Q and A: Niklas Sandin (Katatonia)

By BRIAN GIFFIN

MELANCHOLIC Swedes Katatonia have just released their 13th studio album. With its mouthful of a title, Nightmares As Extensions Of A Waking State, it is the band’s first release without founding member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Anders Nyström, whose departure in the wake of the previous release wasn’t officially confirmed until recently. It also marks the recording debut of guitar pair Nico Elgstrand and Sebastain Svalland. In the lead up to the release, we spoke with bassist Niklas Sandin about how the erstwhile Nyström’s departure has affected the band, the essence of Swedish music and airports.

Hot Metal: How are you?
Niklas Sandin: “I’m doing good! I’m having a sunny day in Stockholm – which is not everyday. It’s good. It give me good vibes and good energy. How are you doing?”

HM: I’m doing well. It’s a bit cold here – probably not quite as cold as Stockholm but it’s colder than what we’re used to at this time of year. I had a chance to listen to the album today ahead of speaking to you, and it’s a good accompaniment for cold weather, isn’t it?
NS: “Yes. Definitely. I think that’s the soundtrack to Swedish winters and Swedish harshness: Katatonia’s music! I think that’s what Swedish music in general is born out of. Maybe except ABBA and Roxette. It’s born out of the distress of not having enough Vitamin D. The Swedish people are funny in that kind of way: even before spring or summer has hit, if there is any sunshine and a restaurant or a pub has any seats outside, people will sit there under big quilts, drinking beer. Because we’re so in need of every little ray of sunshine. I think it was even in the news at the beginning of COVID, when the rest of Europe and Scandinavia was in lockdown, Sweden had a different approach, and people were sitting with safe distance from each other, drinking beer under the quilts because we need the sunshine, otherwise we’ll kill ourselves. I think that’s reflected in the music of Katatonia!”

HM: I’ve never been to Sweden, but I definitely get a vibe that is why your music is the way it is. But I spoke to Bjorn Strid a couple of days ago – he does sort of both things really well, the dark harsh music, and the bright poppy stuff. That sort of sums up Sweden’s music – you do both of these things that are very different, very well.
NS: “He has The Night Flight Orchestra, which is fantastic. I’ve never had the opportunity to see them, but I imagine it would be fantastic. They are a really cool show with the glitter and the glamour and the stewardesses – that would be really cool! So I reverse my statement – really gloomy music except for ABBA, Roxette – and the Night Flight Orchestra!”

HM: Is this a new era for Katatonia? This is really the first album that you’ve done without Anders, so what was it like to be there without him?
NS: “To be honest and frank, it wasn’t all that different because for many years, and quite a few years, his involvement has slimmed down. For the last record, I never even saw him except for the recording of the music video for “Birds”. That’s the only involvement I saw him in. So I think for me and the others it wasn’t all that different. We are steaming on as usual. In fact there were positive vibes and it was good having two new members in that were really pulling their weight above and beyond, because they were doing things without even having to say anything. They were learning the parts and practising setlists and stuff, having all their shit together even before coming in as a unit and a group in the rehearsal place. It has been a different experience, but a positive one. It’s been super good and easy going.”

HM: It has a similar vibe to the previous album, but I felt this one has a few more upbeat moments, some more heavier riffs going on. For a few moments there I thought you were going to go straight into black metal. It gave me a bit of a feeling of Katatonia from long ago.
NS: “Fans have commented online about the single release, picking out the references and hearing stuff from previous albums going back as far as 23 years ago and stuff. It’s really interesting and everyone hears their own references in listening to Katatonia, so the same song people can hear The Great Cold Distance and someone else hears The Dead Kings. Every has their own set of ears and their own experiences, so that’s cool.”

HM: I won’t ask if you have a favourite track from the new album, because that would be like asking if you have a favourite child, but if someone was to ask you to present just two songs to them from the album, which two would you choose?
NS: “I think ‘Wind of No Change’ would be the one that I would ask people to listen to. Especially experienced listeners of Katatonia, because that’s the one that stands out the most not just from the other tracks on the album, but in general from the catalogue. I remember I was at Jonas’s house, he invited me for dinner, and I heard the first shell of the song. He had only written the first minute and a half or so. I heard it through a Bluetooth speaker and I was like, Wow. It already sounds huge. What an opening to a song. This is super different. Then we had some red wine and I got to hear it through the speakers in his home studio and yes, it sounds even bigger. It already works on a small speaker, so that is a good sign. So, that one. Also “Efter solen”, the one with Swedish lyrics. I’m gonna reveal to much about how it actually sounds, because then I would spoil the surprise for people, like when you see Hollywood production trailers and they show all the good stuff. If you want to see a Marvel movie, go to YouTube and see the theatrical trailers and you’ve seen all of it! All the good stuff. The rest of the movie, they’re just sitting in cars drinking coffee. All the cool explosions are in the trailers.”

HM: What are you looking forward to now, with the album out?
NS: “Playing live is… isn’t not like the music is the means to an end when it comes to playing on stage. The music is always the most important. I’ve always felt that playing live is the most fun and rewarding part of playing music. With both bands, Katatonia and Lik, which is death metal, it’s always a personal exchange within the band too. We don’t just go up and think it’s just another day at the office. It’s something that becomes unique between each set, something very, very fun, and that’s the way I want to play music. When it’s dynamic and different between the shows, and connecting with people. Seeing how much the music means to them. And hopefully not sucking too much! Keeping it together, and evoke something in people so they feel like they had a unique and memorable experience, maybe for life! That’s what I always look forward to. Maybe not all the hours waiting at airports.”

HM: I haven’t been to as many airports as you probably have, but they must all start to look the same after a while.
NS: “Oh yeah! I mean, some in the band are going, We’re going to that airport, it looks like that. To me it’s just terminals. The same chain stores. WH Smith and stuff. I remember and Jonas almost missed a flight because we were talking about the essence of putting garlic into food, and we were walking down the wrong wing of the terminal. Weren’t we supposed to be at Gate 65? This is 23! They were doing maintenance to escalators and stuff and we almost didn’t make it in time!”