Wittmar is a band like no other, with their Nordic folk stylings adding a great deal of wonder to these pages. If you’ve somehow missed their music, you should give new release Drops of Rain when it’s officially released on May 3rd – it’s a near perfect piece of music! Alternatively, check out the live version of River below!

By Jane Howkins

You have a new single coming out soon titled Drops Of Rain. What can you tell us about
the track and when will it be released?

Drops of Rain was written one morning in July on the stairs of the band’s singer Marika’s circus wagon, accompanied
by birdsong and the hissing of the forest. The song is a reflection on life, our brief little moment on earth and what remains when someone has passed on. It ponders how a human being can be so incomprehensibly small underneath the stars and yet so significant.

It’s about how we all affect each other through our life choices, and how the consequences of those choices keep making rings on the water long after we are gone.

Drops of Rain will be released on the 3rd of may.

Where can your music be purchased? Is there a specific place you’d prefer people to find your music?

We’re considering putting our upcoming album on wax but the only thing we know for now Is that we will be available
on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and other streaming platforms.

Do you have any more singles planned for the near future?

Yes, on the 11th of June we are releasing the single One Day and on the 30th of August we are releasing the single Kelowna.

You’re also releasing your debut album soon, titled Strange Bird. What can you tell us about the record and when will it be released?

Our new album summarises quite well who we are as a band – musically broad with varied ‘flavors’ from song to
song. We have developed our own sound through not limiting ourselves to one type of expression or genre. Any influence can be the spark for a new song, but a red thread in our music is the focus on the storytelling.

The album name Strange Bird is a translation of ‘Främmande fågel‘ – the only song in Swedish and the last track
on the album. The album title is about daring to be true to oneself, going one’s own way.

The album will be released on the 11th of October.

How does it feel to finally be releasing your debut record? What was the writing and recording process like?

It feels super exciting, and very right on time for us. We started this band four years ago, and it has been an
interesting process of letting things land, take it´s time, both musically and as a group.

The songs on the album were written by singer Marika and bass player Edvin and the lyrics are stories from personal
experiences in their lives. Both the songwriting and the arrangement of the songs has been allowed to unfold organically and now that the debut album is recorded, we feel very proud of the result.

The recording process was creative, smooth and fun! We had the pleasure to record the album in an old barn that
has recently been refurbished into a top class studio. The studio is located in a little community village called Unnaryd on the west coast of Sweden, which is also the home of Marika and drummer Jonathan. We collaborated with renowned producer Petter Eriksson (who has previously worked with some of the major artists within the folk/rock genre in Sweden) and he contributed to the result in an impressive way with his sensitive ears and high level of musicality.

Your music has an indie-folk/alt-country sound. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?

We draw inspiration from some swedish indie-folk/alt-country acts like Daniel Norgren, 1900 and Sara Parkman, but we have a broad source of inspiration that goes beyond that scene. West african artists such as Ali Farka Touré and Bombino, swedish prog like Kebnekajse, Bo Hansson and Å, synth stuff like Fever Ray and Tangerine Dream, rock stuff like Goat and PJ Harvey… We’re basically into music that “warms the cockles of our hearts” (gotta love the English language), the genre isn’t that important – good music is good music. That’s something that our upcoming album will prove.

You’re from Sweden. What is the local music scene like in your area at the moment?

I guess Sweden is known for It’s vast amount of successful commercial music, but we have so much more than ABBA
and Roxette -the underground scene Is thriving up here. There’s plenty of small festivals hidden among the pine trees and if you’re lucky enough to find one you’ll discover some amazing music! It’s just a shame that a lot of the best bands don’t hit the big stages -Why!?

Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?

Besides the single and album releases, we’re setting off on a European tour in June, followed by a couple of gigs
at festivals and clubs in Sweden. Our next gig is a split gig with the mighty Vilma Flood on a ship in central Gothenburg -ahoy!

Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?

Nope, nothing planned at the moment but we’d love to get across the channel – spread the word York Calling!

Any last words for the fans?

Thank you for listening!

We can´t wait to let you hear our new album and we hope that you will like it as much as we do!

If you’d like to know more about us and check out our tour dates, visit our website www.wittmarmusic.com