Wax-Lyrical with The Sonic Dawn

 

Copenhagen three-piece The Sonic Dawn do not so much as reinvent the psychedelic sounds of the sixties, nor would it be an understatement to suggest that their four-album long discography is somewhat of a twenty-first century copy of the music of this bygone era. But to such a group as The Sonic Dawn, who believe in this bygone era as, and I quote, 'the peak of rock and roll', their ability to tap into this strange and fruitful amalgamation of folk rock, prog and psychedelic blues is a blessing. Though the conventionality of 'reinvention of genre' is striven towards by majority of bands and musicians around the world, it is a credit to The Sonic Dawn that they are able to encapsulate the sounds of a short yet sweet window of psychedelia from the years of '66 through to '71. From the slap-back delays of 'Opening Night' to the dusty percussion found on 'Summer Voyage', right through to the Ray Manzarek-esque keys of 'Sun Drifter', the tripped-out sounds of the sixties are discographically omnipresent, from production to instrumentation. One can hear with clarity the heavy influence of Doors-led song structures and Garcia-like lead breaks, uncanny as they are a homage as opposed to a mere duplication.

However deeply embedded The Sonic Dawn may be in sixties culture within their music, the art they produce is still able to take on a life of its own, progressively manifesting a fuller sound since album number one, Perception. LP number four, and latest, Enter The Mirage, takes on a richness in production and instrumental experimentation that has been brewing since their debut release in 2015.

From Hendrix to Peter Green, The Sonic Dawn run through the records in their lives which have aided this creative process and found their way into the writing and recording of their work. 

-(DH) First off, can you tell me about an album which first pricked your interest and made you want to start playing music?

-(JONAS) 'As a little kid, around three years old, I was deep into Pink FLoyd's The Wall, on my big sister's cassette player. It's one of my earliest childhood memories. She later started dating a professional drummer, who influenced me to take up drums. I joined my first ever band ever with Emil (guitar/vox) when we were eleven to twelve years old, and we met Bird (bass) just a couple of years later.'

-Your first LP Perception sets the groundwork for your sound, an amalgamation of acid rock and folk that encapsulates the bohemian age of the sixties. Which records were you listening to around the time of recording Perception that may have fed through onto the album?

- 'A few artists I remember we listened to at the time were Peter Green and Ultimate Spinach. It was shortly after Graveyard from Sweden had released Hisingen Blues which also made a great impression on us. 

- As a band hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, are there any Danish albums old or new that yourself or the band in general admire?

- 'Everyone needs to know about Baby Woodrose, who made some absolutely killer albums. My personal favourites are the debut, Blows Your Mind! and the last one, Freedom. They were the flagship of Danish garage/psych for well over a decade and the front-man, Uffe Lorenzen, is a good friend. His recent solo albums in Danish are definitely worth checking out too. If you want to dive into the golden age of Danish psychedelia, I'd suggest checking out; Steppeulvene- Hip ('67), Moses- Changes ('71), Furekaben- S/T ('71), Fleur De Lis- Facing Morning ('71) and The Savage Rose- Savage Rose ('68).'

Baby Woodrose - 'Blows Your Mind!'

Steppeulvene - 'Hip'

- The psychedelic nature of your music is reflected through your album art; when designing your record sleeves, which do you look toward for visual inspiration?

- 'We have worked with our good friend, designer Robin Gnista from Stockholm on all our albums. To me he is one of the people who understands our music on the deepest and most personal level. He is almost like a visual extension of the band. Fun fact- The LP cover for Perception has an optical illusion, as if animated, when viewed under a red light.'

- An album that you think is produced perfectly?

- 'Electric Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Experience comes to mind. What a masterpiece!'

- You released your most recent body of work, Enter The Mirage LP back in May 2020. Who and what were you listening to back when you wrote and recorded those songs that may have fed through onto the album?

- 'To my own ears, Enter The Mirage sounds like The Sonic Dawn. Our aesthetics draw upon the psychedelic wave of the 1960s, which to us stands at the peak of rock and roll, which is what we are trying to build on. Gradually however, album by album, we have been moving further away from any specific influences towards our own expression within that realm. People will always have their own associations and compare new stuff to what they already know, but to me this is just The Sonic Dawn.'

- A record that reminds you of touring?

- 'Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. Like most people, we couldn't stand this album to begin with. It's really far out. But their previous records are ridiculously good, so it was hard to accept Trout Mask Replica as just 'annoying'. It got to the point where we were convinced that we had to be wrong about it, and we started to just crank it in the van to see what happened. First day, nothing, but guess what, after three pr four daily doses and almost driving our roadie, Hans, nuts, it all started coming together. Suddenly, after playing it at top volume, the genius of it became very clear, both to us and our roadie. Now it's a staple. I recommend this regimen.'

Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band - 'Trout Mask Replica'

-And finally, your desert island record?

- 'Tough! If I could choose only one, I think I would pick Relatively Clean River's self titled LP. It's a very introspective album for me, which I guess would be appropriate, plus it works every day and only gets better and better.'