A Chat with Repeat (21.10.23)
Oozing raw aggression in their scorching guitars and pounding drums, Sweden-based trio Repeat blasts onto the scene with their powerful music. We speak with frontman and guitarist Torbjörn Hallberg about their self-titled debut album, what music means to him, and future plans.
OSR: Cliché but how did Repeat come about? What drew you to music?
Hallberg: We have known each other since our teens and grew up together in the same neighbourhood. We have all played in various local bands in Sweden and Johan played in Liberator – the legendary Swedish ska-rock band for many years. During the pandemic, me and Johan met regularly to try out new material and in 2022 we came to a point when it felt like it was something we wanted to take further. We had played with a few different bass players but finally contacted Mattias and then the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.
OSR: What inspires you to create music?
Hallberg: Many different things, they can be various events in everyday life, sometimes near you other times far away. Sometimes there is a clear idea when we meet, but often songs develop during rehearsal.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Hallberg: A lot. Music follows us through life. Music can take us through rough times and is with us when we are having a good time.
OSR: What can you tell us about your debut self-titled album? Is there a particular theme or backstory?
Hallberg: The idea behind the band and which is hopefully also reflected on the album is to provide a short and explosive experience of repetitive aggressive songs. We prefer the short formats and a direct presence. The mix of stoner rock and alternative rock with loud fuzzy guitars, rumbling bass and aggressive drums, gives its own unique progressive style. The lyrics, just like the songs, are often short and a lot of space is left for the listener to create their own image.
OSR: What are your favourite and least favourite songs on the album?
Hallberg: As said, the idea behind the band is to provide a short and explosive experience of repetitive aggressive songs. We prefer the short formats and a direct presence and hope that they all fit well together. We kept our least favourite songs off the album and do like the track ‘Repeat’ of course!
OSR: If you could change one thing about the album, what would it be and why?
Hallberg: I don’t think there is anything we would like to change. Sure, there were things that could be improved but we were not looking for perfection. We did two takes of each track, that was it, to keep the intensity and energy.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Hallberg: We hope they get twenty minutes of revitalisation!
OSR: Describe your band in one sentence.
Hallberg: An explosive unit of repetitive and aggressive songs.
OSR: If you had to recommend one song from Repeat to new listeners, which one would it be?
Hallberg: Then I would start with the opening track ‘Repeat’ and take it from there.
OSR: What can we expect from Repeat in the future?
Hallberg: We’ll be back in the studio in January next year and then hope to be playing clubs in Sweden and abroad.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Hallberg: We are very grateful that so many already have started to follow us and for all the kind messages. We hope to see you live next year; it will be fun! Always enjoy music!
Many thanks to Torbjörn Hallberg for speaking with us. Find out more about Repeat on their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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