Hailing from the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, chamber pop trio Soybomb are notable for their close harmonies, musical playfulness, and tongue-in-cheek humour. Their new Sauvage EP, which represents a slight psychedelic turn for the band, is coloured with nostalgia, humour, and goodwill.
Progressing from the angular, snappy sounds of the band’s 2018 Jonglage album, the Sauvage EP breathes an atmosphere of wonder and possibility. Dreamy and psychedelic, each song is delivered with the band’s signature lyricism, playfulness, and measured optimism.
We tried to match the band’s wit with a few quick questions. Here’s what they had to say.
What’s the secret to your international charm?
It’s a mixture of being as Swiss as possible but refusing to sing in our own language. We throw in random Spanish words every now and then, like Joe Strummer did.
Tell me about your move from Switzerland to Berlin.
We put our stuff in a trailer, sneaked over the border and off we went. Our car ran out of petrol on the highway and we nearly got busted. What we were aiming for? Focus, progress and international charm.
Is your music supposed to be cool?
Supposedly, yes. The folks at our shows look pretty groovy. I take this as a benchmark. Sometimes I get the thought that our music sounds cooler than we are. We’re pretty fun to watch as a live act, quite aslope. I wish we could have more of that in the music itself.
What does the word ‘pop’ mean to you?
I imagine pop as a big vacuum cleaner – it sucks up trends and inflates them until they blow up. I try to avoid using pop to label a genre, because it can literally mean anything. We are also sometimes victims of trends. But we prefer to be explorers.
You’ve travelled a bit as a band. where is your music best received and why do you think that is?
England gave us a very good feeling about our music. I think in England you identify with both our humour and our music. Speaking for myself, I have a strong British musical background and that does ceratinly seep through.
Tell me more about your Russian tour – it’s not a place many European bands visit.
Everybody loved it! But they didn’t understand what we were about. Us being people from Europe was the excitement. They got us as far as playing Smells Like Teen Spirit as an encore. Funny: the countryside of Russia feels similar to the USA.
How did you get so good at nailing the nerdy sexy vibe?
It’s a tightrope walk. We do things that are on the edge of comfort – that creates the required tension. But there is a lot of our real nature in it. We take it to extremes.
What’s next for Soybomb?
We’re a bit reclusive, but a lot of things are on the move. First of all is to write new music. We aim for something Soybombier than there ever was before. We try to find new ways to record and write. And there’s gonna be shows and tours coming up. England is planned for early next year.