When Johan Karlsson posted an ad for a pop vocalist for a metal project, Alice Hartvig was both interested and sceptical. Although she was an experienced vocalist, she had never been involved with metal music before. After a quick discussion and a demo recording however, it was clear that she was the perfect fit for Johans vision and We Are To Blame was born. Together with guitarist Urban Granbacke they began to write the beginning of We Are To Blames story. Marrying the vocal lines and melodies from pop with the massive foundation of metal, they aim to bring a fresh perspective in a familiar voice. With strong lyrical themes that lie close to their hearts, they want to bring music that moves the listener.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey We Are To Blame, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hey, Johan from We Are To Blame here, I am stoked to chat with you too! We all got into music at quite young ages, and we all felt a strong attraction to the field. For me, the idea of playing music myself came the first time i heard Iron Maiden, after that i just wanted to play guitar!
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?
I don't, haha! But jokes aside, it is still something I struggle with. Especially when you work with something you love, it is easy to forget that you are actually working and lose track of time. I try to take days off and not do anything music related at all, but it's a struggle, haha!
Your latest release is 'Duality I'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
The idea for the EP was basically established when I started the band, but apart from writing and recording the songs we tried to shape the whole idea of the band before our first release. Everything from clothing and visuals to soundscape and lyrical themes we had pretty much established before we finished the first demos. The vocal recording was pretty intense, since Alice lives far away from our home base we had to record alot in a short time, plus find the time to record her parts for the music video for 'Breathe' as well!
Where did you get the inspiration for this EP?
Everything is a source of inspiration. Our life story, our relationships, our feelings and everything we encounter through life. Everything affects who you are and who you become, in different shapes and forms. We write alot about peoples struggles, and mental illness is a recurring theme.
How long did you work on the 'Duality I'? Was it an easy process for you?
It's kinda hard to say, as it all connected with establishing the form of the band as a whole and we also worked on songs that ended up on the second EP. But it was really enjoyable, and we are very happy with the results!
How do you know when a work is finished?
A song is never finished, only abandoned. Whenever i feel that my changes are just different and not better, it's usually time to consider it finished or atleast get a second pair of ears on it.
Can you write what was your best performance in your career? How do you remember it?
So far we haven't done any proper live shows, but while I am writing this we are driving to Tromsö in Norway for our first live show (with Madder Mortem & Dreamslain) which we think is going to be amazing!
How do you find yourself in the music business? When you started out in music, did you know it would be like this?
Anyone who think they know the business without being in the business is probably lying, haha! But to be honest, we try to play the game but on our own terms. Some things are great, and some not so great. But we don't really have any means to affect how it works at the moment, so we just try to do what we do best and work with what we have.
Who is your favourite musician?
For me personally, just naming one musician it would probably be Hans Zimmer.
What are your plans for the future?
We have another EP ready to be released, we are just figuring out some of the visuals, distribution and marketing. Apart from that we are looking into completing our lineup and get ready to do more liveshows, and we are working on new songs for future releases as well.
Thank you for your time!