A stolen moment with Thieves Like Us

Occupying the delicate intersection between pop and electronica, Swedish-American trio Thieves Like Us offer infectious, ethereal tunes where forlorn sentiments and soothing, yet stirring beats are subtly blended. After the success of their first release ‘Play Music’, described by the BBC as ‘a contender for electronic album of the year’, it’s not surprising that ‘Again and Again’ is equally addictive. Maria Long caught up with Percussionist Pontus, who not only provided us with irresistibly gratuitous alliteration, but the Thieves’ affinity for Destiny’s Child, weed, and partying in Mexico City!

Notion: Your press release says you ‘first met at a picnic in East Berlin in 2002’; can you elaborate on the picnic?

Percussionist Pontus: Bjorn and I were hanging out in Berlin on one of the first days of summer. We went to this park which is a converted dead zone, where the wall used to split the city in half. We ran into this girl who Bjorn had a thing with and she was sitting there in the grass with this American, skinny guy, in sun glasses, blasting Wagner out of a small, but incredibly loud speaker connected to a cd-player. It was awkward. People started getting annoyed and came up to him to tell to turn it – and fuck off. He didn’t seem to care, he didn’t move at all as a matter of fact. Turned out he was asleep. This was Andy Grier, our singer.

Notion: What made you want to start making music together?

Percussionist Pontus: We started making music two years later, in 2004. The music scene back then was crap. Just because I’m saying this, people will comment this article with a million examples of ”great, timeless” music made in 2002, but they’re full of shit. The only thing we could listen to that was contemporary in 2002 was Hip-Hop and RnB, “Destiny’s Fulfilled” was THE album of 2002. Berlin was all about minimal techno, which is the least sexy music in the world. So we felt we should try to come up with something ourselves.

Notion: Hailing from different places and cultures, how do you think your ‘rootlessness’ has served your sound?

Percussionist Pontus: I don’t know to be frank. Maybe not so much, today the music scene is dead, there’s no scene. It’s all virtual. Guys in Brazil are making French House music for a small scene in Connecticut… Geography is just not very important anymore.

Notion: Your name directly references a song by New Order referencing a 1974 Robert Altman film, which do you hold more dear, the song or the film?

Percussionist Pontus: The film.

Notion: And how much of an influence is New Order, as well as the rest of the 80’s British scene, to your aesthetic?

Percussionist Pontus: The first album, Play Music, was influenced by UK new wave: New Order and the Factory scene, Orchestral Manouvers in the dark, Wire, Josef K and so on. The new album is less so, now we rely heavily on other fields of British music, among them Right said Fred.

Notion: Who do you view as your contemporaries, if anyone?

Percussionist Pontus: We do think there are a lot of interesting artists today, much more now than in middle of the decade, but don’t really consider any of the artists part of our posse. We wish we could, believe me, it would make our lives a lot more fun. It’s an email here and there, “Hey, like your shit, what the fuck happened to Myspace…?” etc. To name a few contemporary artists we like: Dam Funk, Nite Jewel, Tweet (her new album is gonna fucking rule!), Here we go magic, Arch M, Holiday for Strings, E&E, Ariel Pink. Not too many dance acts, they seem to have forgotten that less is more and that vintage equipment always sound better.

Notion: I find the songs on ‘Again and Again’ captivating in a very dreamlike way, how comfortable are you with people using your songs as a means to sleep?

Percussionist Pontus: Whatever makes you happy. (Freak)

Notion: The songs on ‘Again and Again’ “focus particularly on failed relationships, alcoholism, and the yearning for that perfect imaginary soul mate”; do you feel that a ‘lack’ of something is needed in order to create?

Percussionist Pontus: Yes. And you can apply that to a lot of things in life. Well adjusted people are never good artists. I’m not saying you have to be completely fucking weird, but it helps.

Notion: Did you approach the writing and recording of the new album any differently to ‘Play Music’, and if so, why?

Percussionist Pontus: A little different for sure. We produced the whole thing in Paris instead of hauling our stupid, now retired, desktop-studio from Berlin to London to New York. And we’ve gotten some better equipment and ears. And certain members switched from liquor to weed, thank god! We’re 3 vastly opinionated people, so it was always a long process. That hasn’t changed.

Notion: What’s your favourite city to party in and why?

Percussionist Pontus: It doesn’t matter where you are; a good party is a good party in Warsaw or Bogota. But a lot of times a good party is great in Mexico City.

Gracias, Pontus!

‘Again and Again’ is available for download NOW