope and dreams put towards something that may not be there.” This concept has led him to the deep idea that “if there is nothing, I am in a hurry to live today, not being resentful of myself or my choices.” This powerful viewpoint provides understanding that only serves to deepen the layers of MØL’s overall sound.
If they are able to write compositions of complex melodic charm conjoined with commanding heaviness to match this faith driven dichotomy it highlights another angle of their artistry. Kim is eager to identify that while this is a viewpoint that he personally writes from, the lyrics can be interpreted in many different ways. “It can be about moments or people that are no longer in your life. There is always grief man.” He also acknowledges that there is a tricky path to tread if you want the music to have a grounding. Going further into his explanation, “no matter what type of performer you are, if you want to have something that has that grounding, sooner or later you are going to reference someone or something real. This is something that I have learned and that is how sometimes I have to remember the space I was in when I was writing a song to when I perform it. Things may have changed. This is why I like to be vague.” This is something that provides a key to unlocking the captivation that MØL have over their audience, they have become masters of the adage, an artist can sing a song to a room of 100 people with the intention of one meaning. They sing it back with 100 alternative meanings.
DREAMCRUSH is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS127 here:
For more information on MØL like their official page on Facebook.