WL//WH Interview WHITE BIRCHES
Photo: Ekaterina Iakiamseva
Started in the summer of 2013, the atmospheric darkwave Swedish duo White Birches, comprising Jenny Gabrielsson Mare (vocals and guitars) and Fredrik Jonasson (synths, drum programming), finally released, last November, their anticipated third album, “A New Reign,” through Progress Productions, after waiting for eight years. We have reviewed it extensively and enthusiastically, but it’s certainly better to have an in-depth conversation with those directly involved.
What are some of your earliest, most formative memories when it comes to music and sound?
Fredrik: When it comes to playing music myself, my first memories is me sitting for hours by an old harmonium in my grandparents’ house. This was at a very young age, and from the start, I did my own little compositions, playing them over and over again. When it comes to listening, I have very clear memories of listening to Fats Domino and Elvis. Two LPs were given to me by my uncle when I was about 4 years old. I still got the Fats album and cherish it like a diamond. A few years later, I got my hands on albums by acts like Blondie, The Pretenders and Swedish punk legends Ebba Grön, which may have been more formative.
Jenny: I think I drank all music, noise and sounds in big gulps as a small child. I have tactile poetic memories of my grandmother’s piano and warm memories of my grandfather playing the accordion. But from four to ten years old, I was convinced I was gonna be a rock star. So I mimicked Madonna, Bon Jovi and Roxette and put on shows in the living room.
When did you learn to play your instruments?
Jenny: I played piano as a child but stopped when they tried to force me to learn how to read sheet music, so I only picked up the piano again in my 30s on my own terms. I started playing guitar when I was a teenager, and I still play just the same ten chords, or so I learned back in the 90s. But I think we can all agree that my main instrument is my voice, and learning to play that instrument is still ongoing…
Fredrik: I played the recorder, clarinet and cello as a kid, but gave it all up and started experimenting with synths in my early teens. From that point, it was all about self-learning, and it still is.
How did WB come into being? What were the early concepts, inspirations and motivations behind the project? What initially informed its sound?
Jenny: Fredrik and I met when he booked my solo act to his club back in 2011, when I had just released my debut album. Later, he asked me to lay some vocals on one of his tracks, and we got the idea to make a mutual EP. But the material was too good, and White Birches was a fact.
Fredrik: Initially, we had an idea of a dream pop kind of sound. You can hear that on our first single, ”End of the Line”, but very soon we felt that it would be much more natural with a darker sound. We have some common influences in artists like Nick Cave, Portishead, Björk, PJ Harvey and stuff like that. We don’t strive to sound like them, but we do place ourselves in that universe.
Photo: Ekaterina Iakiamseva
What other creative interests do you have outside of your art, and how do they influence your music?
Fredrik: Oh dear, I feel bored now… I mean, I have been through phases of photography and painting, but music is the only art form I’m serious about. I do enjoy some video editing and photographing now and then, though.
Jenny: Fredrik is being humble. He has a really good eye when he puts his mind to it. Me myself I have never been able to choose one art form, and I like exploring visual art in many forms. Inventing new worlds on paper, in melodies, or text is something I have always done. I still do most of our artwork, and most of our videos are made by me. And I think the visual ideas come through in our music as well, and I think arranging a song is kind of like painting. Layer upon layer.
Your music has a strong atmospheric cinematic quality. Have either of you ever composed for a movie score? Would you like to do so?
Jenny: I really love good movie scores. I think you mentioned Badalamenti in one of your reviews, and that was just so flattering. I’ve watched Twin Peaks possibly twenty times… In theory, I would love to write for screen works, but I have never done it.
Fredrik: I have a solo project that really is suited for this. That music is like a soundtrack to movies inside my head. I’ve never done a movie score for real, though, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot of times. It is also a scary thought. It’s one hell of a responsibility towards the filmmaker. But yeah, if I got the opportunity to do it for a film that felt right, I would certainly be tempted to do it.
Jenny, at what age did you start singing? How has your vocal delivery improved and developed over time? Has it always been an effortless, natural process? Is there anyone you have been inspired by?
Jenny: I started singing from maybe the age of two, but in school, I noticed that my singing was different. I could not hold the harmonies with the girls, and when I tried out for the school chorus in grade seven my music teacher gave me an F in singing. So I stopped, and did not sing for five or six years. But eventually I just had to pick it up again. It took me a long time to realize why I could sing my own songs but never anything else by a female singer. As it turns out, I am a contra alt. That means my range is lower than an alto and more in line with a male tenor. Understanding this has helped me both develop and take care of my voice. But it has also helped me to appreciate it. I used to want to be able to hit those high notes and often felt my voice had no place. But hey, my vocal range is very rare, and it is something to cherish.
photo by @merchmannen
Fredrik, do you recall when you had your first epiphany with a synth? How has your approach with synths and keyboards and your set-up differed through the years alongside the ever evolving technology? Do you favour an analog sound using vintage gear?
