The Shout Out Louds: A Q&A

Shout Out Louds are back to work with their new album and a new sound.  Brought together as friends in Stockholm, the band has been rocking the Indie Pop Rock world for years now.  With two releases under their belts, Shout Out Louds took a six-month vacation of sorts before reuniting to create their new release, appropriately titled, Work.

A step away from their previous albums, Work is stripped, with an air of whimsicality.  The album, produced by Indie hit maker Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses) signals Shout Out Louds acceptance of music as a living.  The overall feel of the album is cheery and reminiscent of summer.  All in all, with their new album, Shout Out Louds have found a way to make work fun again.

Singer and Guitarist Adam Olenius spoke with me about the release and the preparations for the album.

KP: Could you tell me a bit about how the band came to be?

AO: After school, Ted (bass) and I met at different parties and talked about music and starting a band.  He’d never played an instrument but just wanted something to do, so we called up our friends and started’€”from the very, very beginning.

KP: In addition to your music, you do a lot of work for the band yourselves (i.e. the art, the music videos). How would you describe the creative process?

AO: We often collect things and ideas during tours and breaks and talk about them when we get back to work. Carl and I, who do all the artwork, were inspired by Irving Penn on this album, so we wanted the album cover to have a photo book feel to it.

KP: I read that you all parted ways for six months before the creation of this album. What did you do during that time period before reuniting?

AO: I went down to Melbourne for three months and started writing the album. And I also did a lot of nothing’€”wining and dining, for the most part.

KP: What was it like working together again after that break?

AO:  It felt really good. We were a little bit rusty, but ideas for songs came really quickly. We also decided not to turn down ideas this time’€¦but then we did.

KP: How would you describe the recording process for Work?

AO: We spent six months in Stockholm working on the album before heading over to Seattle to work with Phil (Ek.) I wrote most of the songs in Melbourne and sent demos to Phil, one by one. He was very precise and exact, so it took us a while to get everything on tape. We also added extra time for him to stay in Stockholm to mix the album. It’s hard to finish an album. I could have worked on it for another six weeks.

KP: A lot of people construe ‘€œwork’€ as a negative thing, yet it’s your album title. How do you define work?

AO: For us, ‘€œwork’€ is a positive word. It’s about trying really hard to get that certain sound or feeling. It took us a while to realize that this is what we want to do, and to feel comfortable about it.

KP: The feel of the album is very simple and carefree. How would you say it differs from your previous albums? What changed?

AO: This album is much more stripped down, and we focused more on our own instruments this time. We didn’t try to fill every hole. The album has a more old-school sound as well. It’s our Tusk.

KP: What’s next for Shout Out Louds?

AO: Touring, flying, drinking, eating, talking, and a little bit of sleeping.