Tribe Friday are a Swedish indie/dance rock band who’ve received coverage from the likes of kms.reviews, Surviving the Golden Age, and YabYum. We asked frontman Noah Deutschmann about their new single “Talk So Loud”, their upcoming ‘Chasing Pictures’ EP, their touring schedule, the story behind his drunk-tattoo covered leg, and more.
COUNTERZINE: How are you today?
Noah Deutschmann: I’m fine, thanks! Trying to cope with jetlag and flight scares, but fine. Tour is fun!
CZ: Tell us a little about Tribe Friday.
ND: We’re a bunch of kids from Sweden who love to play rock music. I think that sums us up pretty nicely.
CZ: How did you meet/come together as a band?
ND: Me and Anton (drums) have been playing together for ages – since we were fourteen, as a matter of fact. We met for the first time through a mutual ex-girlfriend, if you can call it that at fourteen. It’s just gone downhill from there, really. Robin and Isak just joined the band a couple of months ago, which is weird since it already feels like we’ve been playing together forever. We know them from playing at/attending the same shows throughout the years, and from me producing a few singles for their respective previous projects – which was good, because I already had experience working with the both of them. I gave them a call, they showed up at our house, and after doing a bit of jamming we just knew, you know. Next thing you know we’re on a plane to Los Angeles!
CZ: Who would you consider some of your foremost influences, musical or otherwise?
ND: I feel the great thing about Tribe is that we all have a very broad musical pallet, which makes for a lot more interesting songwriting. Robin listens to quite a bit of nu-metal and funk, Anton’s all about that psychedelic vibe, and Isak really likes emo music and Death Grips, for some reason. If I had to choose a few musical influences of my own, it’d have to be The Strokes (which is quite audible in our music) and Michigan-based post-hardcore band La Dispute. But I will honestly listen to anything but country music. If we’re talking influences in general, I’d say my parents are a big one. My dad is the most energetic and kind-hearted person I’ve ever met. Some of my earliest memories are of him dancing his brains out at klezmer concerts. I think that might have had a pretty direct influence over the way I go wild on stage.
CZ: Your new single “Talk So Loud” is mentioned as both an ode to New York City, as well as a take on post-relationship apathy. How do those elements intertwine, and was there a particular experience or relationship that inspired it?
ND: I think the two elements of the track are more contrasting than they are intertwined. I like it that way, where what’s being said and what’s being heard doesn’t necessarily align. I knew I wanted the track to sound like NYC sonically, so naturally, I started off with the instrumental stuff. For me, ‘the sound of NYC’ meant exciting and raw. The lyrics came from a completely different place – I don’t want to go into too much detail but there’s definitely been a few relationships, and experiences within those relationships, that inspired it.
CZ: “Talk So Loud” is from your upcoming Chasing Pictures EP. What can you tell us about the process of putting this project together? When can we expect to hear more?
ND: The process of making Chasing Pictures was a long and intense one. I spent so much time making sure everything about these tracks sounded right to me, which was frustrating at some points, but very rewarding now that they’re finished. Producing songs that you’ve been involved in writing is hard because it’s very easy to lose any form of objectivity, but thankfully I had input from a lot of talented people around me. I don’t want to say too much – but it is possible we made an entire album worth of material, and that this EP is just the first half of it…
The full EP is out in March, and if we’re lucky there might be another single coming out next month!
CZ: You also released your Trying Your Luck EP last year. How does Chasing Pictures relate to that project, if at all?
ND: For me, Chasing Pictures is a pretty natural progression from TYLEP. A lot of the same themes of self-detriment are present, but in a more flushed-out and thoughtful manner (I think). Sound-wise, it is way more diverse, which is weird because Trying Your Luck was a sort of pick-and-mix of tracks written and recorded at different times, while Chasing Pictures (and its sequel) is made as a cohesive project. I don’t know if that will be at all audible, but it matters to me. I’m really proud of it.
CZ: If you had to list a signature quality or qualities that define Tribe Friday, what would it/they be?
ND: High energy with emo lyrics and pop hooks. And a killer drum/bass groove.
CZ: Any shows coming up/plans to tour in the near future?
ND: Yes! A bunch. Right now we’re wrapping up US tour, and we’re coming to Germany in February. There’s also some plans in the works for longer tours later this year. We love playing live, so we’ll pretty much jump at any opportunity to do so. Keep posted on our socials and come dance!
CZ: What are some of your favorite acts you’ve played with?
ND: Mando Diao was pretty cool, and all the other artists on our management are great musicians and amazing people to perform with – New Parlor, rosecoloredworld, The Dumes, and mmmonika. Also, shout out to Swedish post-punks Beverly Kills. We always have an amazing time playing shows with them.
CZ: Any particularly crazy or interesting show stories?
ND: The night Isak and I met for the first time was pretty interesting. We were playing a show with his band at the time, and I had no idea who he was. At the afterparty, we ended up getting very intoxicated, and for some reason, we decided it was a good idea for him to tattoo my foot. In the year that passed, it became tradition whenever we met for him to ‘drunk-tattoo’ me. I’ve got a designated leg for his work now. They all look surprisingly good.
CZ: If there was just one thing you wanted everyone to know about Tribe Friday that hasn’t been covered, what would it be?
ND: We’re not as scary as we look. Promise.
“Talk So Loud” comes from Tribe Friday’s upcoming March EP ‘Chasing Pictures’ and is available to stream now on Spotify and SoundCloud. Be sure to follow the band on their socials, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bandcamp to keep up with the EP release and their show schedule.
(Featured photo credit: Miranda Fredriksson)
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