Photo Credit: Tobias Ohls
Swedish psychedelic doom trio Domkraft are gearing up for their new album, Seeds, out April 30th via Magnetic Eye Records (pre-order here). We asked vocalist/bassist Martin Wegeland to list five things he learned recording the record during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TIME TO FOCUS
With restrictions narrowing down the other possible distractions, we could really focus upon making the best out of the material before we entered the studio. No live set needed to be kept fresh, no other shows to attend, no nights of drinking and hanging out. Just a lot of time to listen to music, get inspired and let it infuse our songwriting process. Most of the material was written before Covid hit, so it was basically all down to nailing the arrangements and working on details and the flow of the album. But the bubble that came with covid probably influenced the final product to some extent.
NOT THAT DIFFERENT REALLY
When we hit the studio in June last year, the restrictions in Sweden were mild compared to most other countries. It was basically up to ourselves to keep distance, wash hands and stay the fuck home if displaying any kind of symptoms. And since we usually isolate ourselves quite a lot when recording, this time was not that different for us. Sure, hygiene played a bigger role and the post-completion drinks did not really happen like they would have. But the recording process was actually not that affected by Covid at all. It all came down to the usual – bashing out heavy tunes surrounded by big amps. And the heatwave that hit Sweden those very days made it even easier to keep the lumbering pace muddy and nice.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE HORIZON
This too shall pass. Don’t let Covid infect the music also. This is not a quarantine album by any means, and by the time we get to play these tracks in front of an audience, we think that no one will want to hear anything about this bloody virus anymore. It will probably be around to some extent, and the songs should not serve as a reminder, they have nothing to do with the pandemic. If anything, they spawned out of how the world looked before anyone had even heard of Covid-19. It was not all fun and games back then either.
A CERTAIN UNCERTAINTY
Usually, when heading into the studio, you pretty much know the timeline for the coming year. And as we headed into the studio last summer, we felt pretty confident that the world would be back to normal again once the record was released. Let’s just say that was a tad optimistic.
A GLIMPSE OF NORMALITY
Looking back, I would say that the days of recording were probably some of the very best – and normal – days of 2020. The bubble did its job, sheltering us from the weird everyday life of that year. We got to hang out, focus and have fun. Hopefully some of that translates into the album also.
