THE EXPLODING BOY: The importance of Afterglow

Swedish Dark Underground formation The Exploding Boy is playing gigs in Germany at the moment on the "Afterglow Tour". With that tour they celebrate one of their albums that was released 10 years ago. We asked Johan, one of the founding members of TEB, about the importance of that album, the band´s status in 2019 and other topics regarding his amazing band.

Otti:
First of all, to those readers of Nightshade, that never heard of you: Who are The Exploding Boy and what is your musical way of life?

Johan:
The Exploding Boy is a dark indie band from Stockholm, Sweden, which I started in 2006 together with Les Andersson, guitarist in the band. We wanted just to make great songs, with great melodies and no boring parts. Then it developed to a dark indie rock band with 6 members, a full setting. Then the members has changed a little bit, but the main guys always remained. Me, Les, Nick and Stefan.
The ground idea I think is still there, but all persons in the band has different musical backgrounds so that is why the result gets so interesting I think.

Afterglow and Germany means a lot to us!

Otti:
Now your going on tour, celebrating the 10th anniversary of your album Afterglow. So that record seems to be very important - what is that all about?

Johan:
It was the record that took us abroad. The first single 40 days spread to germany and we toured germany a lot that year. That´s why we wanted to do a German-only tour this year. Afterglow and Germany means a lot to us!

Otti:
Which exciting stepstones did The Exploding Boy take since then?

Johan:
After 2009 I think we got a bit lazy. Even if we had tours and released albums that we really liked it wasn´t really the same. For me it was last year I got the feeling back, when we released our 5th album alarms and went both to USA and Europe to tour. And this tour feels very special, and since we already have a couple of festivals next year I think and hope we will continue the "Afterglow Tour" in 2020 as well.

Otti:
I for myself came to your music two years later, with The Black Album. I really fell in love with that back then. What was that album for you all about?

Johan:
Yes, it´s a great album. I think all albums are both special and the same. The way we make songs are the same, and it´s just the songs that is different, made in different stages in life and tells stories about that. One of my favorite songs is on that album - Get out of my head.

Otti:
Your latest album alarms is out since 2018. Looking back at it, how satisfied are you with the record and the reactions by the audience?

Johan:
We are very satisfied. It was the first time we went to a real studio and producer, and we also used real drums in the recording. We haven´t done that since the first album, so it was a lot of work but we are so happy with it. It is really hard to do live though!

Otti:
Now back to future, the upcoming "Afterglow Anniversary Tour": The absolute majority of the gigs take place in Germany. So what does my home country mean to you?

Johan:
As I said earlier, we started our abroad touring there, we have the most of our fans there, so it is very important.

Otti:
You have several special guests at that tour, like Principe Valiente and Then Comes Silence. How did you choose your companions and what connection do you have with them?

Johan:
We decided to go on tour with Principe because they are friends of ours and we are a bit the same. We were the first postpunk bands who started touring in Germany from this kind of bands from Stockholm. Now there is a lot, Henric de la cour, Kite, It´s for us, A projection and more, so it feels right to do this with them. And it is always fun to play with other bands. In Düsseldorf with both Principe Valiente and Then Comes Silence is going to be a blast, a Stockholm evening ??

Otti:
If possible, would you tell us about one really funny moment you experienced on or behind the stage of a concert you gave in past?

Johan:
In a lot of times when things happens it is about the sound tech guys. In Frankfurt 10 years ago Stefan in the band got so angry at a sound tech so he´d throw his guitar and started to scream angry words in Swedish, that was funny. And another time there was a really really professional and nice sound tech, and the whole band wanted to marry him. Funny as well!

Otti:
Sweden has a strong community of Dark Rock but also Electronic music. In your eyes, what are the main reasons for that amazing output you have up there?

Johan:
I haven´t got a clue, other countries has bands as well. But we´ve always had great bands in this country in different genres, so it´s nothing new really. There is always talks about the darkness and the cold, might just be so. But most of the bands in this genre comes from Stockholm, there must be more darkness in the countryside. Hmm, I don´t know!

Otti:
One cool event seems to befor example the Jonfest. Do you know that? And what else are the special things about Swedish dark subculture?

Johan:
I visited Jonfest for the first time this summer when my solo project Sjöblom played there. It was nice, but too many mosquitos. Yes, there are a couple of smaller festivals in sweden who are really cosy and professional at the same time. There are also a lot of smaller clubs and bars in Stockholm with darker subcultures. We are not really talking a lot of people at each place, but if you collect all of them at one place there is probably quite a lot of them.

Otti:
In general, what does music (making and listening to) mean to you nowadays?

Johan:
Hmm, I´ve thought quite a lot of that lately. Making music is not the same as in the beginning, but it´s got something that I just HAVE to do. It is far more business now, but when we are on our small tours it really is fun and creative. Music still means a lot but most of the time you forget that it is like that.

Otti:
And finally, for my personal interest - the bands name The Exploding Boy comes from a song of awesome The Cure. As I have fulfilled a dream this summer with taking concert pics of Robert and co, please tell me what is your most exciting thought or remembrance about The Cure?

Johan:
I´ve always loved , and are still one of my bands I listen the most to. They are still interesting to see live, though their new stuff might not be as remembered as the old stuff. Saw them just a year ago and it was amazing. I don´t know how they do it, but I hope I have some of that in me in the future.

Find out more about The Exploding Boy:
facebook.com/theexplodingboysweden

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