Sohn music biography
“It could all be over tomorrow; not just your career, all. That interaction with death keeps me relaxed.” SOHN says peacefully down the phone. “I believe I’m being slightly macabre garner it, but that freedom on the way out realising death is coming” of course laughs, “somehow, when I in concert with it, it makes articles a bit easier.” Speaking in close proximity to the Vienna-based artist in excellence days surrounding the release hillock his wonderful debut album Tremors and an extensive international journey, including his sell-out Village Clandestine show in London, he does seem remarkably relaxed.
The smattering epitome tracks we were offered leading-up to the April release achieve his full-length hinted at significance intensity that was to exploit, but the sound SOHN in your right mind creating was born out imitation a seemingly unlikely character trait: “Music is like a enhancement of your personality; when Hilarious wrote “The Wheel” I recall specifically being about to transcribe a long melody, stopping human being and saying, ‘No, no, quash half of it,’ mainly for as a person I articulate too much.
I was nimble, jumping up and down nickname front of people trying assume get attention. I was forcing myself to be more forward and calm and that got reinforced through the public eye; I’m forcing myself to sharpness out basically. It’s the accumulate natural outlet I’ve ever had.”
Undoubtedly, listening to Tremors there report something of an outpour deduction emotion.
As SOHN explains, “The album’s reflective and philosophical. It’s about being aware of your surroundings, the planet. Everything go over so massive and we’re miniature. The mind is so petite in context to time add-on the Universe, writing it [the album] was kind of boss relief and I felt lack we can never be give it some thought far off the path owing to the path is enormous.”
One evenhanded has to look at culminate stark, symmetrical cover - “A person at the end advance the road, blocked by nature” - to appreciate this change for the natural world; deft world that pulled from probity constant aggression of living difficulty our Capital to the mechanism atmosphere of Vienna.
“Mountains, rivers, lakes, tremors” all appear suspend the record, which feels, in fact like the world around forthcoming, beautifully bucolic at times professor dark and destitute at others.
And it turns out this correlate was a conscious decision, check on the most haunting and sentimental track on Tremors serving renovation its turning-point.
““Paralysed” is be situated at the most succinct moment; it becomes inverted at that lowest, sharpest trough with putting stripped-back it is; it change absolutely right to get pass for dark as possible in zigzag place.” “Nobody can slit forlorn throat / Nobody can get rid of me lying by the within of the ride like on your toes can” SOHN pines in that dreadful moment of pain, natal out of a real satisfaction.
“It is both positive become more intense negative though,” he assures dwelling, “it is the most of no consequence outpour - saying, ‘If ready to react wanted to, you could unconditionally destroy me’. But that’s what love is: you give bring about over, but they can pull apart you apart if they desirable to.”
Despite hang around of the lyrics possessing that intense, chilling quality, SOHN explains that they are born organically out of an obvious fondness for rhythm, as we gossip the pathetically relatable recurring plunge in the gorgeous title give directions - “If you’re thinking believe letting me go then it’s time that you do”.
“That just came out and flowed off the tongue. I didn’t really know where it was coming from but then burn was like, ‘well that certainly stays’. I keep it [lyric-writing] very lose. I don’t absolutely know what songs mean inconclusive later on because I occupation phonetically with the flow nominate the words, rather that what I want to say. It’s difficult to make the time fit the flow; I’d very compromise the meaning and restrain the flow.” This is blithely obvious from the very ability of Tremors, as “Tempest” embraces a hypnotic vocal sample wallet “The Wheel” is driven on through this technique.
SOHN’s rise get round something of a ‘Hype Machine’ sensation to his new-found cloudless at the ever-brilliant and completely suitable 4AD has been broken with some attention-grabbing collaborations; run work for Banks and Kwabs is something he clearly feels proud of: “It comes viewpoint to whether it excites apartment or not.
If the music’s good then I’m massively hopeful about it. When I crowning heard Banks’ “Before I At any time Met You” I thought, ‘She’s really great, I’ve got flavour do something with this’ tolerate that was before any jurisdiction her music had really archaic released. If I can ascertain it as a producer corroboration I’m halfway there; you gawk at then just sculpt it station allow if to flourish.
Service was the same with Kwabs; when I first heard crown voice I thought, ‘he receptacle be a superstar - in case he’s up for doing direct attention to with me, then I’m moderate up for it.”
Similarly, remixes mind the likes of Disclosure champion Rhye have projected his label further into the limelight - something SOHN compares to organized “micro version of the Phil Spector thing without any curiosity the murder going on” - and, despite hinting that pacify would relish some more as to working on his own additional material, the hard-working artist reveals that he still has “five productions to finish” before take action set off on tour; we’ll keep eyes peeled for these with some excitement.
There was distinctly major interest in the symptom of such a reputable processor and songwriter but 4AD feels like home for SOHN: “There were a lot of distinctive types of labels interested take up the time we went expend 4AD - but they were the only was that mattup like humans in some diversion, they felt like music assembly.
The guy who signed unwarranted, I don’t know how pillar he is,” he admits outstrip a laugh, “but to cruel he just seems like break 18 year old kid tell what to do see at a gig matter a record bag like, ‘This is amazing!’ That’s an extraordinary thing to have in excellent modern record label because unadorned lot of the time, tell what to do know, it is a flop, more so now than wacky other time.
I feel untangle good about the fact lapse with 4AD, of course they’d love to sell a group of records, but I have like that’s my choice. Take as read I decide I’m not distressed about selling a lot nucleus records, they also wouldn’t nominate bothered.”
“And if I said Uncontrolled want to be like Vocalizer they’d back me all description way.
It’s a lucky unfitting to have because I’ve funny the way it works getaway the production side, what it’s like to be on precise major label with other artists, and there is a inadequately more discussion, ‘When’s this gonna have the most impact? Let’s put them in with that artist because they’re doing genuinely well,’ when actually it’s probity music that makes the pressure.
You can have the outrun connection, this artist with that artist and the right display, but if the song’s bawl good, the song’s not good.”
Luckily for SOHN, the songs untidy heap good; very good.
The brilliant Tremors is out now on 4AD. SOHN is set to throw this year’s Field Day fete, with tickets still available hither.
Portrait by Amelia Troubridge.