SETH NYQUIST OF MORMOR

Hi Seth and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly congratulations on your Some Place Else EP. It is a stunning piece of work with each of the six tracks equally diverse and expertly crafted. Have these tracks been with you for a long time and awaiting the light of day or recently new material?

A lot of the songs were written in sequence and at the end of the fall which is when I started to put them together and they came together quite quickly.

Did you find it harder or easier in producing and ordering the tracks on the EP compared to that of a long player which often allows for a lengthier, meandering sonic journey and narrative through a greater number of tracks versus that of a quick fire collection of songs on an EP?

I feel like they were written one after another similar to that of a full length record so it is complete in that way. The only difference I would say is that of Some Place Else which was the last track that I wrote.

Is that something you had in mind from the get go, which was to write your tracks in a particular order?

It somehow just fell into place that way or at least it felt that way in the beginning.

Was there an overarching narrative for the EP and how the tracks fell into place?

It was not so much of a story and more of a feel. There were definitely feelings of anxiousness and depression and stuff like that. I wasn’t necessarily trying to tell one story but just to keep it as honest as possible.

The lyrical content revolves around some personal demons you were battling with. Specifically what were some of the issues that you are addressing and was it a cathartic process in putting pen to paper and fleshing out the words for each track?

There were moments where it was hard to let go but I feel like it was cathartic and therapeutic.

You will be here in Australia performing at the Splendour In The Grass Festival, how do you approach the dichotomy of introversion in writing about deeply personal matters and the extraversion of performing those pieces on stage to a festival crowd?

I have been performing at festivals for a while and feel like it comes quite naturally which is surprising but I quite enjoy it and performing to people. Even though creating it is introverted and I spend a lot of time in my own space, I find that when I am performing to people, I feel like the connection is right.

Performing to a crowd and not just a festival crowd but any crowd for that matter, is it something of a release from that space where you have been in isolation and venting those condensed emotions on stage?

Yeah, I want to give people something and also to leave them with something. There is a certain simplicity and honesty with the cover art for the EP. Is the self-image a visual metaphor for reflection?

Yeah well with the artwork, originally it was me in the chair that was to be the album cover but I really loved the shot I ended up picking. It shows some vulnerability and reflection. It encapsulated the emotion and feel that I was trying to convey. It was good to be involved with the decision of the image and I felt that the muted colour evoked the emotion of longingness.

From the medium of photography to your own creative processes, on a technical level can you elaborate on your creative processes in producing the new wave, indie psych stylings we hear on Some Place Else?

When I was younger I was really fascinated by technology and other equipment so I did gather a few things. A lot of the production elements happened at the same time as the song developed but I try not to over think it because I try and think in visual terms or in colour.

Is thinking in terms of colour a mood based approach that drives the song as you are producing it?

I still think in terms of visual which leads to the creation of the song and it allows me to think of my art work and my videos. When I am working with someone I can direct them to what it is that I want because I can already see it and feel it.

Having performed at so many venues and with so many amazing artists, during this time have there any words of wisdom spoken to you by fellow artists that really resonated with you and in turn altered the way you approach your craft?

Yeah I think after having such a difficult time I meet up with a friend in New York and she told me about letting go and it reassured me about trusting in my own process. It wasn’t just confidence but more about letting go with no expectation and so her words were really encouraging.

So was there anything that you held back on when it came to writing and recording?

Maybe subconsciously I held back but I tried to let it all go and especially with this project I think there is somewhere else it could have gone but I actually stripped a lot back and tried to remain focused rather than getting lost in production because if it sounds produced than it is. A lot of these feelings were floating around in my mind and I wanted to convey those feelings that I was having sporadically with those up’s and down’s.

Do you find touring to be inspirational whereby it helps you write and create more material or are you so focused on the task at hand that writing and creating new material takes a back seat?

I think it is inspiring and I write a lot of poetry where lines are always coming and that goes for lyrics as well.