Fredrik: I grew up in the Swedish bible belt and spent a lot of time in the church. My first physical meeting with a synth was there. It was a Moog The Rogue, and it blew my mind. To be able to shape my own sounds. From that first moment to this day, that’s really what synths are about in my opinion. I don’t understand why people use presets made by others at all. What’s the point of using synthesizers if not to shape sounds that are unique? I do love vintage analog. I also love new digital synths and everything in between. Vintage digital, new analog, hybrids, modulars – it’s all good!
What has been revealed over the course of this project that you weren’t quite aware of or expected when it began? What have been the most pleasing surprises and most difficult moments?
Jenny: That’s a really tough question. There have been a lot of difficult moments. Both in the writing process, as we have delved into wounds and dealt with heavy subjects. The post-production process was also trying. We actually mixed and mastered the album last fall, but scrapped it as it did not hold up. But then we started from scratch, and the songs found their path. As always, when you are making art, on certain days you feel like a genius, and on other days you feel all is trash. But I am so glad we pulled through and finished the album. In the end, I think it’s the best piece of music we have done.
Photo: Ekaterina Iakiamseva
Would you tell us about your songwriting process and how your respective roles are defined in it?
Jenny: Most of the songs begin as just vocals and piano demos that I send over to Fredrik. Then we start our work with building sounds and molding them to the White Birches world. Sometimes Fredrik sends over a track with drums, bass and some synths, and I run with it and bring chords and melodies. But we have never written lyrics together; the words are mine.
Fredrik: Yes, to me it’s natural that Jenny writes the lyrics since she’s the one who will sing them. Then there’s the fact that she’s a fantastic writer, and honestly, I’m not.
As an album crafted over a very long period, what struggles, shifts or evolutions have you experienced in your writing and production endeavours?
Jenny: When we started back in 2013, White Birches was very much a concept as a band. The last album, “When the Street Calls”, was in itself very much a concept album. Now. Well. We have tried to drop all concepts and just write music. Themes will reveal themselves. This said, that is also the hardest as there is nothing to hide behind. With every part, we have tried to be thorough. What part does this sound, this chord, this word or this choir play? Why is it there, and do we need it?
Fredrik: Also, I believe that we are more secure in who we are as a band now. We don’t need to act. It’s all very natural, and we both feel very comfortable with where we are at this point in our journey.
photo by @merchmannen
Would you assume this is your darkest and most visceral album to date, both sound and lyric-wise? Is there a lingering thread that ties the songs together? What is the meaning behind its title, ”A New Reign”?
Jenny: Unfortunately, the common thread running through many of the songs is grief. And grief is a strange creature, dark in its nature but complicated. There are a few exceptions, and “A New Reign”, the title track, centers on a wish to hand over responsibility, work and heartache to someone else. To make the weight on one’s shoulders a bit lighter. When you feel like you’ve done enough and all you want is rest. At the same time, it is hard to hand over the crown once you’ve made it your own.
I read in your biography about uncompromising live performances. Let’s talk about it. What have been some of your favorite memories or standout moments so far?
Fredrik: I don’t exactly recall specific special moments or memories playing live. Of course, there are a couple of gigs that were magical. I tend to think that it mostly depends on things outside of our power. If the sound tech’s doing a great job and the audience is with us, then I promise you we’ll be great. We do have great confidence in playing live and will give you 100%, that’s uncompromising in my eyes.
Jenny: Exactly, when we say uncompromising, I want it to mean we always leave our heart on the stage and give everything, regardless of whether there are 10 or 1000 in the audience. Writing songs and then performing them, I live for it.
Could you name a record, a concert, or a movie that indelibly affected your artistic personality?
Jenny: There are so many things that shape you, and it’s always hard to know what will stick with you for a longer time. But an important record for me is ”To Bring You My Love” by PJ Harvey. I must have been 14 when it came out, and it affected me deeply. Movies and concerts are harder. I really like the work of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, like “La Cité des Enfants Perdus” (City of Lost Children). It was released close in time with the record I mentioned. Concerts are harder. I grew up outside of a small town in the middle of nowhere, so there were not that many concerts at my most susceptible age.
Fredrik: This will be name dropping, but ”Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call” by Simple Minds meant everything to me in my late teens and still does. That era of Simple Minds and Bowie’s “Berlin” years probably are the two things that shaped me the most. The record that made me start using synths was ”From a Northern Shore” by Swedish legends Twice a Man when I was 14.
Are there any contemporary, up-and-coming artists/bands who you’re particularly into or feel an affinity with?
Fredrik: She’s not exactly up-and-coming, but I do have a special soft spot for Anna von Hausswolff. In a way, I do feel we are in the same universe, without further comparisons.
Jenny: Yes, current is relative. But ”newer” things in my record collection are Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, Algiers and Light Asylum. But all of those have been around for a decade, so… But they’re great.
Thank you so much for being our welcome guest. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Jenny: Thank you! We are currently booking gigs and hoping to meet a lot of people in 2026.
Fredrik: Thank you! In a world currently suffering from hate and bigotry: Resist!
Photo: Ekaterina Iakiamseva
