Piglet Outlet are a new avant-garde indie pop group from Sweden. Martin Månsson Sjöstrand (Dog! Paper! Submarine) started his own record label just to sign them up and they are about to release their debut EP. Tomatrax caught up with Johan from the band to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?
We all met in 2004 when we were playing in a punk/avant garde/indie project called Häxor & Porr, with lyrics in Swedish. (At the same time some of us played in the experimental electro band Slagsmålsklubben.) We have been doing songs together since then.
Where did the name Piglet Outlet come from?
First we called the project African Apples, then we switched to Ganzfeld Group. Then we made a list with 400 band names, and voted. Piglet Outlet was some kind of winner.
You’ve just about to release your debut EP, what’s it like to have it finished and ready to go?
It feels fantastic, we recorded the debut EP in Berlin quite a long time ago, and we have made a lot of new songs since then.
What made you pick Paradise in Progress as the single/title track for the EP?
Because Martin Månsson Sjöstrand, the owner of the record company Shallow Shit Records, described the song with the words: ”it is your Smells Like Teen Spirit”.
What was the inspiration behind the video clip for Paradise in Progress?
Well, we were really curious to explore what would happen esthetically if we mixed the apple symbolism in three different narratives: Isaac Newton, Vilhelm Tell, the Genesis.
How does the rest of the EP compare with the title track?
Not much actually. We wanted to create the perfect soundtrack for a rainy day in Denmark.
You’ve been signed up to Martin Månsson Sjöstrand’s label, how did that come about?
We are old friends and have played music together in different constellations since the early nineties. So it was a perfect match!
Given you’re from Sweden, why is the music in English?
A couple of years ago we started to write lyrics in English in order to get world wide famous and be able to afford a lifestyle like Axl Rose’s.
What is the music scene like in Sweden?
I don’t listen to contemporary music very much. But I suppose you can find really good bands. But nowadays you have to develop detective skills to find them, and as always: 99 percent is uninteresting.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Sometimes when we are drunk.
What other music do you listen to?
Burzum, Weezer and Karl-Heinz Stockhausen.
What do you plan on doing once the album is out?
Restore a broken cello and make plans for the future. We are working on a new EP, and a new video clip for the forthcoming indie hit Witchcraft in Embassy Environment.
Check out Piglet Outlet’s facebook page to find out more!
