«When You Need Me The Most», the new album of Alpaca Sports!

Por Maria Agnese Lieggi el 23 octubre, 2015

Alpaca Sports is a Swedish group of Göteborg. The record label “Elefant Records” has released their new album “When You Need Me The Most”, a mini-LP vinyl blue color, a limited edition of 1000 copies. The cover art is by a Japanese artist, Ray Kimura, who is deeply in love with their music and mirrors their bucolic landscapes. The album contains six songs, contagious, a sound like The Smiths, Another Sunny Day and Belle and Sebastian. Andreas Jonsson, Amanda Åkerman, Lisle Mitnik y Carl Jirestedt play and compose very fresh songs, not discounted. Melodies bring you back to the atmosphere of adolescence, the pure period of the life. Their art is centered on this particular taste for indie guitar pop, and they are real witnesses of the delicacy of this fable.

Alpaca Sports since they started their career, (winter of 2011) gathered only great success and their indie guitar pop reached a lot of countries… United States, Japan, Peru, Spain and Uk.

R.M.: I turn to the group leader Andreas, thank you for accepting this interview for Mito-Revista Cultural… The first thing I would like to ask to you is: “who are Alpaca Sports?”

A.S.: Thanks for having us! Alpaca Sports was started by me in 2011 and I guess from the beginning I saw it like some kind of solo project, and I had no expectations at all in what it would turn into. I had just written two songs with the help from my friend Carl that I felt very proud about. But those two songs were very well received which made me think it could turn into something bigger. So with the lovely help from musician friends in Gothenburg we were able to record our debut album that was released in 2014. But Amanda, Carl and I were always the members involved in every song.

For this new mini album we’ve included Lisle Mitnik (Fireflies, Tiny Fireflies) from Chicago in the band and he’s been helping out writing and recording the songs in his home studio. Julia Rydholm and Hampus Öhman-Frölund recorded bass and drums in their hometown New York and have also been a great part in the making of this album.

R.M.: Alpaca Sports is a very original name (of your band)… Is there any particular meaning? Why “Alpaca” and why “Sports”?

A.S.: There are many meanings behind the band name. For me, one of them is that the alpaca animal represents something fluffy, soft and cute, and that also has a lot of personality. I think this goes hand in hand with the music we make.

The name Alpaca Sports also makes my mind wander to South America, and dreaming of warmer climes became a good way to escape the Swedish winter in 2011.

R.M.: Would you tell us about the music of Alpaca Sports?

A.S.: We play a kind of indie pop music that is inspired by Swedish pop bands from the 90s. Like for example Acid House Kings, Eggstone, Popsicle, etc. Mixed with British influences like The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, The Hit Parade, The Housemartins, and many more. It’s a jangly guitar based sound accompanied by strings and poppy bubblegum arrangements with choruses to die for.

R.M.: The graphic style of your album is colorful, a peculiar style, how did start the agreement with Ray Kimura?

A.S.: I am a big fan of Ray Kimura’s style of illustrating and asked her if she wanted to make the artwork for our first single “Just For Fun” that was released on a 7” vinyl in early 2012. Luckily she said yes and she’s done all the artworks for us after that. Just like the name “Alpaca Sports”, I think her way of drawing goes hand in hand with the music, and I love her way of using colors and expressing emotions in the illustrations. We were also very happy to meet Ray in her hometown Tokyo, when we toured in Japan 2013, before that it was an internet-based communication.

R.M.: I like very much the video “Just like Them” can you tell me some anecdotes about?

A.S.: Carl Jirestedt made the video in Gothenburg, in March this year and, well; I have no idea what happened really, jaja. Before I knew it we were tied up next to an actor in a monkey suit who performed funny dance moves. It was a lot of fun to film and because of messing up too many scenes laughing I think the original script of the video had to be adjusted a little bit. For example we didn’t have time to do the “Oscar academy award winning”-scene with me playing chess against the monkey, or the scene where the monkey was supposed to feed us with a fish. Maybe it was for the best?

R.M.: My favorite song is “Just Like Johnny Marr” with its delicate melodies has a sort of photo album function. How this song and its title were born?

A.S.: I’m happy you like this one. “Just Like Johnny Marr” was released as a single together with our debut album “Sealed With A Kiss” and with a music video filmed in Japan. It’s a song that takes place just before a break up, with all the emotions that brings. The fear of losing the one you love, and what the future might bring. Sadness thinking about beautiful memories spent together. The line “Let’s travel to the south. I’ll bring my guitar, and play just like Johnny Marr” could be seen as the last hope to hold on to.

R.M.: New ideas for the future?

A.S.: We just released our new mini album “When You Need Me The Most” and we’re looking forward to what that might bring us with fun travels and booking live shows. We have two more music videos to be released in a near future. Also, we’re already working on new songs for future releases, hopefully a new full-length album. I think we have around 15 demos at the moment.

It has been a pleasure knowing about you and your music. Thank you very much.

A.S.: Thank you! It was my pleasure.